The Bucs have definitely added an immense amount of talent to their roster this offseason, and that will make this year’s roster cuts even harder than in previous years. It also means that Tampa Bay’s depth should be better than it was a year ago, and that the team’s practice squad should be far more talented as well.

This week’s joint practices in Jacksonville and Friday night’s game against the Jaguars will be the final audition for several players on Tampa Bay’s roster bubble. Let’s take a look at each position on offense and see who is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster or the practice squad.

On Tuesday, we’ll take a look at the roster bubble players on defense.

Bucs Roster Bubble Players On Offense

QUARTERBACKS – 2 or 3

Roster Lock
Baker Mayfield

On The Bubble
Jake Browning
Jalon Daniels
Connor Bazelak

ANALYSIS: The Bucs will keep at least two QBs, and perhaps three if they choose to keep Browning as QB2 and don’t want to risk Daniels, who has shown a lot of promise, clearing waivers to be stashed on the practice squad. Quarterback play is so bad around the league that Daniels could get claimed elsewhere as a true backup quarterback. A bold move in Tampa Bay would be to cut Browning and either sign him or Bazelak to the practice squad and have Daniels be Mayfield’s backup. We’ll see what happens in Jacksonville.

RUNNING BACKS – 3 or 4

Roster Locks
Bucky Irving
Kenny Gainwell

On The Bubble
Sean Tucker
Josh Williams
Barika Kpeenu

ANALYSIS: If the Bucs keep three QBs on the roster it could force the team to only keep three running backs. And if that’s the case, would it be Tucker, who will cost $3.52 million this year as a third-string back, or the cheaper Williams, who is on his rookie deal, who gets cut? Both can return kicks and the team likes both backs for different reasons. Williams has a chance of being around next year while Tucker really doesn’t due to his price tag and the fact he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. It will be interesting to see if they keep both backs – or just one. And who.

Bucs RB Sean Tucker – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

WIDE RECEIVERS – 6

Roster Locks
Chris Godwin Jr.
Emeka Egbuka
Jalen McMillan
Ted Hurst
Tez Johnson

On The Bubble
Kam Johnson
Dean Patterson IV
David Sills V
Garrett Greene
Dennis Houston
Eric Rivers

ANALYSIS: The Bucs have several talented receivers vying for one roster spot. Kam Johnson appears to be in the driver’s seat right now due to his ability to return punts and kicks as well as his improvement as a receiver. But Patterson and Sills have also made a very favorable impression and might be better receivers at this stage. If Johnson doesn’t stick, who returns punts in Tampa Bay? Tez Johnson maybe? The sixth receiver spot feels like it’s Kam Johnson’s to lose heading into Jacksonville with Patterson, Sills and Greene on the practice squad.

TIGHT ENDS – 4

Roster Locks
Cade Otton
Payne Durham
Bauer Sharp

On The Bubble
Ko Kieft
Devin Culp
Kenny Fletcher Jr.

ANALYSIS: Durham is in the final year of his contract and his blocking as TE2 has value. Sharp has shown enough to make the team over Culp and Fletcher, who are too one-dimensional as their blocking is lacking. Kieft is a special teams ace and a good blocker. Catching a clutch touchdown from Daniels in Saturday’s preseason game only helped his cause.

Bucs TE Ko Kieft – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

OFFENSIVE LINE – 9

Roster Locks
LT Tristan Wirfs
LG Ben Bredeson
C Graham Barton
RG Cody Mauch
RT Luke Goedeke
OT Ben Chukwuma
C-G Dan Feeney

On The Bubble
OT Justin Skule
G Billy Schrauth
G Luke Haggard
C Ben Scott
G-C-OT Elijah Klein
G-OT Henry Lutovsky
G Nash Hutmacher
OT Marshall Foerner
OT Paul Rubelt*

ANALYSIS: With seven locks to make the roster, the Bucs have eight players vying for two roster spots in Jacksonville. The German-born Rubelt has some upside and will automatically make the practice squad with a roster exemption for being the team’s International Pathway Program player. Skule and Chukwuma have had shaky camps, so Tampa Bay will likely be forced to keep both. Skule is a veteran with plenty of game experience, while the team is not ready to give up on Chukwuma’s athletic upside.

At guard, either Haggard, who made the team last year and has had a solid preseason, or Schrauth wins the final interior roster spot. The problem is that Schrauth has been hurt quite a bit in camp and is only a fifth-round pick. Schrauth could be a practice squad candidate if he doesn’t return to practice and play in Jacksonville. Whoever doesn’t make the 53 – Schrauth or Haggard – is a candidate for the practice squad with Scott, Klein and Lutovsky also being in the mix.

Bucs at Jaguars Joint Practices + Game Coverage On The Pewter Report Podcast

The Bucs travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars in a pair of joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pewter Report will be on hand to cover both practices and the preseason finale on Friday night. Watch our Pewter Report Podcasts beginning on Tuesday afternoon on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

And after the game on Friday night, we’ll break down all of the action from the preseason finale live from Jacksonville on the Pewter Report Postgame Podcast around 11:15 p.m. ET on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.