The Bucs preseason opener Saturday night saw a few splash plays made by backups in the secondary. One would think that would make head coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles happy.

Cornerback Antonio Hamilton led the defense with seven tackles along with forcing a fumble. Safety Javon Hagan had six tackles, including three tackles for loss, and made a great interception – only to fumble it away seconds later.

But a day after reviewing the tape, the defensive back that Arians was most impressed with was four-year journeyman, Dee Delaney.

Delaney had an interception in the 19-14 loss against the Bengals, but it got negated after a pass interference penalty was called against him. It was a rough night for the referees, and that one didn’t look like an appropriate call. Whether the pick counted or not, Delaney’s performance at corner and on special teams stood out to Arians.

“I hated to see Dee [Delaney] get his interception taken away,” Arians said.  “But I thought he played well. He played well on teams. The rest of them – they have a ways to go.”

Delaney signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jaguars in 2018. Along the way he’s also played for Dolphins, Jets and the Washington Football Team. He didn’t play for any team in 2020, but he gets another chance to make an NFL roster this year as he signed with the Bucs in May.

Arians has been quite vocal that players in reserve roles need to make the team by making plays on special teams. While he complimented players such as Delaney and Nate Brooks, there were other defensive backs on the roster that he was not happy with.

“Thank God we have two more preseason games to get some of the jitters out and make some corrections to hopefully get better,” Arians said. “Some showed up in the wrong direction. Some guys I was hoping for to see take that next step, stepped backwards.”

Tampa Bay released reserve cornerback Cameron Kinley on Sunday following the loss to Cincinnati.