Football is back! It has been a long road for the Bucs to take the field after missing the playoffs last season. There have been a lot of twists and turns along the way, but Tampa Bay suited up to take on the Jets in the team’s preseason opener on Friday night. After two intense joint practices, the two teams squared off in a game setting. In the exhibition matchup, the Bucs defeated the Jets, 24-16.

As always, you can expect Pewter Report to provide a Most Impressive and Most Disappointing write-up immediately following each game this season. Here is what was most disappointing watching the Bucs at MetLife Stadium:

QB Connor Bazelak

Connor Bazelak has some tough competition for the Bucs’ third quarterback job, as Jalon Daniels has impressed since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. For Bazelak to outdo a younger, more athletic Daniels, he needed to look every bit as efficient as he did last preseason, when he completed 32-of-46 passes (69.6%) for 261 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions.

He failed to look as poised in the pocket and was inaccurate outside of a lot of short, rhythmic passes. He was unable to hit rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst on a couple of throws in the first quarter, as one was quite the underthrow that head coach Todd Bowles challenged but ultimately lost.

Bucs CB Connor Bazelak – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

There was a lack of zip on Bazelak’s passes, and it is doubtful he can hold off Daniels for much longer. Even though he started getting into a flow at the end of the first quarter, he was unable to direct the offense to a touchdown. Throwing Hurst’s way on third-and-goal, his pass was behind the 6-foot-4 wideout as Bazelak did not lead him well enough (even if he should have caught it). The rest of the second quarter produced middling results as he struggled to hit his targets consistently. He finished his day by completing 12 of his 20 passes for 72 yards, averaging just 3.6 yards per pass.

There is a chance that Tampa Bay keeps the almost 26-year-old on the practice squad, but there is just not a lot of upside in him as a developmental arm.

RB/KR Kadarius Calloway

Kadarius Calloway’s only odds of making the Bucs are on the practice squad, as the team has three quality backs in Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell, and Sean Tucker. Calloway is competing with Josh Williams for the fourth running back job, meaning that he has to make the most of every chance and shine on special teams, like Williams did last year.

After a 29-yard kick return to begin the game, he muffed his second kick return right at the end zone. While he recovered it, Calloway had just a 10-yard return and did not go back out there a third time. Plays like that simply cannot happen.

He also had just 13 yards on eight carries on the ground and was stopped a yard short of finding paydirt. It was a tough night for Calloway, a rookie out of New Mexico State.

OLB Chris Braswell

I don’t list Chris Braswell on here to just pile on the fact that the 2024 second-round pick has failed to meet expectations. The Bucs outside linebacker’s quiet training camp transferred over to the preseason opener. Braswell just lacks any semblance of an “it” factor, failing to showcase any ability to get after the quarterback or be a factor in run defense.

He was invisible, save for contributing to a poor run fit on Braelon Allen’s 31-yard touchdown run. He was not the only one on that play (see Nick Jackson), but it did not help his case to make the team. Braswell’s runway is evaporating, with it looking all but certain that his career will not be taking off in Tampa Bay.

LT Justin Skule

Veteran offensive tackle Justin Skule returned for a second stint with the Bucs after spending last season with the Vikings. The hope was that Skule would provide stability as a backup to Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, but he has struggled throughout training camp.

Bucs OT Justin Skule – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

That has come against a deeper stable of outside pass rushers, but it continued on Friday night. On the opening offensive drive, Skule was pushed back from the snap on third-and-6 and allowed Will McDonald IV to bully him all the way to quarterback Connor Bazelak for a sack.

This is not the kind of impression Skule wants to make as he vies for an important depth spot. At this point, he is the fourth offensive tackle behind Wirfs, Goedeke, and Ben Chukwuma.

OTs Ben Chukwuma and Paul Rubelt

Justin Skule was not the only offensive tackle to disappoint on Friday night. Ben Chukwuma did not have the best game himself, as his camp struggles carried over in giving up pressure and not being as imposing in the trenches. Chukwuma’s stock is quietly dropping after a promising rookie season.

Paul Rubelt stands out for his size (6-foot-10), but he was called for a hold in the third quarter and a false start in the fourth quarter and did not stand out in an impressive way as he competes to make the practice squad. Rubelt was given substantial money ($277,500) to sign with Tampa Bay as a priority undrafted free agent, but he has a long developmental path ahead of him.

P Riley Dixon

Riley Dixon had an interesting night booting punts.

Dixon’s best and worst punts of the night were called back, and somewhere in between he had a “meh” performance. First, his 62-yard punt was called back after Ayden Garnes ran out of bounds. The veteran punter followed that up with a 43-yard punt with only a 25-yard net.

In the fourth quarter, he had a 21-yard punt where the Jets were called for too many men on the field. Those were instances of inconsistency, which special teams coordinator Danny Smith will not tolerate as he attempts to turn the unit around this season.