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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: I have not been that impressed so far with Chris Braswell. I heard you talk him up after the Dolphins game on your podcast. Wanted to ask if Pewter Report could compare Chris Braswell’s training camp with how Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s first training camp was in 2021.

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: That’s a good question. To be honest, I don’t quite recall Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s camp back in 2021. That was four years ago. My initial impression was that he was a long, agile athlete that was rusty after sitting out the 2020 COVID season at Washington. The PAC-12 originally cancelled the 2020 season but then wound up playing four games that year, but Tryon-Shoyinka just opted out and decided to train for the 2021 NFL Draft instead.

Tryon-Shoyinka wasn’t expected t0 start right away as the team had veterans Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker. But an early-season shoulder injury to Pierre-Paul forced Tryon-Shoyinka to start and play a lot of football in 2021. He showed some athletic flashes for sure, but hasn’t really been able to put it all together as a pass rusher in four years in Tampa Bay. Tryon-Shoyinka’s biggest flaw is his lack of physicality. He’s a finesse player who would rather try to win with speed rather than power.

Usually when a team wants to replace a player, they let the pendulum swing in the opposite direction. Whereas Tryon-Shoyinka’s game is built around speed more than physicality, the Bucs loved Chris Braswell’s physicality at Alabama. Braswell, whose bull rush and long arm rush are staples in his pass rush arsenal, is listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds but he looks much bigger. Tryon-Shoyinka is listed at 6-foot-5, 259 pounds but looks more slender.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke and OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

We’ve already seen how physical Braswell is in taking on tight ends and right tackles and setting the edge in the running game. JTS has gotten better at that over time, but I think Braswell is better in that area than Tryon-Shoyinka was as a rookie. And as we saw on Friday night, Braswell changed it up and got his first preseason sack on a speed rush from the outside.

Braswell is not the freak athlete that Yaya Diaby is at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, and remember that Diaby ran a ridiculous 4.51 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Yet Braswell, who is a good athlete in his own right, ran a respectable 4.6 by comparison. Braswell’s combination of physicality and speed will ultimately make him a starter over Tryon-Shoyinka at some point during his rookie season.

I’ve often said that I can foresee Braswell having a similar rookie season to Diaby’s last year in that he didn’t start until midseason and racked up all of his sacks down the stretch. That doesn’t mean that Braswell can’t – or won’t – have a sack in the first half of the year. Braswell benefited greatly with the added camp reps when Tryon-Shoyinka and Diaby were out with neck and ankle injuries, respectively. Tryon-Shoyinka has Todd Bowles’ trust and will start the season, but don’t be surprised when Braswell unseats him at some point.

QUESTION: SR, what is your analysis on how the Bucs feel regarding their depth? Todd Bowles made comments a week ago about how he doesn’t think it’s up to par with previous years. Could we see them more active on the waiver wire or in free agency than years past?

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

ANSWER: Perhaps. Todd Bowles was asked if this was his deepest team since he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2019 and he said no. The Bucs were deeper with more proven talent in 2020 and 2021 and it was no surprise the team won the Super Bowl in 2020 and had a franchise-best 13 wins the following year as a result. I believe Bowles is equating talent to proven talent with experienced players. The Bucs outside linebacker room is talented and I believe the team keeps six edge rushers as a result with both Jose Ramirez and Markees Watts making the team. But from an experience standpoint it’s very young – and inexperienced.

Reserve Anthony Nelson is the oldest player, entering his sixth season in Tampa Bay. And second-year outside linebacker Yaya Diaby has been the most accomplished pass rusher with 7.5 sacks in his rookie season. None of the Bucs edge rushers were as experienced and productive as Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul were back in the day, for example.

Potential is the most dangerous word in the NFL in the minds of talent evaluators. That word is seductive and can get some teams in trouble if the potential that players show doesn’t turn into production, which is truly the best “P” word in the league. I like the team’s depth at running back, wide receiver, outside linebacker and perhaps safety and guard. Tampa Bay is shaky in terms of depth at quarterback, offensive tackle, inside linebacker, cornerback and defensive tackle (from a pass rushing standpoint) in my eyes.

The Bucs were incredibly healthy last year and that contributed mightily to the team’s 9-8 record, third straight NFC South title and playoff win against the Eagles. We’ll see if they can stay healthy again this season.

STATEMENT: Sign Adrian Martinez as QB3 on Wednesday.

Bucs QB John Wolford – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: I have it on good authority that the Bucs aren’t interested in signing quarterback Adrian Martinez should he be available after roster cutdowns. They didn’t like him coming out of college where he played at Nebraska and Kansas State and he didn’t latch on with Detroit as an undrafted free agent last year, and he’ll probably wind up on the practice squad with the New York Jets this year after playing with them in the preseason.

Martinez is a dual-threat quarterback, who lacks the pocket presence needed to truly thrive in Liam Coen’s offense. He was 12-of-20 for 99 yards passing and ran for 23 yards on three carries in the Jets preseason finale, which was a 10-6 victory. Martinez didn’t throw a touchdown pass in his three preseason games in New York.

While his ability to run and scramble is intriguing and helped him win the UFL Most Valuable Player award with the Birmingham Stallions and the UFL Championship Game MVP, Martinez has struggled with turnover-worthy throws in college and into the pros. If he was truly that good, he would be vying for a backup job in the NFL – not a third-string QB job.

Tampa Bay is set at the backup spot behind Baker Mayfield with Kyle Trask, who is coming off his best preseason yet in his four years with the team. Behind him will be veteran John Wolford, who will likely be signed to the practice squad once again. Wolford had a disappointing training camp and preseason from my perspective, given the three years he spent in Los Angeles playing with Coen in this Rams-based offense. But the coaches and personnel staff are comfortable with him, and he has some NFL starting experience.

STATEMENT: Hey Scott, it appeared to me watching Antonio Grier Jr. Friday night that the Bucs should look at him as a tw0-way guy as a linebacker and RB4 with Chase Edmonds going on IR. He is listed as 6-1 and 229 pounds, but he looked shifty on that fumble return. He would be good for goal line situations as well.

Bucs ILB Antonio Grier Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Well, Antonio Grier Jr. has no experience playing running back, so I don’t think the team will give him any consideration there. He was not a dual-role player in college in his five years at USF or his final season at Arkansas.

But as an inside linebacker, he certainly made a strong case in the preseason finale, didn’t he? Grier picked up a potential fumble and raced half the field for what looked like an apparent touchdown before the officials ruled Mike White’s pass was actually incomplete, which nullified the score.

After recording two tackles at Cincinnati in the preseason opener, Grier led the Bucs with eight stops at Jacksonville along with a pass breakup. In Friday night’s game against Miami he notched six tackles, a pass breakup and an interception after getting robbed of his scoop and score. But even though his touchdown didn’t count, Tampa Bay’s coaches and personnel staff were able to see his athleticism on display on that play as he weaved his way through would-be tacklers and found the end zone.

Grier’s 16 tackles led the Bucs in the preseason and put him in contention to vie for a spot on the 53-man roster with J.J. Russell and Vi Jones for ILB4 on the depth chart. That final linebacker spot behind Lavonte David, K.J. Britt and SirVocea Dennis will likely come down to special teams. But Grier, who had 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes, certainly had a very good preseason and could wind up on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster.