The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be finalizing their 2018 opening day roster this weekend after taking a look at the waiver wire on Sunday. Expect the Bucs to place defensive tackle Mitch Unrein on injured reserve with a designation to return after eight games, and use that open roster spot to sign a long snapper – either Drew Ferris or Garrison Sanborn.

The Bucs could also shuffle the roster a bit through the waiver claims process by picking up a player or two. Prior to any more transactions, PewterReport.com’s Scott Reynolds takes a look at the Bucs’ team strengths and weaknesses after Saturday’s roster cuts.

TEAM STRENGTHS
1. Wide Receiver
The Buccaneers may have the best and deepest wide receiver corps in the league with what head coach Dirk Koetter calls “four starters” in Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, the emerging Chris Godwin and the reliable Adam Humphries. Add in Freddie Martino, who has earned the trust of the coaches over the years, along with play-making rookie Justin Watson and this group from 1-6 is as talented as any in the NFL. With Jackson and Humphries likely moving on next year due to salary cap reasons, it was important for the Bucs to keep six receivers as Martino and Watson may be in store for even bigger roles and more playing time next year.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin and TE O.J. Howard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2. Tight End
Like wide receiver, the Bucs tight end group may be the envy of the league. Tampa Bay has two quality starters in O.J. Howard, who is a star in the making, and red zone weapon Cameron Brate, while many teams only have one. Third-string Antony Auclair has made huge strides as both a blocker and a receiver and he would be a No. 2 tight end in many offenses around the NFL. He’ll see a good deal of playing time in Koetter’s two-tight end set. Alan Cross is a jack-of-all trades “glue guy” that can play fullback and lead block, as well as catch passes as an H-back “move” tight end.

3. Defensive Line
This unit was a glaring weakness last year and was completely overhauled this offseason, starting with new defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. Three of the Bucs starters from a year ago – defensive tackles Chris Baker and Clinton McDonald and defensive end Robert Ayers, Jr. – are currently not on any NFL roster, which is quite telling. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry and nose tackle Beau Allen are all upgrades and will make Gerald McCoy’s life easier. The Bucs have quality depth with Will Gholston, Will Clarke, Vita Vea, Noah Spence and Unrein, who is destined for injured reserve with a designation to return.

TEAM WEAKNESSES
Safety
1. The Bucs moved on from Keith Tandy, a quality reserve and special teams contributor, in favor of Isaiah Johnson, whom the team believes has more upside on defense and special teams. You might remember Johnson scoring a key touchdown on a fumbled punt return against New Orleans in Week 17 last year, but he has little experience playing on defense. While free safety Justin Evans has Pro Bowl potential and Chris Conte has the trust of the coaches at strong safety, Jordan Whitehead is a rookie with zero experience. An injury or two at this position and a pair of novices in Johnson and Whitehead and starting and that’s far from ideal.

Bucs CB Carlton Davis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

2. Cornerback
Brent Grimes had a disappointing training camp, but the coaches are hoping he can flip the switch and revert back to his old form for one more season. What’s scary is that aside from the 35-year old Grimes, the only other cornerback on the roster with an interception is Vernon Hargreaves III, who has just one. Rookie cornerbacks Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart are talented and show promise, but simply lack experience. The Bucs need Grimes to stay healthy and play at a high level this season or it could be a long year for the secondary.

3. Linebacker
Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David are two of the best linebackers in the NFL and have Pro Bowl credentials. The Bucs play nickel defense 70 percent of the time, so as long as this dynamic duo stays healthy the team is in great shape. An injury to either one would be a disaster. With Kendell Beckwith on PUP and set to miss the first five games, there is little experienced depth behind Alexander and David outside of Adarius Taylor, especially at middle linebacker as Beckwith serves as the starting SAM and backup MIKE linebacker. Cameron Lynch and rookie Jack Cichy are unknown commodities on defense.