Following a 17-14 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati to open the preseason last week, the Bucs will finish up their week in Jacksonville with a game against the Jaguars on Saturday night.

Given Tampa Bay and Jacksonville held joint practices together on Wednesday and Thursday and the starters will have gotten a lot of reps in on those days, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is likely to employ a similar strategy to the one he went with last week. That means most starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, will not play against the Jaguars.

Bowles previously said that he was targeting next week’s preseason finale against the Dolphins as the one where his starters would get their game reps.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of intriguing players to keep an eye on when the Bucs and Jaguars kick off the second game of their respective exhibition slates at 7:30 Saturday night. We’ll start here by picking one player at each offensive position to watch in the game against Jacksonville, then we’ll do the same with the defense on Saturday.

Bucs To Watch vs. Jaguars: Offense

Here are some of the Bucs to watch on the offensive side of the ball in Week 2 of the preseason:

QB John Wolford

Bucs QBs Kyle Trask and John Wolford – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said this week that last week was only one game and that the competition for the backup quarterback job is “still close.” With Baker Mayfield sitting out the game against the Bengals, Kyle Trask got the start and played the first half, finishing 12-of-20 for 144 yards and an interception.

John Wolford relieved him in the second half, going 12-of-18 for 131 yards. While Trask led a touchdown drive in the first half, Wolford led what was ultimately the game-winning touchdown drive, connecting on big passes to Tanner Knue and Ramon Jefferson before Jefferson punched in the go-ahead touchdown with 1:05 to go.

It was somewhat up and down for Wolford and what was mostly the third-team offense last week, but he and his unit finished on a high note and earned Tampa Bay the win late in the game after a costly Cincinnati penalty. With Mayfield expected to be sidelined again against the Jaguars, Trask and Wolford will presumably each get a half to play once again.

The status quo over these next two weeks likely results in Trask holding onto the No. 2 quarterback spot, but if Wolford drastically outplays him, the former Wake Forest man – who has experience working with Liam Coen – could cement himself as Mayfield’s backup.

RB Sean Tucker

One of the offensive stars of last week’s preseason-opening win, Sean Tucker has to continue stacking performances in order to cement his roster spot as well as his role in the backfield. Given where things are right now, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are obviously the 1-2 punch for the Bucs, but Tucker has a claim to the RB3 role given Chase Edmonds’ continued absence. It’s not only Edmonds’ absence that gives Tucker a case, though, as he really began to shine in camp and kept it going in Cincinnati with a 10-carry, 68-yard showing. His 6.8 yards per carry average was certainly helped by an electric 26-yard run, the longest run of the game for either team.

If Tucker can follow that performance in Cincinnati with another impressive display in Jacksonville on Saturday night, he will find himself in an outstanding position heading into the final week of the preseason. There’s no reason to expect him to push Irving for the No. 2 running back role given the rookie’s draft position and his own strong performance in the preseason opener, but the former Syracuse star could find himself with a chance to make an impact this season if he keeps running well and earning the trust of his coaches – especially when it comes to pass protection, a big area of concern for the second-year back.

WR Rakim Jarrett

Bucs WR Rakim Jarrett Photo By: Cliff Welch/PR

A whole host of wide receivers impressed for the Bucs last week, with Ryan Miller, Tanner Knue and Cody Thompson all doing well for themselves as they try to hang on and earn the final wide receiver spot on the depth chart out of camp.

But the focus here is on Rakim Jarrett, who would already seem to be in the team’s plans as the roster takes shape for the regular season. Jarrett seems to be locked into that WR5 role, but like Tucker, more standout performances will improve his trust with the coaching staff and could potentially elevate his snap share come time for the regular season.

Last week in Cincinnati, Jarrett caught both of his targets for 35 yards, with the big gainer being a 28-yard catch on a pass from Kyle Trask in the second quarter. The second-year receiver out of Maryland has shown a knack for making big plays down the field, with the big highlight of his 2023 rookie season being a 41-yard catch against the 49ers.

If he keeps making plays like that one and the 28-yarder he had last week, he’ll be in good shape to potentially make an impact in this offense that frequently deploys three-receiver sets.

TE Ko Kieft

Ko Kieft is one of the players who helped himself in the preseason opener. Pro Football Focus gave him the fifth-highest grade of anyone on the Bucs offense, with the third-year tight end earning a 77.8. He caught one pass for eight yards, and it came in a key spot as it helped the Tampa Bay offense convert a 4th & 1 in the second half. Kieft needs to show some semblance of pass-catching ability for him to stick on the roster again out of camp, but he definitely helped himself by showcasing his special teams ability last week. He finished with a tackle and assisted with another in the win over the Bengals.

For Kieft, it may come down to the numbers game. If the Bucs opt to keep four tight ends, he’s surely safe as the group would include Cade Otton, Payne Durham, rookie Devin Culp and Kieft. But if Tampa Bay decides to keep an extra receiver or wants to keep an extra player at a different position, the veteran tight end who has always been primarily the blocking type may be in danger of losing out to Culp, who has been praised for his “feistiness” as a blocker in addition to being a quicker, more reliable pass-catcher. Kieft has work to do if he wants to keep his spot, and Saturday night is his next chance.

C Graham Barton

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and C Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs have to be thrilled with what they saw out of 2024 first-round pick Graham Barton last week against the Bengals. The rookie center was exceptional, posting the second-highest PFF grade of any Buccaneer on offense (85.2) while finishing as the highest-graded 2024 offensive lineman draft pick in the first week of the preseason. He played 18 snaps, allowed zero pressures and earned an 80.1 pass-blocking grade and an 87.3 run-blocking grade. He played a key role in Bucky Irving’s first-half rushing touchdown and all-around put a whole lot of good play on tape.

End Zone Angle on the TD Run.

-Times the double team and gets 90 off balance (great finish by Mauch).

-Works to the SS and works him back into the EZ.

-Irving showing the contact balance.

Those three players are under contract for the next three years+. https://t.co/PNDSGOu0I6 pic.twitter.com/mLh1FqfGtp

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 11, 2024

The key now for Barton will be to keep it going. A good debut last week needs to roll on to another good performance in Week 2 of the preseason as he continues to cement his role as Tampa Bay’s starting center. He’ll surely get there by the season opener against Washington in a couple of weeks, and if early returns are anything to go by, it looks like general manager Jason Licht and his staff did it again in finding yet another high-caliber offensive lineman.

OL Luke Haggard

Elijah Klein had the third-best PFF grade on the Tampa Bay offense. Graham Barton was the second-highest-graded Buccaneer on offense. So, who topped the group?

It was none other than second-year lineman Luke Haggard, who earned a 94 (!!) grade from Pro Football Focus. Splitting time between tackle and guard, Haggard graded out extremely well and it’s not hard to see why. He put some great reps on tape and as Todd Bowles said this week, he’s showing the type of versatility the team is looking for as it narrows down its offensive line group heading into the regular season.

Haggard may not have been on anyone’s radar prior to last week, as he was listed as the third right tackle on Tampa Bay’s initial preseason depth chart. He’s behind Brandon Walton, who was more of a mixed bag last week in Cincinnati. While solid at times, Walton had some big-time losses in pass protection and had a drive-killing holding penalty as well as another holding penalty that the Bengals declined.

Walton has been a versatile depth piece for the Bucs over the last couple of years, but suddenly Haggard could be a dark horse to stake a claim to a spot on the final 53-man roster if he keeps up his play from a week ago. Haggard did miss Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, so it will be interesting to see if he plays or not on Saturday.

G Elijah Klein

Speaking of Licht and his staff’s ability to draft offensive linemen, last week was also a fantastic debut for Elijah Klein, the team’s sixth-round pick out of UTEP. While Barton earned the second-highest PFF grade of any player on the Buccaneer offense, Klein was close behind in third with an 84.4. He played 66 snaps in the game, entering in the second quarter and playing out the rest of the game between both guard spots.

His showing caught the attention of Brian Baldinger, one of the best in the business when it comes to breaking down tape (especially in the trenches).

.@Buccaneers @ElijahKlein79 6th round pick from @UTEPFB played the final 3 QTRs at both RG/LG…Looked solid…Didnt fatigue on a Hot August Night. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/h2MESgctBh

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 15, 2024

Bucs G Elijah Klein – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Like Barton, Klein will now look to build on what was an impressive start to his pro career. With Sua Opeta’s season-ending injury, Ben Bredeson is sure to lock down the starting left guard spot. But Tampa Bay coaches and the front office have to love seeing Klein, a right guard at UTEP, being able to show that he’s able to play both guard spots.

That’s great for depth in 2024, but it could be the start of him developing into a potential starter down the road at left guard.