The Bucs will take the field at Raymond James Stadium Friday night for the first time since their playoff loss to the Cowboys on Jan. 16. The confines will be familiar, but some of the players won’t, as there are a lot of new faces on Tampa Bay’s roster heading into 2023.

There are position battles happening all over the field for the Bucs, and Friday’s preseason opener against the Steelers is the first big chance for the players in those battles to get some separation.

With that in mind, here is one player at each position to watch when Tampa Bay hosts Pittsburgh on Friday night. We’ll start with the offensive side of the ball.

Bucs Quarterback: Baker Mayfield

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Much of training camp has been about the quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. They’re competing for the right to replace Tom Brady as the Bucs’ starting signal-caller, and the preseason — plus next week’s joint practices with the Jets — will determine a lot.

Friday will be about Mayfield, as it’s his chance to start and play with the first-team offense. Head coach Todd Bowles hasn’t said how much Mayfield will play, nor has he said whether or not Trask will get any time with the starting group in Friday’s game. Regardless, Mayfield — who has the attitude of someone who thrives under the lights — gets the first crack at pulling ahead in what has been a tight battle between the two quarterbacks to this point.

Bucs Running Back: Sean Tucker

The big caveat here is that it’s unclear whether Sean Tucker will play, and if he does, it’s hard to say how much. The undrafted free agent may have been a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick in the draft if not for a heart condition that flared up during the pre-draft process. The Bucs signed him after the draft and just before training camp, the condition had improved to the point where he was cleared to practice.

But whether that means he’s ready for full-on game action remains to be seen. If he is, it’ll be a sight to see. Tucker (referred to by some as “Baby Nick Chubb”) is Tampa Bay’s fastest running back and perhaps the most intriguing, as the team largely knows what it has in Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Chase Edmonds, who are behind Rachaad White — the new RB1 in red and pewter. If Tucker is unable to go or finds himself on a snap count, Shepherd’s Ronnie Brown — another undrafted free agent — would be another back to keep an eye on.

Bucs Wide Receiver: Rakim Jarrett

Bucs WR Rakim Jarrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Jarrett has been one of the stars of training camp so far, and he has himself in position to carve out a role on the Bucs’ 53-man roster. But his performances in practice will need to carry over to real game action if he wants to solidify his spot in Tampa Bay’s receiver room. Friday’s matchup with Pittsburgh is his first chance to make an impression on a bigger stage.

Jarrett, who hails from the University of Maryland, will be looking to beat out the likes of Kade Warner, Ryan Miller, Kaylon Geiger and Taye Barber for a roster spot. His speed helps him separate, but he has also shown an ability to make contested catches during training camp. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him emerge as one of the top performers in the second half of Friday night’s exhibition contest. Look for Jarrett on kick return duty, too.

Bucs Tight End: David Wells

David Wells has been one of the surprises of camp so far for the Bucs. From very early on, he began to establish himself as quite the pass-catching threat, and he could end up positioning himself as Tampa Bay’s TE2 behind Cade Otton.  The receiving ability is there, but he’ll have to show that he is a capable blocker if his stock is going to keep rising.

Wells is actually the oldest tight end in the room for the Bucs, as he turned 28 in May. The team is obviously set with Otton as the top guy and is likely to keep Ko Kieft around due to his blocking prowess, but Wells is in position to crack the opening day roster if he can block and translate his body of work as a receiver in practice to gameday.

Bucs Offensive Tackle: Luke Goedeke

The Bucs’ offensive line has undergone significant changes this offseason, with all five positions set to be manned by someone new in 2023. With Tristan Wirfs sliding to left tackle as Donovan Smith’s replacement, 2022 second-round pick Luke Goedeke will return to right tackle, where he played at Central Michigan. After struggling with a move to left guard last year, he’s back at right tackle and is penciled in as Tampa Bay’s starter.

Goedeke has improved this offseason and will benefit from being at a more natural position to him. His arm length is why he was moved inside at the NFL level to begin with, so it remains to be seen whether his shorter-than-ideal arms will hinder him at tackle. Nonetheless, Friday night is the first chance for him to quell any worries about him as the starting right tackle, so he’ll be one to watch while the starting group is on the field early in the game.

Bucs Offensive Guard: Cody Mauch

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Rookie debuts are always a fun part of preseason action, and the Bucs will have several of those on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But with Calijah Kancey sidelined due to a calf injury, the highest draft pick who will be making his debut is second-rounder Cody Mauch. Mauch, a 6-foot-5, 302-pound right guard, is penciled in as one of Tampa Bay’s five starters along the offensive line. He’ll get his first crack at real game action when Pittsburgh rolls into town.

There is very little concern about Mauch as a run blocker, but there is room for him to improve as a pass blocker. He’s gotten off to a good start in camp, and the Bucs are happy with what he’s done so far. But when the lights come on, he’ll need to further cement himself as not only one of five starters on the offensive line — he’ll need to prove that he’s s reliable starter who the team won’t have to worry about come Week 1 in Minnesota.

Bucs Center: Nick Leverett

Ryan Jensen won’t play Friday night, as he’s still working his way back from the knee injury he suffered in training camp last year. He saw some one-on-one reps for the first time earlier this week, but has yet to return to full 11-on-11 work. So, Robert Hainsey is set to start at center, as he did for 17 games last year. Where there’s more intrigue is with Nick Leverett.

Leverett is an extremely valuable depth piece for Tampa Bay, and he proved that in 2022 by stepping in at left guard and playing well in place of an injured and struggling Luke Goedeke. But as it stands, there’s no longer a starting spot for Leverett, and he will serve as a backup guard again in addition to working as a third-team center. However, there have been some snap exchange problems for the 26-year-old in the last couple of practices, so that may be something to keep an eye out for come Friday night.