Predicting the Last 5 In, Last 5 out for Buccaneers' Final 53-Man Roster

Predicting the Last 5 In, Last 5 out for Buccaneers' Final 53-Man Roster By Luke Easterling Jun 29, 2015 Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press With offseason workouts in the rear-view mirror, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now looking toward their 2015 training camp, where they will begin their crawl out of the NFL cellar after finishing with the league's worst record last season.Also on the horizon will be multiple rounds of roster cuts, as the Bucs whittle down a roster that has seen plenty of overhaul for the second season in a row as the new regime continues to tailor the team's personnel to their new schemes.As every team in the league will experience, Tampa Bay will have quite a few position battles that will be bitterly contested during training camp and leading up to the start of the regular season.Who will grab one of the last few spots on the team's final roster? Who will barely miss the cut? Here are my early projections.In: RB Dominique BrownChris O'Meara/Associated Press The Bucs are fairly deep at running back, but that might not keep an undrafted free agent from making enough of an impact to steal one of the last roster spots during training camp.According to Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com, former Louisville runner Dominique Brown has already caught the attention of the coaching staff with his skill set:“ Brown has impressed the Bucs coaches and scouts with the way he attacks the line of scrimmage and gets to full speed in an instant. Koetter wants a big back to run between the tackles in his offense, and Brown can do that and more.Brown wants to use training camp and the preseason to prove to the Buccaneers that he can be more than just a short yardage and goal line specialist. He wants to show to contend for the role of the third down back, which is typically played by scat backs around the league like Darren Sproles, this year with his unique physical traits and skill set.”Versatility is extremely valuable, and Brown brings that to the table with this combination of size and athleticism, as well as his ability to contribute in both short-yardage and third-down situations.Doug Martin and Charles Sims are fairly entrenched at the top of the depth chart, and Bobby Rainey shouldn't have any trouble hanging on to his roster spot. But if the Bucs keep another tailback after those three, it wouldn't shock me to see Brown beat out Mike James for that last slot.Out: LB Khaseem GreeneDennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports A former fourth-round pick out of Rutgers, Khaseem Greene joined the Chicago Bears just after head coach Lovie Smith departed the Midway. But now Greene has gotten a chance to play for Smith, having been claimed off waivers by the Bucs earlier in the offseason.Greene didn't make much of a positive impression during his two seasons in Chicago, and another regime change left him out of place in the team's new scheme. With a skill set much better suited to a 4-3 defense, Greene is better off with the Bucs, but that doesn't mean he's locked into a roster spot.The Bucs already have at least four linebackers who should be 100 percent secure—Lavonte David, Danny Lansanah, Bruce Carter and Kwon Alexander—and Greene will have to beat out players like Orie Lemon, who was a valuable special teams player in 2014 and has a season under his belt in the Bucs' system.Greene will have to make a big splash during training camp and the preseason to snatch one of the final roster spots.In: WR Louis MurphyJohn Raoux/Associated Press A local product out of St. Petersburg, Louis Murphy gave the Bucs more than a few reasons last year to bring him back for more. They obliged, signing the veteran pass-catcher to a three-year extension after he hauled in 31 passes for 381 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2014.Head coach Lovie Smith made it clear they view Murphy as a long-term piece of the puzzle in Tampa Bay, per Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com:“ You want to reward players that take the long way and earn it the right way. We like him. When he was healthy and ready to go as our third receiver, he did some positive things as our third receiver. He's somebody that we want to keep building with.”Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are locked in as the starters, while draft picks Kenny Bell and Kaelin Clay should both secure roster spots. Russell Shepard will make the squad on his special teams value alone, leaving likely just one receiver spot.Despite some promising undrafted free agents who have impressed during offseason workouts, Murphy should end up beating them out for a spot on the Bucs' final 53-man group.Out: CB Leonard JohnsonJeff Haynes/Associated Press In their first season back in the Tampa 2 defense, the Bucs struggled to find the right fit at the nickel corner spot, one of the most vital positions in the scheme.The man who spent most of the season in that role—Leonard Johnson—might not even make it out of the preseason to give it another go in 2015.Johnson was replaced by Isaiah Frey down the stretch last season, and free agent Sterling Moore was brought in to challenge both for that starting spot in the slot. A bit of a "tweener," Johnson's skill set is better suited for the outside, but he lacks the size to hang with the bigger, more physical receivers in the league. Don't be shocked if he's the odd man out in the cornerback group this year.In: CB Brandon DixonPatrick McDermott/Getty Images Another reason Leonard Johnson might end up on the outside looking in at cornerback could be the emergence of Brandon Dixon, who could end up making the roster as Tampa Bay's fourth outside cover man.Dixon gave the Bucs some quality snaps in 2014 in relief of injured starters, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com points out:“ (Dixon) was plucked off the New York Jets' practice squad just a few days into the 2014 league year. Dixon ended up playing about 170 snaps when the Buccaneers were dealing with various injuries, and while he obviously wasn't an experienced hand in the secondary he did enough to pique the team's interest.”Alterraun Verner, Johnthan Banks and Mike Jenkins give the Bucs three solid veterans on the outside, but Dixon gives them a young depth piece who already showed plenty of promise last season. Another strong training camp should lock him into one of the last roster spots for 2015.Out: RB Mike JamesCliff McBride/Getty Images Another year, another deep group of running backs on the Bucs roster.This time around, there are even more quality runners lining up in the Pewter and Red, which could force Mike James out of a chance to put together a full season without injury.James has shown flashes of brilliance over his first two seasons in the NFL, but his inability to stay healthy has kept him from reaching his full potential. Unfortunately, he may have missed his chance to stick with the Bucs, as the team already has three quality backs ahead of him—Doug Martin, Charles Sims and Bobby Rainey—and added two rookies who could squeeze James out during training camp.Between seventh-round pick Joey Iosefa and undrafted free agent Dominique Brown, James could end up losing his role as the team's short-yardage back to two bigger runners who can also catch the ball well out of the backfield. Considering his injury history, don't be surprised if James doesn't make the final rosterIn: DE William GholstonDavid Richard/Associated Press The Bucs have been starving for an impact edge-rusher for years, and they hoped they were getting a steal when they grabbed William Gholston in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.But through two NFL seasons, Gholston has failed to establish himself as a pass-rushing presence, and though he's been a decent enough defender against the the run, his lack of speed and ability to bend the edge and get after the quarterback could force him out of a roster spot this year.As Justin Pawlowski of BucsBlitz.com points out, the Bucs can only wait so long for Gholston to reach his potential:“ Gholston is now two years into his NFL career, and while statistics show he started nine games for Bucs in 2014, he managed just two sacks on the entire season. The two sacks Gholston totaled in 2014 brought his total sack number up to four sacks in his first two NFL seasons. While still possessing a tremendous amount of potential, the question remains as to how long the Bucs should wait to see this potential.Years three and four are typically very important for project players like Gholston. If he does not continue to show improvement in 2015, he very well could be playing elsewhere in 2016 and beyond.”Tampa Bay traded for George Johnson and saw flashes of pass-rushing ability from Larry English and T.J. Fatinikun last season. If Gholston doesn't make a big impression in training camp and the preseason, he could be looking for a new team this year.Out: S Keith TandyGrant Halverson/Getty Images It's not often sixth-round picks are able to make enough of an impact to hang around for three seasons with the team that drafted him, but Keith Tandy has done just that since being selected by the Bucs in 2012.Tandy has appeared in 40 games over his three years with the Bucs, making five starts and snagging four career interceptions. He's provided decent depth for Tampa Bay, but new additions at the safety spot this offseason may push him off the roster during the preseason.The Bucs already return one of their best young defenders in Bradley McDougald and also re-signed Major Wright, who played well last year before injuries forced him to injured reserve. The team also signed Chris Conte in free agency, then claimed former second-round pick D.J. Swearinger off waivers from the Houston Texans.Tandy has benefited from injuries at the position over the last three seasons, but an influx of cheap depth and added overall talent could end up forcing him out of a roster spot this time around.In: OL Garrett GilkeyChris O'Meara/Associated Press Many Bucs fans might be surprised at this one—even unhappy—considering Gilkey's awful performance last season. The reserve lineman filled it all across the offensive line last season and was a liability everywhere he played. From poor snaps to costly penalties, Gilkey became somewhat of a punchline during the 2014 season.But that doesn't mean the Bucs are quite ready to give up on him. According to Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com, Tampa Bay's coaching staff still sees plenty of value in Gilkey:“ Yet the Bucs haven’t gotten rid of Gilkey and like his athleticism, versatility and size. After arriving in Tampa Bay just before the start of the season, Gilkey was in perpetual catch-up mode with learning the offense and saw significant playing time at left guard and right guard during the season, in addition to his lone start at center for Evan Smith against the Bengals. The Bucs want to see how Gilkey can progress with a full offseason of learning the offense and he’s getting second-team reps at both guard positions and has also been worked in at center along with Josh Allen and Antoine Everett.”Gilkey looked as bad as any offensive lineman in the league last year, but it's understandable the Bucs may want to give him the chance to settle into the new scheme and show his talents with a little more stability around him. If he's able to put together a strong training camp, his versatility could easily score him a roster spot.Out: UDFA ReceiversKim Klement-USA TODAY Sports The Bucs spent two draft picks on receivers this year, but that didn't stop them from adding even more talent at the position by bringing in a few promising undrafted free agents.UCF's Rannell Hall, Clemson's Adam Humphries and Heidelberg's Donteea Dye all made a strong impression during the team's rookie minicamp back in May, bringing athleticism and versatility to the table, as all could potentially contribute in the return game as well as on offense.Despite their impressive performances so far, it's going to be hard for any of these young playmakers to secure a spot on the Bucs' final 53-man roster.Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and fifth-round pick Kenny Bell should be locked in, while Russell Shepard and sixth-rounder Kaelin Clay should make the team on their special teams value alone. Veteran Louis Murphy signed a three-year extension in the offseason and should take the sixth receiver spot, leaving the undrafted free agents as likely practice-squad selections.link