The Bucs kicked off the 2021 season with their first preseason game of the year at home against the Bengals. While Tampa Bay fell 19-14 in the game, there were some encouraging moments to take away from it. Plenty of splash plays were made, particularly by the defense as they created four turnovers in the game with two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Here were the most impressive players that stood out on Saturday night.

RB Giovani Bernard

It hasn’t taken long to see how much of an upgrade Bernard can be for the Bucs when it comes to receiving running backs. He was responsible for two third down receptions and conversions while he was in the game. The first catch came on the opening drive as Tom Brady found him for the first down. The other came on a pass from Blaine Gabbert, as Bernard caught it near the left sideline. He’s hitting it off with different players right from the start. Bernard’s two receptions totaled for 16 yards, both going for first downs.

RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Bucs QB RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn and WR Tyler Johnson – Photo by: USA Today

Vaughn was the Bucs’ main running back after the initial drive for essentially the rest of the game. He made a nice jump cut off a screen pass in the first half to turn it up the field for a first down. He did a solid job in the backfield as a runner, too, scoring Tampa Bay’s first touchdown of the game by getting into the end zone from two-yards out. It was good to see him get a consistent number of snaps in the game, keeping him involved throughout. He had 11 rushes for 27 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 10 yards.

TE Tanner Hudson 

As PR’s own Scott Reynolds puts it, Hudson is “Mr. August.” He was involved in multiple plays throughout the game, making some important third down receptions to keep drives going. We all know that Hudson has great chemistry with Ryan Griffin, which shined through again on Saturday night, but Hudson hit it off with Kyle Trask as well when he was in the game. Hudson led the team with five receptions and 50 yards.

CB Antonio Hamilton 

Hamilton was making plays all over the field. He was involved in some big moments for the defense, which included forcing a fumble while the Bengals were driving in the red zone. He led the Bucs’ defense with seven tackles and one tackle for loss, and it wasn’t like many of those tackles came because he was getting beat in coverage. Hamilton put himself in a good spot to take one of the last corner roles on the roster.

S Javon Hagan

If there was any player that was bringing the energy in the game, it was Hagan. He started off the game quite well, flying in on a screen pass and putting a great hit on the running back for a loss. He then made an incredible interception where he knocked it to himself with one hand and came up with the ball. However, when taking the pick the other way, he ended up bobbling the ball again, losing it as the Bengals recovered. It was an unfortunate ending to a highlight-reel play, but that won’t occur often. Hagan was big in the run game as well, leading the Bucs with three tackles for loss and seven total.

LB Joseph Jones

Jones kept the Bucs in the game with his pick-six that came with 11:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. It cut the game to 16-14 after the two-point conversion. More importantly, it changed the momentum back in favor to the Bucs, who were reeling in the second half. Jones has been solid in pass coverage during training camp far, and he was able to translate that into the first preseason game. He made three tackles overall.

OLB Joe Tryon 

We saw the pass rushing skill on display as Tryon had a lot of good pressures against the Bengals, forcing passes to come out quickly. Tryon did eventually notch a sack in the second quarter on quarterback Brandon Allen, but he was penalized for necessary roughness. He drilled Allen on the play, but it was a clean hit. He just hit him really hard. It was a bad call by the referees.

DT Benning Potoa’e

It was a solid outing for the second-year defensive tackle as he provided a great push up front for the defensive line. He held his own on both running and passing downs, causing issues for the opposing offensive line as he contributed in a lot of the defensive stops by moving the line further back. Potoa’e made two tackles in the game and even got a quarterback hit as well.

Honorable Mention: Lavonte David, Will Gholston, Khalil Davis, Herb Miller, Quinton Bell, Elijah Ponder