The Bucs’ second preseason game against the Jets on Saturday was their first time taking the road in 2023. Traveling up to New Jersey, it was a week filled with adjusting on the fly and making the most of their practice schedule. 

After they played with fire and flair on Wednesday and plenty of backups balled out on Thursday, the Bucs beat the Jets 13-6. It was a better overall performance for Tampa Bay, but there were players and aspects of the game plan that failed to produce as expected. Those make up the basis for this week’s “Most Disappointing.”

Brandon Walton

Bucs OT Brandon Walton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As the starting left tackle, Brandon Walton struggled throughout much of the contest, putting Kyle Trask in harm’s way on more than one occasion. It was Walton who led his defender, outside linebacker Bryce Huff, into Trask to cause a fumble in the first quarter. On another rep, he again lost to Huff and it caused Trask to take a big hit on third down, leading to a punt. 

In the second quarter, Walton was also called for holding. For most of the game, he was failing to hold the blindside for longer than a second. For someone fighting to be the swing tackle, it was a disappointing effort and it leads to the question of who the Bucs’ third tackle will be should Tristan Wirfs or Luke Goedeke miss any time. 

The Offensive Line

The Bucs’ offensive line as a collective unit was disappointing. Brandon Walton was the lowlight, but he was far from alone. Early in the game, center Nick Leverett was beaten right off a snap and got pushed back, leaving running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn nowhere to go and resulting in a four-yard loss. He struggled much of the game, especially in the first half, and it contributed to the pocket collapsing often. Ditto for left guard Aaron Stinnie, who also failed to help hold up the left side of the offensive line in the first half.

The struggles were not just on the starting unit either. Third-string offensive lineman John Molchon was called for a false start in the third quarter, and right tackle Justin Skule was called for a holding penalty on the play after.

Rodrigo Blankenship

Bucs K Rodrigo Blankenship – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed two field goals on the night. While the first miss was wide right from 55 yards out, his second kick may conclude the kicker battle between him and Chase McLaughlin. Late in the fourth quarter with the Bucs looking to extend a one-possession lead, he missed a 32-yarder off the left upright.

That is a must-make for an NFL kicker, especially given the game situation. Once the games count, any chance to extend the lead is vital. Not doing so and already having a shaky training camp leaves him the likely runner-up in the summer kicker competition.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn And Patrick Laird

While Sean Tucker and Ronnie Brown found gaps to run through, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Patrick Laird did not. This does not bode well for either veteran back, as they combined for 12 yards on 13 carries. While Vaughn was not able to overcome the miscues of his offensive line, it was disappointing and telling that Tucker overtook him on the second series. For Laird, most of his carries came in the fourth quarter and he averaged only 2.2 yards per carry.

Seeing two undrafted rookie running backs outperform them could leave both Vaughn and Laird on the roster bubble and further down the pecking order.

Bucs’ Run Defense

While the only starter on defense was defensive lineman Logan Hall, the run defense was still largely disappointing. Zach Wilson was able to accumulate 41 rushing yards, with 35 of them coming on a single rush. On that play, outside linebacker Anthony Nelson got juked out, leading Wilson to have plenty of daylight along the right sideline.

As well as this, backup running backs Zonovan “Bam” Knight and rookie Israel Abanikanda were able to get to the second level with regularity, each having runs for over 10 yards. The Jets had 16 rushes for 105 yards, a 6.6 yards per rush average. Not good.

The “First-Half” Passing Attack

You might ask, why include the passing attack in the most disappointing list when Kyle Trask had an overall solid game? This is no knock on Trask, as he was able to operate within the confines of the playcalling quite well.

Bucs OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With it being the preseason, an offensive coordinator often does not want to give away his play sheet ahead of the regular season. Oftentimes, that leads to basic play calls and an often-phrased vanilla offense. This was on display throughout the first half.

There was an exception to this, as Trey Palmer made a nice catch for a 33-yard touchdown. But plenty of play calls involved screens to the tight ends and wide receivers for little yardage, which failed to get the ball down the field and result in points. At one point, Trask was 13-of-17 for 74 yards, a paltry 4.4 yards per attempt. That will not get it done in the regular season.

Wide Receiver Drops

This was a team effort between a few of the wide receivers. Each of David Moore, Kaylon Geiger and Deven Thompkins dropped passes. Moore dropped a wide-open pass that would have gone for a first down early in the game, and Thompkins dropped another on third down leading to a punt.

With each vying for a receiver spot after Russell Gage’s season-ending injury, dropping passes will not do them any favors as they review the game film.