No roster is ever truly final, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers formed their first 53-man roster for the 2018 regular season on Saturday by releasing 34 players and placing four others on reserve lists. The list could be tweaked on Sunday after Jason Licht's staff has combed through a very deep waiver wire – in fact, with both long-snappers released, at least one move will be necessary before Game One – but the core of the squad that will try to return the Buccaneers to the playoffs is in place.
The Buccaneers' first 53-man roster of 2018 includes only two quarterbacks, with Jameis Winston beginning his three-game NFL suspension on Saturday. The deepest positions are the offensive and defensive lines, with 10 players each. The oldest player on the roster is quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will turn 36 in November; the youngest is running back Ronald Jones, who just turned 21 on August 3. The Buccaneers kept nine rookies on the 53-man roster, including all eight of their 2018 draft picks.
Here's how the 53-man roster breaks down, with the players listed alphabetically at each position (rookies marked with an asterisk):
Quarterbacks (2): Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin
Running Backs (4): Peyton Barber, Ronald Jones* ,Jacquizz Rodgers, Shaun Wilson*
Wide Receivers (6): Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Adam Humphries, DeSean Jackson, Freddie Martino, Justin Watson*
Tight Ends (4): Antony Auclair, Cameron Brate, Alan Cross, O.J. Howard
Offensive Linemen (10): Caleb Benenoch, Alex Cappa*, Demar Dotson, Adam Gettis, Ryan Jensen, Mike Liedtke, Ali Marpet, Donovan Smith, Evan Smith, Leonard Wester
Defensive Linemen (10): Beau Allen, Will Clarke, Vinny Curry, Will Gholston, Gerald McCoy, Jason Pierre-Paul, Noah Spence, Mitch Unrein, Vita Vea*, Jerel Worthy
Linebackers (5): Kwon Alexander, Jack Cichy*, Lavonte David, Cameron Lynch, Adarius Taylor
Cornerbacks (6): Carlton Davis* , Brent Grimes, Vernon Hargreaves, De'Vante Harris, Ryan Smith, M.J. Stewart*
Safeties (4): Chris Conte, Justin Evans, Isaiah Johnson Jordan Whitehead*
Specialists (2): Bryan Anger (punter), Chandler Catanzaro (kicker)
