In a few short days, the 2020 Buccaneers will be taking the field for the very first time to start some meaningful football. In fact, they're jumping right into some critically meaningful football, starting their season on the road against the division-rival and defending NFC South champion New Orleans Saints.
The team that will be entering the Superdome is complete, and in fact, includes the last player we need to reveal here on Bucs Anonymous. Last week, we unveiled rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and I've seen a lot of you on the right track with Player B.
Now let's see if you're right.
Player A: Antoine Winfield Jr.
Revealed last week, the rookie second-round pick has officially made the 53-man roster for the Buccaneers and should end up being a contributor in Week One against a high-powered, Drew Brees-led offense.
Player B: Aaron Stinnie
Did you guess the guard who has been making it a point to prove himself all camp? It seems that the gummy-loving, anime-drawing, James Madison University alum accomplished that goal, sticking on the 53-man roster.
Through most of camp, Stinnie was also getting work as a center. It's not his natural position but the more flexibility along the line you can show, the better. He can now theoretically swing between both tackle positions and snap the ball as some extra insurance going into what's sure to be an interesting year where depth is of utmost importance.
Stinnie is still young, too. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans originally as an undrafted free agent in 2018. In fact, he was the only rookie to make the 53-man roster in the offensive line group. That also meant he had sole rookie duties, like the ones he told us about last week. Those kind of things exist league-wide. In November of the following season, Stinnie was waived and then picked up by the Bucs where he's been ever since. He played in two games for the Bucs last season.
Player C: John Franklin III
Franklin was placed on Injured Reserve during camp, meaning he is not eligible to return this season for the Buccaneers. We're all still wishing him a speedy recovery over the next few months as he rehabilitates a knee injury.
That does it for another round of Bucs Anonymous. We hope you enjoyed getting to know some of the players you might not have otherwise. Thanks for playing!
