Each week during the regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' communications department publishes a "Game Release" to aid the media in coverage of their upcoming game. Within that release are a number of documents regarding the player roster, including a depth chart, which lists the pecking order at every position on offense, defense and special teams.

Each game week, we will be taking a closer look at that depth chart, pointing out any changes or relevant notes from the previous game. Let's start on offense. Rookies are marked with an asterisk. Players we will be discussing in depth are highlighted in bold text.

OFFENSE

WR: Mike Evans, Trey Palmer

WR: Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller

LT: Tristan Wirfs, Justin Skule

LG: Ben Bredeson, Royce Newman

C: Graham Barton *, Robert Hainsey

RG: Cody Mauch, Elijah Klein *

RT: Luke Goedeke

WR: Jalen McMillan *, Rakim Jarrett

TE: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Devin Culp *

QB: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask

RB: Rachaad White, Bucky Irving *, Sean Tucker

(On the practice squad: WR Marquez Callaway, OL Luke Haggard, WR Dennis Houston, WR Tanner Knue, OL Lorenz Metz, T Raiqwon O'Neal, QB Michael Pratt, TE Tanner Taula, RB D.J. Williams)

Justin Skule filled in for the injured Tristan Wirfs at left tackle against the Giants in Week 12, playing all 65 offensive snaps. It was Skule's fifth start of the season after he handled right tackle from Weeks Two through Five following a concussion suffered by Luke Goedeke.

Mike Evans returned from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury and was on the field for 39 offensive snaps, or 60% of the total. Rookie Jalen McMillan, who had also missed time due to a hamstring injury, was also back in action and he started the game and played 41 snaps, the most of any Bucs receiver against New York. The Bucs gave at least 15 snaps to six different receivers, including Sterling Shepard (35), Rakim Jarrett (21), Trey Palmer (17) and Ryan Miller (15). Eleven different players caught a pass for the Buccaneers, including all six of those receivers.

The Buccaneers started the game in "12" personnel, with two tight ends on the field, for just the second time this season. Payne Durham joined Cade Otton in the starting lineup and matched his season high with 24 offensive plays, in the process catching one pass for 26 yards.

For the first time all season, rookie running back Bucky Irving topped starter Rachaad White in offensive snaps when both were active for a game. (White missed the Week Six contest at New Orleans due to injury.) Irving had 34 snaps to 32 for White and produced a season-high 151 yards from scrimmage on 18 total touches. Irving got six targets in the passing game to one for White, and he caught all six for 64 yards. Sean Tucker was on the field for five offensive plays and he touched the ball on all five of them, with four runs and one catch.

Defensive lineman Vita Vea saw action on offense for the first time this season, playing two goal-line snaps on offense as a fullback. Vea was the lead blocker on Sean Tucker's one-yard touchdown run to cap a game-opening scoring drive.

DEFENSE

DL: Calijah Kancey, C.J. Brewer, Earnest Brown

NT: Vita Vea, Greg Gaines

DL: Logan Hall, William Gholston

OLB: Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson

ILB: K.J. Britt, J.J. Russell

ILB: Lavonte David

OLB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Chris Braswell *, Jose Ramirez

CB: Jamel Dean, Josh Hayes, Tyrek Funderburk *

CB: Zyon McCollum, Troy Hill

S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Christian Izien, Tavierre Thomas

S: Jordan Whitehead, Tykee Smith *, Mike Edwards

(On the practice squad: S Marcus Banks, CB Dallis Flowers, DL Mike Greene, LB Antonio Grier, OLB Daniel Grzesiak, CB Troy Hill, LB Vi Jones, S Rashad Wisdom)

The Buccaneers' defense welcomed back cornerback Jamel Dean, who came back from injured reserve to play all 59 of the team's defensive snaps. Dean has been restored to his starting spot on the depth chart above and the Bucs also added veteran Troy Hill to the list after promoting him from the practice squad. Hill only played on special tams in his Tampa Bay debut.

Also new, or rather returned, to the Bucs' defensive depth chart is safety Mike Edwards, who was claimed off waivers from the Tennessee Titans last week. Edwards played his first four seasons in Tampa after being drafted in the third round in 2019. Edwards saw some action in sub packages during the game and then came in to play safety next to Antoine Winfield Jr. after Jordan Whitehead suffered a pectoral injury early in the fourth quarter. Overall, Edwards ended up playing 25 defensive snaps, or 42% of the total.

Outside linebacker Anthony Nelson played 37 defensive snaps, his second-highest total of the season, which was in part the product of an ankle injury suffered by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Nelson finished the game with four tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.

Off-ball linebacker Vi Jones was elevated from the practice squad for the third straight week and this time he got on the field for 10 defensive plays after drawing just three snaps in the previous two games combined.

SPECIALISTS

P: Trenton Gill

PK: Chase McLaughlin

KO: Trenton Gill

H: Trenton Gill

LS: Zach Triner

PR: Trey Palmer, Jalen McMillan *

KR: Bucky Irving *

KR: Sean Tucker, Trey Palmer

(On the practice squad: P Jack Browning)

The Bucs only had 20 special teams snaps against the Giants thanks to just two punts and one field goal attempt, and once again Nelson was the team's most active participant, logging 17 snaps. Cornerback Tavierre Thomas was next with 15, while linebacker J.J. Russell and cornerback Josh Hayes had 14 each. Thomas, Hayes and Russell each had a tackle assist on special teams.

Wideout Trey Palmer continued to handle the punt return duties, running one back for 15 yards and executing two fair catches. Tucker and Irving were deep for the kickoffs, with Tucker getting the only return on a play he saved from being a disaster. New York's kick skipped on the ground around the 10-yard line and Tucker grazed the ball while trying to field it at the seven, only for it to go past him into the end zone. The Giants could have recovered the ball for a touchdown or tackled Tucker in the end zone for a safety, but the alert back was able to get the ball out of the end zone almost to the two-yard line. Two plays later, Irving ripped off a 56-yard run into Giants territory.