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, Rakim Jarrett
- WR: Chris Godwin, Deven Thompkins
- LT: Tristan Wirfs, Justin Skule
- LG: Matt Feiler, Aaron Stinnie
- C: Robert Hainsey
- RG: Cody Mauch *, Nick Leverett
- RT: Luke Goedeke, Brandon Walton
- TE: Cade Otton, David Wells
- TE: Ko Kieft, Payne Durham*
- QB: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask
- RB: Rachaad White, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Sean Tucker *
The recent trend in playing time between reserve running backs Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Sean Tucker continued in Week Seven. Tucker started the season as the team's second-string running back and saw 27 snaps on offense in the first two games, while Vaughn was a healthy scratch. Since veteran back Chase Edmonds hit injured reserve in Week Three, Vaughn has gotten a helmet on game days and has been the primary backup to Rachaad White. Tucker played only four snaps against Philadelphia in Week Three and has not seen the field on offense in the last three contests. Meanwhile, Vaughn played 18 snaps in Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Rookie tight end Payne Durham also got another chance to play after being inactive for the first four weeks, and he even saw his playing time tick up a bit. He got six offensive snaps in his NFL debut against Detroit and then was on the field for 15 plays this past Sunday. He was targeted by Baker Mayfield once but it fell incomplete. Notably, his 15 snaps were three more than second-year tight end Ko Kieft logged against the Falcons. Cade Otton, like Kieft a 2022 draft pick, continues to be a used as a true two-way tight end, playing all but three of the Bucs' 73 offensive snaps*. He was targeted six times and came away with five receptions for 43 yards.
(* Officially, the Buccaneers ran 65 offensive plays against Falcons on Sunday, not 73, but plays that are erased by penalties are still counted in playing time figures.)
Rookie wideout Trey Palmer has clearly seized the third receiver role, once again out-snapping Deven Thompkins by a wide margin. Palmer was on the field for 47 offensive plays Sunday, to 19 for Thompkins. Overall, Palmer has been included in 59% of the team's offensive plays so far this season. Wideout Rakim Jarrett, another rookie, also out-snapped Thompkins in Week Seven, with 21 plays. Jarrett was targeted twice but had no receptions. Despite the difference in playing time, Thompkins had the most targets of the three young receivers, with three.
DEFENSE
- DL: Calijah Kancey*, Mike Greene
- NT: Vita Vea, Greg Gaines
- DL: Logan Hall, William Gholston, Patrick O'Connor
- OLB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Yaya Diaby, Markees Watts
- ILB: Devin White, K.J. Britt
- ILB: Lavonte David, SirVocea Dennis *
- OLB: Shaquil Barrett, Anthony Nelson, Cam Gill
- CB: Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Derrek Pitts *
- CB: Carlton Davis, Dee Delaney, Josh Hayes *
- S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Kaevon Merriweather *
- S: Ryan Neal, Christian Izien*
Rookie defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, got a slightly larger slice of the defensive pie in Week Seven. Though his count of 40 defensive snaps was identical to what he played in Week Six, that was 62% of the available snaps against Atlanta, as compared to 57% against Detroit. He recorded one tackle and one quarterback hit and has now had at least one QB hit in all three of the games in which he's played.
Second-year player Logan logged 43 defensive snaps, the most by any of the Bucs' down lineman. That was the direct result of the Falcons' offense utilizing "11" personnel far less often than every other team in the league. On Sunday, the Falcons had three receivers on the field at the same time on just 14 of their 64 plays, and their most common personnel grouping was "21," which features two backs, two receivers and one tight end. That meant the Buccaneers' defense spent a larger percentage of its time in base defense, in which it employs three down linemen. When the Bucs go to a nickel package, one of those three – most commonly Hall – leaves the field in favor of slot corner Christian Izien. In this game, Izien saw a season-low 23 defensive snaps, though he did record three tackles.
The Bucs also found some creative ways to use big corner Zyon McCollum against Atlanta's typically heavy lineups. Even though outside corners Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean combined to play 129 of a possible 130 snaps, McCollum still got on the field for nine plays.
SPECIALISTS
- P: Jake Camarda
- PK: Chase McLaughlin
- KO: Jake Camarda
- H: Jake Camarda
- LS: Zach Triner
- PR: Deven Thompkins, Trey Palmer *
- KR: Deven Thompkins, Rachaad White
The Bucs had 21 plays on special teams against the Falcons and a quartet of players – McCollum, linebackers K.J. Britt and SirVocea Dennis and outside linebacker Cam Gill – were on the field for 18 of them. Tight end Ko Kieft and cornerback Josh Hayes each got 14 special teams snaps.
Offensive lineman Nick Leverett, who has been active for all six games but had not seen a single snap in the first five, got on the field for his first play of the season on special teams. Aaron Stinnie, who had been a "DNP" in four of the first give games, played three snaps.
