Check out photos of some of the players the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face during the 2015 preseason (AP Images).
The Buccaneers will face Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings in Minnesota during week 1 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Minnesota DE Everson Griffen and the Vikings in Minnesota during week 1 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Minnesota S Harrison Smith and the Vikings in Minnesota during week 1 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and the Bengals in Tampa on Monday, August 24th of the 2015 preseason. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The Buccaneers will face Cincinnati WR A.J. Green and the Bengals in Tampa on Monday, August 24th of the 2015 preseason. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The Buccaneers will face Cincinnati LB Vontaze Burfict and the Bengals in Tampa on Monday, August 24th of the 2015 preseason. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The Buccaneers will face Cleveland CB Joe Haden and the Browns in Tampa during week 3 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Cleveland T Joe Thomas and the Browns in Tampa during week 3 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Cleveland RB Terrance West and the Browns in Tampa during week 3 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Miami QB Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins in Miami during week 4 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Miami DE Cameron Wake and the Dolphins in Miami during week 4 of the 2015 preseason.
The Buccaneers will face Miami DT Ndamukong Suh and the Dolphins in Miami during week 4 of the 2015 preseason.
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The 2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take the field for the first time on Saturday, August 15.
Last week, the NFL announced the full list of 2015 preseason opponents for every team, with the Buccaneers' four-game slate including a Monday Night Football matchup with Cincinnati on August 24. Since preseason opponents work together to determine kickoff details for all games not on a national-TV platform, the specific dates and times for most of those contests was to be announced at a later date.
For the Buccaneers, that date was Friday. The team has finalized all of its preseason dates and times for 2015, leading to this schedule:
|
Week |
Day |
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
|
1 |
Sat. |
Aug. 15 |
at Minnesota |
8:00 p.m. |
|
2 |
Mon. |
Aug. 24 |
CINCINNATI |
8:00 p.m. |
|
3 |
Sat. |
Aug. 29 |
CLEVELAND |
7:00 p.m. |
|
4 |
Thu. |
Sept. 3 |
at Miami |
7:00 p.m. |
The date of the opening game also offers a clue as to when the Buccaneers will open training camp. While rookies may report a week earlier for classroom work, teams may not convene their full squads more than 15 days before their first preseason contest. Therefore, the likely reporting day for the Buccaneers and all other teams that start the preseason on August 15 is July 31.
The Buccaneers will head to Minnesota after two weeks of camp preparation and will play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for the first time. The Vikings are spending two seasons at the Gophers' home while waiting for their new stadium to be completed.
The preseason schedule starts a week later than it did in 2014, when the Buccaneers played their first game on August 8. Of course, that is merely a function of where Labor Day falls, since the NFL always opens its regular season during the following week. This year, that holiday is on September 7.
The most significant part of Friday's announcement for Buccaneer fans was the two-week home stretch in late August. After facing Cincinnati in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football on August 24, the Bucs will welcome the Cleveland Browns to their home five days later. The last time the Buccaneers played two games at Raymond James Stadium five days apart – in either the regular season or the preseason – was in 2003. That year's five-game preseason slate ended with home contests against Jacksonville and Houston on August 23 and 28.The NFL is expected to release its full regular-season schedule next week. The Buccaneers 16 opponents for the season have already been determined.
