The Buccaneers signed former Cowboy Kevin Ogletree in March believing that he could compete for the team's important third-WR spot behind Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, and it appears Ogletree took charge of that competition. Those who appeared to be his primary competition early in training camp (Tiquan Underwood, Chris Owusu and David Douglas) are no longer on the active roster and the other two receivers are kick-return specialist Eric Page and recently-claimed rookie Russell Shepard.

Akeem Spence's potential has been on full display since the start of training camp, and in particular he has shown more pass-rush ability than was originally expected. However, Head Coach Greg Schiano has also pointed out that, at times, Spence has played like the still-green rookie he is. There could be some growing pains with the former University of Illinois standout, as is the case with almost all rookies, but it appears that what Spence can bring to the starting defense well outweighs those potential hiccups. Spence remains listed next to Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy on the starting column of the depth chart.

It seemed clear that the Buccaneers were reworking their defensive end rotation, looking for the most effective combinations, when fourth-year man Daniel Te'o-Nesheim started the last two preseason games instead of Da'Quan Bowers. In both of those cases, Te'o-Nesheim actually started at right end, with Adrian Clayborn moving over to the left, although Clayborn still played extensively on the right side. It is likely that Bowers will still be heavily involved in that rotation (and it could be a deep one with Trevor Scott, William Gholston and Steven Means also on hand) but for now Te'o-Nesheim is holding onto the starting depth chart spot he had for most of last year after Adrian Clayborn's season-ending injury.

The Buccaneers have only one player listed at the punt return slot, and only one at kickoff return, and in both cases it's Eric Page, the first-year receiver signed during the offseason specifically to see if he could be a difference maker in the return game. Page outshined all the competition during the preseason and earned himself a spot on the active roster and, apparently, quite a bit of confidence from the coaching staff. There are surely some other return options on the active roster, including rookie RB Mike James and perhaps newly-acquired WR Russell Shepard, but for now it appears the Bucs are sold on Page.

The Buccaneers kept four tight ends on the 53-man roster, and the most surprising one was rookie Tim Wright. That's no slight on Wright, but he overcame several hurdles to win that job, most notably the fact that he was a wide receiver, not a tight end, as recently as June. Keeping four TEs does not mean that the Bucs will have all four of them active on game day, but at the moment second-stringer (and perhaps co-starter) Tom Crabtree is dealing with an ankle injury. If the Bucs keep three tight ends active against the Jets, and Crabtree is unavailable, perhaps the team will find a way to utilize Wright on offense.

Nothing much has changed on the depth chart at strongside linebacker since the start of camp, other than it being pared down to two players: Dekoda Watson and Jonathan Casillas. Watson was the starter on the first depth chart released during training camp, and he remains in that spot now, but it's clear that the team also has a lot of confidence in Casillas, the former Saint who came over as a free agent this past spring. Since both Watson and Casillas are accomplished special teams players, they are both sure to be active on game day and there's a chance they will both get an opportunity to play on defense.

Midway through August, it became apparent that the Buccaneers suddenly had quite a bit of depth at running back, with 2012 rookie sensation Doug Martin now backed up by the trio of Brian Leonard, Mike James and Peyton Hillis. Leonard was signed early in the offseason and Hillis just before training camp, while James arrived in April's draft as a sixth-round pick. The Bucs like the versatility of all three, and all three had good moments during the preseason, but it's Leonard who currently sits just behind Martin on the depth chart.

The Buccaneers had former Bronco and Patriot fullback Spencer Larsen on the roster for much of August, but Larsen was cut before the final preseason game. With last year's starting fullback, Erik Lorig, dealing with a calf injury for most of the month, the Buccaneers incorporated their tight ends into the lead-blocking schemes and also believe their reserve tailbacks could help in that capacity. Still, Lorig made it back to the 53-man roster and could provide immediate help as soon as he is cleared to play. Last year, the Buccaneers' rushing attack was significantly more successful out of two-back sets than one-back sets.

There's no mystery at left cornerback; Darrelle Revis has been cleared to play in the season opener against his former team and when he's healthy there's no better cornerback in the game. On the right side, it's second-year man Leonard Johnson who remains listed as the starter, backed up by 2013 second-round draft pick Johnthan Banks. The Bucs seem likely to use Banks in a significant role in the secondary, and Johnson too, so it may not matter exactly how the depth chart is arranged at the moment. Still, with mid-June addition Michael Adams and surprising undrafted rookie Rashaan Melvin also on the cornerback depth chart and perhaps in line for some action, fans and pundits may have to wait until Sunday to see how the Bucs deploy all their DBs.

Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks may or may not play in Sunday's opener (Head Coach Greg Schiano said it was "too early to tell" on Monday), which means the Bucs could need a left guard fill-in for at least one week. On the depth chart, there is no one listed behind Nicks, as the team has just three reserve offensive linemen and they are listed behind the two tackle spots and the center position. All three of those reserves (Gabe Carimi, Ted Larsen and Jamon Meredith) have played guard in the NFL and it would not be a surprise to see any of them get the call on Sunday if Nicks is sidelined.