Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Trim Roster to 53

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The pre-season is over and it’s cutting season for the Buccaneers and 31 other NFL franchises. Some players are finding out they’ve achieved lifelong dreams while others are in search for new opportunities.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter looks on against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

To say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had an up and down 2016 would be an understatement. There have been plenty of players who stood out in practice and in the limited action afforded in the four contests held for both good and bad reasons.

From player tantrums to questions about work ethic and dedication, this team has seen some of the lowest while they’ve had surprise efforts from undrafted free-agents who entered camp as virtual unknowns.

Now, Dirk Koetter and his staff of coaches have made their decisions on how the Bucs’ initial 53-man roster will look, and it’s got a mixed bag of expected names followed up with a handful of surprise moves.

I’m sure all fans of the franchise will have their opinions and thoughts on who should have been kept and who shouldn’t, but for now let’s take a look at the roster as a whole.

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing your 2016 Tampa Bay Bucs!

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) throws a first down pass during the first quarter of a football game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston

Mike Glennon

Ryan Griffin

There’s not a whole lot of surprise here at the quarterback position as the Buccaneers will carry three of them into the regular season.

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Jameis Winston would have had to throw nothing but interceptions to lose the starting job – which he didn’t – so he’ll of course lead the team in every sense of the word for 2016.

Glennon has been a hot topic as of late especially with Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater going down for the year. Good luck to “Teddy Two-Gloves” on his return, but for Minnesota fans I say, Mike doesn’t need to go anywhere.

Dallas showed all franchises why a solid backup option is so valuable in today’s passing league so anything short of a first-round pick shouldn’t warrant moving Glennon before this season’s trade deadline.

Ryan Griffin is the backup to be of course. With Glennon’s contract coming up most expect the one-time starter to find “greener” pastures and “jet” off to another franchise next year.

While Griffin certainly didn’t do what Dak Prescott was able to accomplish this pre-season, he still looks up to the task of taking over second duties in 2017 making him way to value to lose this year.

So nothing big to take note of here as this franchise seems to be stacked pretty solid at quarterback for the first time in the team’s history.

Aug 20, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Tashaun Gipson (39) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Charles Sims (34) during the first quarter of a football game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Doug Martin

Charles Sims

Mike James

The two-headed monster which is Pro-Bowler Doug Martin and Charles Sims is back after making it through the Bucs’ pre-season healthy.

They’ll look to terrorize opponents all season long with big runs and consistent effort as they try to repeat and build upon their 2015 production which gave Tampa the fifth ranked rushing attack in the NFL.

Joining them as the Bucs’ third back is fourth year running back Mike James. James was drafted in 2013 by the franchise and has seen limited regular season action during his previous three seasons spending last year on the practice squad.

This year he’s on the active list and beat out a very competitive undrafted rookie by the name of Peyton Barber who many may remember as the Auburn running back who left college early to support his struggling family.

Fans love his story and his passion, but unfortunately his efforts fell just shy of landing him an active spot coming into the regular season.

He should however, be an obvious addition to the practice squad should he clear waivers and with Sims III looking like a 2017 departure candidate himself it’s fully possible fans in Tampa have not seen the last of this Bucs’ Barber.

After leading the team in rushing for the pre-season it was fully possible the undrafted rookie could have overcome James for the third spot on the running back depth chart. He just didn’t do quite enough and was unable to cash in on a chance to dominate the Redskins defense in the team’s final showing.

Fellow undrafted free-agent Russell Hansbrough was also waived from the roster, though his was a much more predictable outcome.

Aug 20, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) and wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrate after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers

Mike Evans

Vincent Jackson

Adam Humphries

Russell Shepard

Evan Spencer

Louis Murphy

Filling out the Bucs’ wide receiver depth behind stars Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are three undrafted free-agents.

Russell Shepard went undrafted in 2013 from LSU and has since become the team’s special teams captain who really didn’t produce much elsewhere. In 29 career games the fourth year receiver has seven catches for 29 yards.

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Perhaps feeling the pressure from a stable of young talent this pre-season, he turned in three catches for 62 yards showing he could produce on the offensive side of the ball while leading the special teams unit.

He’ll be the fourth receiver listed behind fan favorite Adam Humphries who was announced early on as the team’s number three option.

After exploding in Tampa’s fourth pre-season game last season Humphries won a roster spot with Bucs Nation as he showed the grit and determination they want to see from their players. He’s bonded with quarterback Jameis Winston very well in a short period and will hope to translate his 13.7 yards per catch in the pre-season to consistent regular season success.

The battle for number five was a tight one and there was no clear winner once Donteea Dye went down with a hamstring injury. The winner at the end of it all though is second year guy Evan Spencer who came undrafted from the Buckeyes after a short stint with Washington.

Spencer hauled in five catches for 54 yards himself this pre-season and even got some field time with the first team offense for a few reps. As an active member of the roster against his hometown Chicago Bears Spencer has yet to record an official stat as of yet, but this all could change with his advancement here.

Louis Murphy will be the team’s sixth receiver once he returns from the PUP list in October as long as his rehab continues without setbacks.

Kenny Bell will be the most notable name left off of the roster, but not the most surprising. After returning from an injury which cost him his rookie season Bell was thought of as the man to watch entering camp, he just didn’t produce anything worth watching. A concussion in the last pre-season game of the year will add injury to insult as the former Nebraska standout searches for a new team.

Bernard Reedy, Jonathan Krause and Freddie Martino were also waived from the Bucs’ roster.

This battle was the most watched battle of camp at One Buc Place and there is sure to be mixed emotions from fans of every player as their fates have been announced.

Aug 31, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (87) works out prior to the game against the Washington Redskins during the Tropical Storm Hermine at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tight Ends

Cameron Brate

Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Brandon Myers

Luke Stocker

Alan Cross

The tight end position was one of much fluctuation for the 2015 Buccaneers as starter Austin Seferian-Jenkins battled injury early and bad attitude late.

Cameron Brate stepped in for ASJ and turned in very consistent performance for his rookie quarterback a year ago, and it earned him the starting job in camp.

Since then the starter and former starter have been neck-and-neck as far as camp performance goes with many believing ASJ had maybe even turned a corner with his maturity on the field. Then came the on-field tantrum during Wednesday’s Redskins finale.

Of course, none of this could warrant cutting the obviously talented tight end, so he and Brate will take the field more like 1a and 1b than a clear starter and backup.

The surprise here is the team will carry five total tight ends into the regular season.

The bigger surprise is “Super-Back” Dan Vitale not being one of them. The team seemed to get Vitale into the mix during the pre-season, but gimmick and misdirection plays just never really panned out and the Northwestern star wasn’t able to really leave a lasting impact.

Undrafted rookie Alan Cross will make the roster as a noteworthy surprise, but his fans have been very boisterous since his addition to the camp roster and they appear to have been right.

Cross is credited with just three catches for 27 yards this pre-season, so there’s obviously something there the team sees beyond his limited production. Special teams value and potential go a long way to securing a spot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cross taking some snaps as a fullback when the team needs one to step in.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) works out prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Linemen

Offensive Line                                Defensive Line

Donovan Smith                              Robert Ayers

Kevin Pamphile                             Gerald McCoy

Joe Hawley                                      William Gholston

Ali Marpet                                       Noah Spence

Demar Dotson                                Jacquies Smith

Evan Smith                                      Clinton McDonald

Gosder Cherilus                            Akeem Spence

J.R. Sweezy                                     Howard Jones

Caleb Benenoch                            Channing Ward

Leonard Wester                             DaVonte Lambert

Josh Allen, Ben Gottschalk, Kelvin Palmer, and Kyler Kerbyson all got walking papers from the Bucs as they are not one of the ten offensive linemen who will be listed on the 53-man roster in 2016.

While it can’t be called a complete surprise there was some grass-roots support for Josh Allen to make the roster as he’s performed very well in some spots during the pre-season.

What’s troubling for the nine-man group of Winston protectors is the two who are currently battling injury as rookie Caleb Benenoch and veteran free-agent J.R. Sweezy continue to strive to make it back on the field.

Sweezy’s back problems are the most concerning as back issues never fully go away and as he gets older it’s not going to get better.

Looking at the rest of the offensive line it’s really hard not to totally agree with the names listed as they are a mix of veteran mainstays and young talent which proved themselves under fire in 2015.

For the defensive line the battle was at the bottom of the depth chart and the victors are rookies Channing Ward and DaVonte Lambert.

Veteran’s Cliff Matthews, A.J. Francis and Kourtnei Brown won’t make the team and will have to continue their NFL dreams elsewhere.

The front line of the defense has been perhaps the most inconsistent group on the field for Tampa this pre-season as they look nearly unstoppable at times and almost invisible at others.

The Redskins’ running game thoroughly abused this unit as their runners rarely met contact at or behind the line of scrimmage as they controlled the game from start to finish.

There’s a lot of speed up front with veteran addition Robert Ayers and second-round draft pick Noah Spence, but they’ll need to step it up in run support so the team can get opposing offenses off schedule and give their own offense some preferable field position.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) and middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) get pumped up prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Linebackers

Lavonte David

Kwon Alexander

Daryl Smith

Devante Bond

Adarius Glanton

The Bucs will bring just five linebackers into the 2016 regular season. The three starters were known before the players even reported to One Buc Place as pro-bowler Lavonte David will lead his crew followed by young stud Kwon Alexander and veteran pick-up Daryl Smith.

David and Alexander will get most of the on-field time of course as the team will be forced into plenty of dime and nickel formations in a pass-happy NFC South.

The rise of the passing game is to be credited with the lack of linebacker depth held on to as the team will have one of the most shallow pools at this position set I can ever remember them having.

If there’s a name missing which will shock those paying attention this pre-season it’s undrafted rookie Luke Rhodes.

Rhodes has been the team’s second middle linebacker behind Alexander for the entire pre-season and has played well. He led the team with 16 tackles, and most importantly 11 of them were solo tackles.

For a team struggling with tackling at times last season his skills seemed to be just what the team needed. One sack along with a forced fumble during the exhibition season had this writer all but certain Rhodes would make the 53.

Instead, it’s Devante Bond and Adarius Glanton. I don’t want to sound apathetic as Bond and Glanton certainly deserve their share of praise as well.

Glanton was second on the team with 13 tackles, and similarly 11 of those were solo as well. His special teams contributions have been obvious and special teams has been an area of emphasis for this franchise which had one of the worst special teams seasons anyone can remember.

Also missing the cut were Josh Keyes, Jeremiah George and undrafted free-agent Micah Awe.

Awe showed some burst at times so the team may look to bring him and Rhodes back on the practice squad if they clear waivers.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Brent Grimes (24) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Backs

Cornerbacks                                   Safties

Brent Grimes                                 Chris Conte

Alterraun Verner                           Bradley McDougald

Vernon Hargreaves III                 Keith Tandy

Jude Adjei-Barimah                      Ryan Smith

Johnthan Banks

Josh Robinson

The Bucs kept every cornerback we thought they may possibly keep.

If there’s one surprise to list here its Johnthan Banks. The former second-round draft pick has been underwhelming for the better part of two season and after getting a second chance of sorts this year he didn’t really capitalize the way veteran Alterraun Verner did.

Perhaps I’m being overly critical here, but seeing the amount of plays Banks pulled up early on and how much he celebrated the few times he made an impact play, I had him squarely on the list of players who needed to go sooner rather than later.

The continuing success of undrafted free-agent Jude Adjei-Barimah is promising as he continues to build upon an impressive rookie season which saw him get starts in front of the rejuvenated Verner.

Speaking of Al, the combination of Brent Grimes and Verner has proven to be an effective one as the duo has brought back a toughness to the outside which has been lacking.

First-round pick Vernon Hargreaves III looked great in limited action turning in a pair of interceptions this pre-season.

At safety this team is going to look very similar to the way it did last year which can be a good thing or a bad one.

Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald lead the deep field and Keith Tandy will perform backup duties with rookie Ryan Smith.

Smith can also drop down as a cornerback when needed and his athleticism should produce big time as his NFL smarts grow to match it.

Rookies Isaiah Johnson and Javien Elliott fell short of making the team, but both showed flashes of talent and could be invited to the practice squad if slots permit.

Aug 31, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht prior to the game against the Washington Redskins during the Tropical Storm Hermine at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

There’s your Buccaneers roster at the conclusion of this 2016 pre-season Bucs fans. Rounding out the final 53 are kicker Roberto Aguayo, punter Bryan Anger and long-snapper Andrew DePaola.

There were some surprises for sure, and perhaps some disappointing moves in the eyes of fans, but at the end of the day this team is primed to make a run at the playoffs as they try to shake off the four consecutive losses which ended their 2015 hopes.

Keep it locked on to the Pewter Plank as we bring you more news and analysis of this roster and any moves upcoming as teams continue to shape their own teams.

Rarely do NFL franchises finish the year with the same 53 they start it with, so if you have a favorite you want to see storming Raymond James Stadium, don’t give up hope yet. In the meantime I hope you’ll join us all in congratulating these men on making the team, and wishing them many cannon fire filled games.

As we speak Jason Licht and his staff are assuredly working and re-working this roster as teams continue to make their own roster moves.

More analysis is still to come and you can join the conversation here or on twitter using the hastag #53bucs.

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