When Bucs coach Bruce Arians was asked about the kicking competition between Matt Gay and Cairo Santos, he said, "It's gonna go down to the wire." Expect Santos to get the first long kick this week. They'll see how things go from there.
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans will not be playing in the third preseason game. I asked Coach Arians if this was a function of injury or precautionary: "No, he's injured." Evans hasn't practiced all week due to what's believed to be a leg injury.
While the competition isn't over yet, the Bucs may have found an answer to their longstanding problems at kicker in rookie Matt Gay.
Whose job is on the line this season? Here's how we project the NFL's best and worst teams, from 1-32.
NFL Nation tabs Mr. Training Camp for every team, from the reigning Defensive Player of the Year to a potential quarterback of the future.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht signed an extension in January for four years with a fifth-year club option in 2023, a deal that mirrors that of coach Bruce Arians.
Ronald Jones was limited in Sunday's Bucs practice with a sore knee. Dare Ogunbowale was getting a lot more work in with the first-team offense in Jones' absence. The thing I like about his running style is that he's a finisher. We've seen it throughout camp. And I'm told he's not even 100 percent right now.
Kahzin Daniels has a left knee injury. Defensive lineman Shane Bowman is also not practicing. Lavonte David, Scotty Miller and Justin Evans still aren't back yet either.
Bucs tight end Cam Brate isn't practicing today. Neither is Mike Edwards, Kahzin Daniels or Jeremiah Ledbetter. I'm told it could be a few days for Daniels. He's got a left knee injury. Anthony Nelson, Lavonte David and Vita Vea are also still out.
NFL joint practices are drawing raves this summer for being more valuable than preseason games, but not everyone is on board.
Bucs rookie Jamel Dean on notching an interception after dropping one earlier in the game: "I feel like a weight was off my shoulders, cuz I was really beating myself up on the sideline, knowing I dropped something. And then I kept looking at the score of the game, like, ‘I could have had an impact on this.'"
Bucs kicker Matt Gay said he would LOVE to have a pressure-kick like his 48-yard game-winner during the regular season. "If that's gonna be me, I gotta rise to every single occasion," he said, adding that so many games are decided by three points or less. "You've gotta be spot-on. I love those situations."
Second-year quarterback Josh Rosen was a surprise starter and went 10 for 18 for 102 yards during the first half in the Miami Dolphins' 16-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians wasn't kidding about not playing Jameis Winston much at all in the second preseason game. His night is done after one series. 2-for-4 for 24 yards and a 5-yard scramble. Had they not had joint practices this week and were playing in more favorable conditions, perhaps we'd be seeing more of him, but Arians has been very conservative with his starters' snaps this preseason.
Ndamukong Suh's first time taking the field as a Buc. With the loss of Vita Vea, his role is that much more vital because Todd Bowles loves to pressure so much inside. Those double and triple-A gap blitzes don't happen without him.
How much will we see of quarterback Jameis Winston tonight? Coach Arians indicated it wouldn't be a whole lot more than last week, which was a series. Arians seemed pretty satisfied with the work Winston got in this week's joint practices.
Both Bucs kickers Matt Gay and Cairo Santos are warming up. Gay drilled a 55-yard field goal last week but he didn't have to do it in wind or rain, which we could be seeing a fair amount of tonight.
These Bucs players aren't expected to play against the Dolphins: Nick Fitzgerald, Scotty Miller, K.J. Brent, Justin Evans, Vita Vea, Lavonte David, Ruben Holcomb, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Jason Pierre-Paul and Anthony Nelson.
Who will replace Vita Vea, who could be missing for eight weeks? Under Todd Bowles' creative defensive scheme, it could almost be anyone.
Jimmy Garoppolo's first action since tearing his ACL last September wasn't what he hoped for. Here's a look at all the big takeaways from the second full week of the 2019 NFL preseason.
The NFL prizes parity and the idea that every team has a chance to turn things around. Who will shock us this season?
Jameis Winston said the best part about joint practices with the Dolphins this week has been having "a new sense of energy" at practice.
Jameis Winston, Ryan Griffin and Ryan Fitzpatrick spent a lot of time after joint practices this week catching up. Fitzpatrick said, "I'm excited to see Jameis in this offense, just to see him a year older, a year further in his progression as a quarterback, because the sky is the limit for him obviously."
Bucs wide receiver Bryant Mitchell, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, underwent surgery today in Wisconsin to repair his torn Achilles.
Hall of Famer Warren Sapp disagrees with former Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy's recent comments that Tampa Bay erred by giving away his jersey number to Ndamukong Suh.
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 504 | 353 |
| Atlanta | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 414 | 423 |
| Carolina | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 376 | 382 |
| Tampa Bay | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 396 | 464 |
