Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles held his starters out of the team’s preseason opening win against the New York Jets. However, he made it clear that any starters who are healthy are going to suit up Saturday night when the team hosts the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bowles did not say how long he would play his starters, but when he has played starters in the preseason in the past, it has typically only been for a drive or two. This is a good way for the team to knock some rust off before the regular season starts.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Plan to Play Starters in Preseason
GettyHead coach Todd Bowles
This is common for a lot of teams. They will choose one game and call it the ‘dress rehearsal’ game. It is the game where everyone goes through the preparation, the ride to the game, the pre-game, and everything as if this were Week 1 of the season.
They script things as if it were game day, and they run the plays they script. Then, as long as everything goes as expected, they pull the starters after a drive or so. Still, it gets the players, coaches, and staff in the right mindset for what things will look like when things start to count toward the standings.
Tampa Bay rested their starters in the first game, giving some of the training camp standouts a chance to make a name for themselves. Then, in Week 3, the game will be dedicated to the final spots on the roster and seeing who can win the last spot or so.
Buccaneers Have Plenty to See From Their Starters
It will only be a few drives, but there could be plenty to learn. First, quarterback Baker Mayfield is now with his fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons. How does the transition look?
Bucky Irving is expected to be pushed by Kenneth Gainwell. Do those two split early in the game, and does that signal what will happen this year?
Emeka Egbuka is expected to break out; does he play in the slot, outside, or both? On the offensive line, Cody Mauch is back in the lineup, and all five starters should suit up. That is worth watching.
On defense, it will be the debut of rookie Rueben Bain, who sat with the starters last week. Does David Walker get any run with the starters?
Also, the linebacker competition only has a few weeks left. Who ends up as the top two, and does anyone else rotate in? Lastly, there will be questions around Benjamin Morrison.
He is not expected to start on the outside in base looks, as Jacob Parrish won that job. However, Parrish may slide inside to the nickel when they bring in an extra defensive back. So, Morrison would be the extra defender, and he would play on the outside. The other option is Parrish staying outside and Keionte Scott coming in and playing the slot.
There will be plenty to watch in a short amount of time on Saturday.
Buccaneers Make Plans Clear for Second Preseason Game