The Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned in its homework early on Monday, announcing the final roster cuts that got the team to the initial 53-man roster for 2024. The NFL's deadline isn't until Tuesday, August 27 at 4 p.m. ET, nearly a full day out from the Bucs' last cut.

There were a couple of surprising moves, the biggest coming in the form of waiving Cody Thompson, a preseason darling that led both the Bucs and the NFL with 15 catches in August. It's important to remember that just because a player is cut, their time in Tampa Bay isn't over – they can join the practice squad.

It's also very likely the Bucs bring in new faces to help the team try and win its fourth consecutive NFC South title. But until that starts happening, let's go ahead and take a look at what the initial depth chart should look like for Week 1. 

**Please note that a single asterisk (*) denotes rookie and double asterisks (**) denote rookie UDFAs. Running back Chase Edmonds is out of the year and wide receiver Rakim Jarrett will be placed on short-term IR, so those two will not be included.**

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Bucs offense after roster cuts

Position	Starter(s)	Backup(s)
Quarterback	Baker Mayfield	Kyle Trask
Running back	Rachaad White	Bucky Irving*, Sean Tucker
Wide receiver	Mike Evans (X), Chris Godwin (Z/slot), Jalen McMillan* (Z/slot)	Trey Palmer, Kameron Johnson**
Tight end	Cade Otton	Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Devin Culp*
Tackle	Tristan Wirfs (LT), Luke Goedeke (RT)	Justin Skule
Guard	Ben Bredeson (LG), Cody Mauch (RG)	Brandon Walton (G/T), Elijah Klein*
Center	Graham Barton*	Robert Hainsey

I'm going with 11 personnel as the Bucs' base offense, which contains a nice mix of experienced veteran leadership and young swagger. A lot of the swag comes in the form of McMillan, who has impressed all summer long. Irving and Tucker have looked really good, as well. Those two, along with White, should form a versatile backfield that can do it all at just about any given time.

Barton is next in line when it comes to impressive rookies on offense and will obviously play a big role after winning the starting center job over former incumbent, Robert Hainsey. Another year of Goedeke and Mauch on the right side have that part of the offensive line looking really good and then there's stalwart Tristan Wirfs on the other side. Bredeson is the big question mark, much like the left guard spot was last year, but has flashed throughout the offseason and has nearly 2,000 snaps under his belt.

And, last not but least by any means, the trio of Mayfield, Evans, and Godwin is about as good as it gets in terms of an NFL passing attack. Those three have looked as good as ever per camp reports and are primed for a big year.

The Bucs have some pretty decent depth on offense, too, which is almost as important as the starting lineup. Trey Palmer isn't a bad fourth option and Kam Johnson can be used in a variety of ways. Hainsey is a former two-year starter and a solid backup option. Skule's game is limited, but he's tough and experienced. Walton is versatile and has provided quality reps when called upon in the past. And then yes, Klein is a rookie, but he's definitely had some good moments over the last few weeks. 

The tight end depth is intriguing thanks to its versatility. Otton and Durham are traditional, in-line "Y" tight ends, whereas Kieft is more a blocking tight end and Culp is the move, or "F" tight end. It's going to really interesting to see how the latter is used in Liam Coen's offense.

No team can withstand too many injuries, but the Bucs offense won't be in awful shape if a big injury occurs. Outside quarterback, of course, and that's more to the idea of Baker's ability to provide top-10 QB play than it is an insult to Trask.

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Bucs defense/special teams after roster cuts 

Position	Starter(s)	Backup(s)
Defensive Line	Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea, Logan Hall	Will Gholston, Earnest Brown, Greg Gaines
Outside Linebacker	Yaya Diaby, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka	Chris Braswell*, Anthony Nelson, Jose Ramirez, Markeese Watts
Inside Linebacker	Lavonte David, K.J. Britt	SirVocea Dennis, J.J. Russell
Cornerback	Jamel Dean (CB), Zyon McCollum (CB), Tykee Smith* (NB/S)	Bryce Hall, Tyrek Funderburk**, Josh Hayes
Safety	Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead	Christian Izien (S/NB), Kaevon Merriweather, Tavierre Thomas (S/NB)
Kicker	Chase McLaughlin	N/A
Punter	Jake Camarda	N/A
Longsnapper	Evan Deckers	N/A
Kick Returner	Kameron Johnson**	Bucky Irving*
Punt Returner	Kameron Johnson**	Trey Palmer

The Bucs' run a 3-4 base defense and the front-seven is established heading into the season. Vea looks primed for the best year of his career after slimming down and Kancey is coming off his first full training camp/preseason and looks healthy, which is the opposite of where he was at this point, last year. Reports about Hall's improved game are encouraging because if he can take a step forward, then things will really start to click up front.

LVD is LVD and Britt has been dubbed the unquestioned leader of the defense. It's cool to see how far along he's come since the Bucs took him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Todd Bowles says he's improved his eye discipline, which should advance his coverage game. That's big for his position, as he's expected to be on the field, as much as possible.

The outside linebacker/EDGE room and secondary are where the big questions lie. Will Diaby hit the ground running after missing most of training camp with a high ankle sprain? How big of a step does he take in Year 2? He, along with the rest of the Bucs' EDGE room, has a lot of talent and potential, it just remains to be seen if they put it all together. If they do, this defense will finish in the top-10. If not, it could finish bottom-10.

Because, obviously, pass rush and coverage work together. Typically, if there is no pass rush, the secondary suffers and vice-versa. That's why the questions looming over the secondary are important to take note of.

Like the EDGE group, this is a talented crew that competed their asses off over the summer. However, guys like McCollum and Smith, still have a lot to prove. Dean needs to round out his game by finishing interceptions (aka catching the ball), and then Whitehead has been dealing with an injury, himself. He should be fine, but we haven't seen him in action since the Bucs held a night practice back in July.

The depth in the secondary is a solid mix of experience and youth. Hall and Thomas have a near-combined 3,500 snaps of playing experience. Funderburk, Merriweather, Izien, and Hayes are all in their second year or less and Izien had an up-and-down summer, so there are some questions, here. But that's at this level of any NFL roster. It's wild to think three of the four are UDFAs, as well. That just goes to show how much they've accomplished since arriving in Tampa Bay.

Finally, the special teams unit looks different for the second year in a row, as Deckers replaces Triner, who was the team's longsnapper since 2019. The Bucs are likely to add some competition for Camarda via the practice squad, because Bowles is not happy with how Camarda performed throughout the preseason. McLaughlin returns as the team's placekicker after a historic 2023 season.

At returner, it's a bit of a toss-up at punt returner. I definitely think the Bucs are going to give Johnson the first crack at kick returner and it makes sense to try him out at punt returner, although Palmer did see action at punt returner during the preseason.

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Final word

Again, remember this could change once the dust officially settles. Then, there's Jarrett's return from IR. Who will the Bucs release/waive once he's ready to return? That's a question to worry about down the line, however, as we're talking about something that doesn't apply until October. As we all know, things are going to look a lot different, for various reasons, at that point.

Regardless, there's a lot to like about this roster, as well as several questions to monitor throughout the season. But, if it lives up to its potential, then it's more than easy to see this team winning another NFCS title and winning another playoff game (or more) in 2024.

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