Buccaneers rookie puts together dominant performance
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have a few new faces to keep a close eye on after their first preseason game. The obvious names to watch will get a lot of attention over the coming weeks, especially at the quarterback position, but there is a new name that will join that group after a dominant […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have a few new faces to keep a close eye on after their first preseason game.
The obvious names to watch will get a lot of attention over the coming weeks, especially at the quarterback position, but there is a new name that will join that group after a dominant performance against the Steelers.
Pass-rusher Markees Watts may not be a name that a lot of Bucs fans know just yet after being buried on the depth chart, but another game like the one he just put together should have the team in a very interesting position before final roster cuts.
Watts is one of the guys that was always going to full under the radar on a team with such a defined pass-rushing room, but his performance against the Steelers (three tackles, one sack, one forced fumble) was good enough to land him the third-highest PFF grade for a defensive rookie from last week.
PFF is far from gospel, but such a grade does tell the story of a guy that played out of his shoes when he finally got the opportunity.
Finding a way to crack the 53-man roster will absolutely be a tall task for Watts, but he is certainly making a strong case for himself as a priority practice squad guy if he can keep this up.
Hopefully we see more performances like this, even if it does make life more difficult for Tampa when it comes to cuts.
Key takeaways from Buccaneers’ preseason loss to Steelers
Here’s the good and the bad.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
