The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday in the Week 3 of the 2026 preseason, and the biggest test for Todd Bowles’ squad centers on a position group that has been under the microscope for months.

Tampa Bay’s linebackers will have their hands full against a Chiefs offense loaded with talent at running back and tight end, even with Kansas City resting the majority of its starters.

For the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield and healthy starters are expected to play between 8-15 snaps, per Bowles, which is a departure from how the Buccaneers quarterback has typically approached the preseason. On the other side, Andy Reid has already ruled out Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs’ starting offensive line will also be short-handed without Josh Simmons and Trey Smith, leaving Kansas City to deploy a patchwork group up front.

A to Z Sports’ Kansas City Chiefs beat writer Charles Goldman helped break down the matchup and offered insight into what both sides will look like Saturday.

Chiefs’ tight ends and running backs will challenge Tampa Bay’s linebackers

It’s easy to see why the Buccaneers’ linebacker corps as the unit most likely to be tested.

“The Chiefs have a really talented group of running backs this year, finally, thankfully,” Goldman said. “And they’ve got a talented group of tight ends too. So if there are questions at the linebacker position for the Buccaneers, they’re going to have their hands full with the tight end group and the running back group, especially in the passing game.”

Kansas City is utilizing its running backs a little bit more and differently in the passing game this year. Even with a vanilla preseason scheme, the talent-on-talent matchups should give us a good look about where Tampa Bay stands at linebacker.

Alex Anzalone is the one entrenched starter at the position. After that, there are real questions. Josiah Trotter still needs to prove what he looks like when real football is being played. SirVocea Dennis’ development remains a work in progress. And Christian Rozeboom, the fourth man in the top group, has been dinged up and didn’t play last week against the Jets. His availability for Saturday is uncertain.

Tampa Bay’s defensive line could cause problems for Kansas City’s interior

The Buccaneers’ defensive front comprises the biggest test for the Chiefs, and it should be the more favorable one for Tampa Bay. Vita Vea won’t play this week, and Bowles has already confirmed he won’t play next week against Jacksonville either, since he missed every practice until Thursday. The team plans to ramp him up slowly.

That said, Calijah Kancey and A’Shawn Robinson will be on the field and it’ll be exciting to see what they can do, even in limited action. Robinson in particular brings a nasty edge that could spell trouble for a Chiefs offensive line still working through growing pains. Kansas City allowed 11 offensive penalties last week, with the vast majority being pre-snap or holding calls on the offensive line. 

“Now you have some of those second-string players playing with the starting offensive line, and they haven’t got a lot of reps together, so that just makes things even more difficult,” Goldman said. “Going up against a talented group that’s got some experience in Kancey and Robinson, that could be problematic for that interior.”

It doesn’t stop there, either. Second-year defensive end Elijah Roberts had a strong showing against the Jets, and rookie DeMonte Capehart is already turning heads. Vea said during his Thursday press conference that Capehart “isn’t like most rookies.” Rakeem Nunez-Roches rounds out the core group, and Chiefs fans know him well from his time in Kansas City.

Cyrus Allen vs. the Buccaneers’ depleted secondary and Tampa Bay’s secondary vs. Chiefs WRs are the matchups to watch

Chiefs rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen has been making a lot of noise during training camp and he’ll be the guy to watch against whoever the Buccaneers put on the field at cornerback.

“I know there’s been a lot of hype out there and there’s a lot of skeptics, but he just continues to flash and do everything the right way,” Goldman said. “I think he’s going to play a really, really big role for the Chiefs offense this season.”

Ironically enough, that matchup carries extra weight because the Buccaneers’ secondary is banged up. Bowles has already ruled out Zyon McCollum, and Benjamin Morrison’s status remains unclear. Tampa Bay could trot out a starting cornerback duo of Jacob Parrish and undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes, who has made a big splash over the past few weeks.

The Chiefs’ receiver room is loaded with speed between Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton, and Allen. If Tampa Bay’s patchwork secondary allows several big plays, expect the discourse around the Buccaneers’ cornerback room to intensify. That conversation has been raging for roughly six months and Saturday could add more fuel.