Bucs Unofficial Depth Chart Release: 3 nuggets that stand out before joint practice and the first preseason game vs. the Titans
The Buccaneers released their first unofficial depth chart of the season on Tuesday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released its first unofficial depth chart on Tuesday – a couple of days before the team hosts the Tennessee Titans for a joint practice session and the first preseason game of the 2025 season.
As with any unofficial depth chart, there are certain items to read into and then there are some you can just completely ignore right now. While it’s a reflection of where things currently stand, to an extent, some sections are totally fluid and could look completely different by this time next week.
So, with all that being said, let’s dive into some nuggets from Tuesday’s release.
Trey Palmer with the 2s and Sterling Shepard with the 3s
If the season started right now and the Bucs were to stick with this version of the depth chart, Palmer would be in the Top-6 at WR and Shepard would be left to fend for himself against seven other wideouts for the WR7 spot. That’s if the Bucs even decide to carry seven WRs, too.
Palmer hasn’t really stood out on a consistent basis throughout camp and he’s missed the last several practices on top of that. At the same time, Shepard hasn’t really stood out, either. In total, reports have stated there hasn’t been much separation in terms of guys standing out once you get past Tez Johnson.
The other surprising aspect of this (and we’ll mention this again here in a bit) is because of seniority, veterans often get the nod over younger players when it comes to their depth chart ranking. That clearly didn’t work for Shepard, though.
Palmer is also listed as the team’s top punt returner, so it’s clear special teams are what’s keeping him in the mix. He needs to get healthy and back on the field, however, or else this could quickly change.
Elijah Roberts and Shilo Sanders are buried behind their teammates
While this makes sense, it’s still a bit surprising to see these two guys down as far as they are. However, the Bucs defensive line is pretty loaded when it comes to the Top-5 guys and Adam Gotsis was likely given the seniority nod over Roberts. In other words: Like Palmer’s situation, this could quickly go the other way with a good week of practice and a good performance on Saturday.
Sanders’ spot makes sense, too. Bowles recently said he has a chance to make the 53, but he’s getting outpaced by those around him, especially J.J. Roberts and Kaevon Merriweather. Right now, those two are certainly the frontrunners for the spots behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith. Christian Izien is going to make the team, but he’s definitely more of a defensive back than anything, so his spot can fluctuate between safety and corner on the depth chart.
Either way, Sanders has a long way to go, regardless of Izien’s place. He simply has to make more plays. Bowles has said he’s picked up the defense pretty well, so that box is checked, for the most part. The problem is guys like Roberts and Merriweather are consistently standing out via plays and being in the right spot. Sanders won’t be on the 53-man if he doesn’t pick up the pace.
Ko Kieft over Devin Culp?
Culp is a name on the rise and he’s made some nice plays during training camp, but it hasn’t been enough to warrant the TE3 label, just yet.
It’s pretty interesting because while both guys are former seventh-rounders, their ceilings are vastly different. Kieft has been serviceable over the last three years, but he’s nowhere near as dynamic and explosive as Culp. On the other hand, the latter is still raw and developing, and Todd Bowles mentioned a few days ago that Culp needs to keep learning the Bucs offense.
“He’s probably the most athletic [tight end]. He’s the fastest one, for sure,” Bowles told reporters. “I think [the end of last season] did a lot for his confidence and our confidence in him going forward. Obviously, I’d still like to see him block and pick up the scheme and do certain things as far as motioning and blocking defensive ends and that type of thing. As a receiver, he came on last year. It got a lot done for his confidence and I think that’ll help him out going into this year.”
Culp will definitely get a shot to move up the depth chart this week. We’ll see if he can take advantage of the opportunity.
No special teams surprises
This part of the roster is pretty much laid out unless something crazy happens. Palmer and Sean Tucker are listed as the primary punt and kick returner, respectively, but obviously Tez Johnson will have a say in the punt return aspect once he returns from injury.
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