On Saturday night the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their preseason game with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while the final score doesn’t really matter, there are still plenty of takeaways from this game. Some positive and some negative.
Sticking with the negative, there were some players that hurt their position with the team. There are others that just left me wanting more; sometimes entire position groups. Here are my five losers from the Buccaneers preseason win over the Steelers.
The Starting O-Line
The Bucs offensive line was one of their biggest strengths last season. It was the primary reason the team finished fourth in total rushing yards. It’s a group that you’d expect a lot from.
Tonight the offensive line was not great. In fact, I wouldn’t even say they were good. They failed to generate push in the running game and allowed some pressure on the quarterback.
I was especially disappointed in second year center Graham Barton. After moving inside last season as a rookie, I was hoping to see a step forward from him this year. That can obviously still happen for a very talented player who is still learning the position, but we didn’t see that tonight.
Kyle Trask
Trask lost on two fronts tonight. The first one in how well Teddy Bridgewater played as he attempts to win the backup quarterback job. The second in how poorly Trask played.
He finished the game 3-10 for just 19 yards. And while boxscorers don’t tell the whole story, that pretty much sums up how well Trask played.
Inaccuracy and an inability to get the ball out quickly plagued Kyle Trask in this game. He looked like he was processing things slowly, as if we could all see the wheels turning. Trask was challenged to step up with this competition and tonight he shrunk when the pressure was on.
Tez Johnson
There were some good moments for Tez Johnson in this game. He had one nice punt return and showed the ability to create separation. However, he had some really bad plays that left a bad taste in my mouth.
The biggest error was a fumble on a punt return. It was a situation where the ball had bounced by him and he should have let it go. Instead, he tried to chase it down and field it off the bounce where he bobbled it and and allowed the Steelers to jump on it.
It was a boneheaded mistake that rookies will occasionally make. You hope he learns from it and never does anything like that again. There was also a drop on a pass that he should have had to add to his rough night.
Shilo Sanders
Earlier today it was reported that undrafted rookie safety JJ Roberts would go on injured reserve and be out for the year. This was a crushing blow for a young player that has done nothing but impress and was all but a lock to make the 53 man roster. However, his loss was an opportunity for another safety.
Shilo Sanders looked solid last week against the Tennessee Titans. He made the plays that were there to be made and was typically in the right position. That was not the case tonight.
We saw a few missed tackles by Sanders against the Steelers. In coverage, it felt like he was a step slow to provide help. It was a chance for him to seize the moment, but he both figuratively and literally fell flat on his face tonight.
The Tight End Position
Did a tight end even play in this game? The box score tells us that yes, they did. There was one total catch from tight ends and it was fumbled and turned over by Tanner Taula. Cade Otton also had a lovely drop early in the game.
The guy I’m most disappointed with is Devin Culp. He’s so athletic and should be a factor in the passing game. However, in these first two preseason games he has been anything but.
I don’t think this game is indicative of what the Buccaneers tight end room is. There is talent to work with and I think it’s a solid group overall. With that said, this game set the entire tight end position back to the days when they were nothing more than an extra offensive lineman.
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