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It's not even training camp but Buccaneers look ready to send one veteran packing

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their starting wide receivers figured out but the names behind those guys on the [depth chart](https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/TB) is still up in the air. One player that is battling it out for a chance to catch passes from Baker Mayfield is Rakim Jarrett, who, if he makes the roster, would be in Year 3 with the Bucs.

Tampa signed Jarrett as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland following the 2023 draft and normally, those guys are either training camp bodies or will likely be special teamers if they do make the team. Jarrett actually has caught some passes for the Bucs, tallying four catches for 60 yards as a rookie in 2023 and followed that up with nine receptions for 124 yards in 2024.

While Jarrett has already outperformed what's typical for a UDFA wide receiver, his time with the Bucs could be nearing the end. Tampa is likely going to keep six receivers on its [53-man roster](https://thepewterplank.com/buccaneers-53-man-prediction-includes-two-longshots-fans-are-already-obsessed-with) for the 2025 season and Jarrett will have his work cut out for him in grabbing one of those six spots.

Rakim Jarrett will have a tough time making Bucs' 53-man roster

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The other receivers ahead of Jarrett on the current depth chart vying for one of the final (likely) three spots are Sterling Shepard, Jalen McMillan, and Trey Palmer. Shepard joined the Bucs last year and had over 300 yards receiving and a touchdown in 14 games and five starts; McMillan was a third-round rookie a season ago and finished his rookie campaign with 461 yards and eight trips into the end zone; Palmer, a sixth-rounder in 2023, had 172 yards and one touchdown last year.

Jarrett also has seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson to deal with. Normally, a seventh-round pick might not seem like a threat to a veteran (even an undrafted one like Jarrett) but Johnson had nearly 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2024 season with the Oregon Ducks. He very well could make some noise for Tampa during training camp and preseason and work his way onto the 53-man roster.

It's going to be a tough battle for Jarrett this summer and the Bucs truthfully might already have known they'd move on from him when they added Johnson late in the draft. The wide receiver battle will be one of the more intriguing ones this summer for the Buccaneers, that's for sure.

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