Each week during the regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' communications department publishes a "Game Release" to aid the media in coverage of their upcoming game. Within that release are a number of documents regarding the player roster, including a depth chart, which lists the pecking order at every position on offense, defense and special teams.
Each game week, we will be taking a closer look at that depth chart, pointing out any changes or relevant notes from the previous game and which players saw notable action in that game. Let's start on offense. Rookies are marked with an asterisk. Players we will be discussing in depth are highlighted in bold text.
WR: Chris Godwin, Tez Johnson*
WR: Sterling Shepard, Kameron Johnson
LT: Tristan Wirfs, Benjamin Chukwuma*
LG: Ben Bredeson, Elijah Klein
C: Graham Barton
RG: Dan Feeney, Michael Jordan, Luke Haggard
RT: Luke Goedeke, Charlie Heck
WR: Emeka Egbuka*, Ryan Miller
TE: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Devin Culp
QB: Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater
RB: Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, Owen Wright
With Ben Bredeson sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Buccaneers employed their seventh different starting O-Line combination in their 10th game on Sunday against the Bills. Michael Jordan, who had previously started the first two games of the season at left guard while Bredeson was filling in at center, went back to that spot after also making one start at right guard in Week Eight. The Buccaneers ran for a season-high 202 yards on the day and Baker Mayfield was sacked just once, on his last dropback of the game.
Running back Sean Tucker got much closer to a 50-50 split with Rachaad White in the backfield, drawing 31 snaps to 42 for White and getting 19 handoffs and two targets to 10 and three for White. Tucker was the "hot hand," as Head Coach Todd Bowles terms it, and he finished the game with 140 yards from scrimmage and a career high three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air. Owen Wright, who was just added to the active roster on Friday to take the spot vacated by a suspended Josh Williams, played one offensive snap.
Tight end Cade Otton and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka essentially played the entire game, absorbing 97% and 94% of the offensive snaps, respectively. Egbuka led the team in targets (nine) and catches (five), while Otton also had five targets but just two receptions. Sterling Shepard got 46 offensive snaps, out of the team's total of 70, and produced a team-high 54 receiving yards on five targets and four catches.