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.
OFFENSE
WR: Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan
WR: Chris Godwin, Sterling Shepard, Kameron Johnson
LT: Tristan Wirfs, Benjamin Chukwuma*
LG: Michael Jordan, Elijah Klein
C: Graham Barton
RG: Dan Feeney, Luke Haggard
RT: Luke Goedeke, Charlie Heck
WR: Emeka Egbuka*, Tez Johnson
TE: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Devin Culp
QB: Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater, Connor Bazelak*
RB: Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Sean Tucker
The simultaneous returns of Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan in Week 15 shook up the Buccaneers' depth chart and in-game usage patterns, in a very welcome way. The long-awaited opportunity to utilize those two in the same game as Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka produced a very significant change in Baker Mayfield's decision-making, as that quartet was responsible for 26 of his 32 targets and 16 of his 19 completions, producing 254 of the team's 277 passing yards.
The Bucs rearranged their official depth chart accordingly heading into Week 16. Evans, Godwin and Egbuka are now listed as the three starters, though it was actually McMillan who was on the field with Evans and Godwin for the first snap against Atlanta. The Buccaneers used a wide variety of combinations of those four, plus a dash of Tez Johnson (15 snaps) but it was Godwin at the center of most of it. He played 66 of the 69 offensive snaps (96%) and caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown. Egbuka was next with 44 snaps, which he turned into four catches for 64 yards. Evans played just over half the snaps but made the most of them, leading the team with six catches for 132 yards. McMillan logged 32 snaps and caught two passes for 38 yards.
Bucky Irving (37 snaps) and Rachaad White (29) continued to have a relatively even workload, though Irving got 17 touches to just two for White. Irving produced 71 yards from scrimmage, while White's lone carry did produce 20 yards. Sean Tucker only got eight plays but did get the ball on four of them, scoring the game's first touchdown on a one-yard run.
DEFENSE
DL: Elijah Roberts*, Greg Gaines
NT: Vita Vea, Elijah Simmons*
DL: Logan Hall
OLB: Yaya Diaby, Chris Braswell, Markees Watts
ILB: SirVocea Dennis, Deion Jones, Nick Jackson*
ILB: Lavonte David, Anthony Walker, John Bullock*
OLB: Haason Reddick, Anthony Nelson
CB: Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison*, Josh Hayes
CB: Jacob Parrish*, Kindle Vildor
S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Christian Izien
S: Tykee Smith, Kaevon Merriweather
There are a couple of Week 16 changes to the depth chart based on recent roster moves. Defensive lineman C.J. Brewer is off the page after being released last Wednesday and then re-signed to the practice squad. Linebacker Anthony Walker is now on the chart, listed second behind Lavonte David, after being re-signed off the Indianapolis practice squad on Monday. And with Zyon McCollum landing on injured reserve on Monday, rookie Jacob Parrish is now listed as the starting cornerback opposite Jamel Dean. In previous games this season in which either Dean or McCollum was unavailable, Parrish took on a dual role that had him starting on the outside in base packages and moving into the slot in the nickel defense.
Parrish did in fact play 86% of the snaps against Atlanta because McCollum was sidelined after taking just 24 of them. The rookie corner finished the game with two tackles and a fumble recovery. Christian Izien started and played every snap next to Antoine Winfield Jr. at safety, as Tykee Smith was inactive due to a neck/shoulder injury. Izien produced eight tackles and forced the fumble that Parrish recovered, leading to a Bucs touchdown drive.
Defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, who was elevated from the practice squad for the game, saw his first action as a Buccaneer and actually started the contest as the defense opened in an unusual four-down linemen alignment. That mean outside linebacker Haason Reddick wasn't on the field for the first play, but he did record the Bucs' lone sack of Kirk Cousins in the fourth, creating a fumble that the Falcons unfortunately were able to recover.
SPECIALISTS
P: Riley Dixon
PK: Chase McLaughlin
KO: Chase McLaughlin
H: Riley Dixon
LS: Evan Deckers
PR: Kameron Johnson, Tez Johnson*
KR: Sean Tucker, Rachaad White
KR: Kameron Johnson
Sean Tucker and Kameron Johnson continued to be the two deep men on kickoff return and Tucker ran back two kicks for 42 yards to one for 30 for Johnson.
Outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, who played only 17 snaps on defense, was all over the place on special teams, logging 100% of the snaps in the kick-and-coverage game. Markees Watts played 14 snaps on special teams and had the team's only solo stop in kick coverage. Cornerback Josh Hayes and linebacker John Bullock each played 85% of the snaps.
