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. 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: Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst*

WR: Chris Godwin, Kameron Johnson

LT: Tristan Wirfs, Benjamin Chukwuma

LG: Ben Bredeson, Billy Schrauth*

C: Graham Barton, Dan Feeney

RG: Cody Mauch, Luke Haggard

RT: Luke Goedeke, Justin Skule

WR: Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson

TE: Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Bauer Sharp*

QB: Baker Mayfield, Jalon Daniels*

RB: Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell, Sean Tucker

While Head Coach Todd Bowles says the Bucs continue to think of Kenny Gainwell as the "1B" option in the backfield to Bucky Irving's "1A" status, the latter back has dominated the touch count through the first two weeks. Against the Browns, Irving played 51 snaps to Gainwell's 23 (that included a handful of plays with both backs on the field) and had 21 touches to five for Gainwell. Irving produced well with his workload, creating 90 yards from scrimmage and averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

For the second week in a row, the Buccaneers leaned heavily towards "11" personnel, which features three wide receivers and one tight end. Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka each played 86% of the offensive snaps and Ted Hurst was on the field for 74% of that time. However, Tez Johnson saw more action than he had in Week One, logging 19 snaps and drawing four targets. While only one of those four targets connected, it did result in the Bucs' biggest play of the game, a 49-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up a go-ahead field goal.

Tight end Cade Otton was on the field for 58 of a possible 65 snaps and ended up leading the team with five receptions, which he turned into 38 yards. The Bucs' other three tight ends, however, combined to play only seven offensive snaps, four for Payne Durham and three for Bauer Sharp.

DEFENSE

DL: Calijah Kancey, Elijah Roberts

NT: Vita Vea, Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, Elijah Simmons

DL: A'Shawn Robinson, DeMonte Capehard*

OLB: Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, David Walker

ILB: Josiah Trotter*, SirVocea Dennis

ILB: Alex Anzalone, Christian Rozeboom

OLB: Rueben Bain Jr.*, Al-Quadin Muhammad

CB: Zyon McCollum, Benjamin Morrison, Ayden Garnes*

CB: Jacob Parrish, Keionte Scott*, Kevin Knowles

S: Antoine Winfield Jr.

S: Tykee Smith, Miles Killebrew

After playing exclusively on special teams in the Buccaneers' season opener, second-year outside linebacker David Walker saw his first career action on defense against the Browns. His snap total was capped at nine, but he made them count, as he recorded one of the Bucs' two sacks on the day. The Bucs rotated their edge rushers liberally, giving 37 snaps to Yaya Diaby, 35 to Rueben Bain Jr., 21 to Al-Quadin Muhammad and 15 to Anthony Nelson.

Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter but did come back into the game, finishing with 48 defensive snaps and a team-high 11 tackles. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison started opposite Zyon McCollum with Jacob Parrish sidelined by a back injury. Morrison contributed seven tackles and one of the Bucs' two passes defensed.

SPECIALISTS

P: Riley Dixon

PK: Chase McLaughlin

KO: Chase McLaughlin

H: Riley Dixon

LS: Evan Deckers

PR: Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson

KR: Sean Tucker, Kenny Gainwell

KR: Kameron Johnson

Tez Johnson remained in the punt return role for the second week in a row, running back two kicks for 14 yards. However, Kameron Johnson, who handled that job for the Buccaneers in 2025, still made a big impact on special teams. In addition to his 48-yard kickoff return that gave the Bucs great field position for their final possession, Johnson also had two tackles while playing gunner on the punt team.

Not counting kicker Chase McLaughlin, the Buccaneers had six players who logged double-digit snap counts on special teams without taking any snaps on offense or defense: safety Miles Killebrew (20), cornerback Kevin Knowles (20), safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (17), wide receiver Kameron Johnson (16), tight end Ko Kieft (15) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (15). Tight end Bauer Sharp also played 20 snaps on special teams along with those three on offense noted above.