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. Included in 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 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. Players we will be discussing in depth are highlighted in bold text.
OFFENSE
WR: Mike Evans, Julio Jones, Jaelon Darden
WR: Chris Godwin, Breshad Perriman
LT: Donovan Smith, Brandon Walton
LG: Luke Goedeke
C: Robert Hainsey, Nick Leverett
RG: Shaq Mason
RT: Tristan Wirfs, Fred Johnson
TE: Cameron Brate, Kyle Rudolph, Cade Otton, Ko Kieft
WR: Russell Gage, Scotty Miller
QB: Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask
RB: Leonard Fournette, Rachaad White, Ke'Shawn Vaughn
There were no alterations to the Bucs' depth chart between Weeks Four and Five, but there were plenty of notable changes in terms of snap counts in Sunday night's game against Kansas City, mostly due to starters returning from injury or suspension.
Donovan Smith returned after missing consecutive games for the first time in his eight-year career and slid right back into the left tackle spot he has occupied since his 2015 rookie season. Smith took all 64 offensive snaps, as did the other four offensive line starters, which meant reserves Brandon Walton and Fred Johnson only played on special teams. Backup center Nick Leverett did not see any action.
Mike Evans returned from his one-game suspension and Chris Godwin was back in action after missing two-and-a-half contests with a hamstring strain. Those two immediately became the front-line starters again, with Evans playing all but six offensive snaps and Godwin playing all but 53 of the 64 plays. Russell Gage was also the clear third man in "11" packages, logging 64% of the snaps. Julio Jones got 18 plays but was sidelined for most of the second half when his injured knee failed to loosen up after halftime. Jaelon Darden and Cole Beasley got just six and four offensive snaps, respectively, and Scotty Miller was on the inactive list for the game.
Rookie Cade Otton spent most of last week attending to a personal matter and didn't play in the Week Three Green Bay contest but was back for Week Four. With Cam Brate missing the second half due to a concussion, Otton was the clear number-one tight end, staying on the field for 67% of the snaps.
Perhaps the biggest change to the Buccaneers' offensive approach in Week Four, however, was the increased workload for rookie running back Rachaad White. White had played just 15 total offensive snaps in the previous two games but Head Coach Todd Bowles vowed to get him more involved going forward, and that process started on Sunday night against the Chiefs. White had several full offensive series delegated to him and he finished with a 24-snap share of the backfield. After playing 84.5% of the offensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season, starter Leonard Fournette saw that number drop to 61% in Week Four.
DEFENSE
DL: Akiem Hicks, Pat O'Connor
NT: Vita Vea, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Deadrin Senat
DL: William Gholston, Logan Hall
OLB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Carl Nassib
ILB: Devin White, K.J. Britt, Kenny Young
ILB: Lavonte David, Olakunle Fatukasi
OLB: Shaquil Barrett, Anthony Nelson
CB: Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Dee Delaney
CB: Carlton Davis, Zyon McCollum
S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Logan Ryan
S: Mike Edwards, Keanu Neal
In-game injuries to safety Logan Ryan and cornerback Carlton Davis meant the most playing time yet for safety Keanu Neal and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. Neal had been making very brief cameos in the first three weeks, with just a couple of snaps overall, but he was pressed into action for 46 defensive plays after Ryan went down nine snaps into the action. Murphy-Bunting actually got his first 22 defensive reps of the year when Davis suffered a stinger in the second half, and used them to snag an interception for the Bucs' only takeaway of the game.
Safety Mike Edwards and cornerback Jamel Dean were each off the field for one snap, leaving safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and inside linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White as the only players to be log every defensive snap so far this season.
With Akiem Hicks out for a second straight week, veteran defensive lineman Will Gholston continued to see an uptick in his stats, as this was the second straight game he was on the field for 50+% of the defense's total exposure. The Bucs are holding steady with rookie Logan Hall's workload even with Hicks sidelined; Hall has played between 20 and 29 defensive snaps in each of the first four games.
SPECIALISTS
P: Jake Camarda
PK: Ryan Succop
KO: Jake Camarda
H: Jake Camarda
LS: Zach Triner
PR: Jaelon Darden, Scotty Miller
KR: Rachaad White, Jaelon Darden
Anthony Nelson's role on special teams continues to grow. Last week he had the fifth most special teams snaps of any Buccaneer; this week he was first with 28 of a possible 30, or 93%. K.J. Britt and Dee Delaney remained among the most active cover and block guys, too, with 25 snaps each.
