Move on to the Next One
The Buccaneers' revamped defensive line only generated one sack on Joe Burrow in Week One by rookie Josiah Trotter on a blitz. Burrow released the ball at a quick pace which helped to mitigate the pass rush, but Tampa Bay was unable to create consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Conversely, Cincinnati compiled four sacks of Baker Mayfield, two resulting in fumbles. After adding Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad, along with a healthy Calijah Kancey and David Walker reentering the fold, the Buccaneers envisaged a more formidable pass rush. After a quiet opening to the 2026 regular season, Tampa Bay's defensive line is hungry, ready to erase the last outing with a dominant showing at Raymond James Stadium. The Browns' offensive line allowed five sacks on Deshaun Watson in Week One (30th), and the Bucs' front is licking their chops.
"It's a grown-man sport," said Run Game Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote. "You've got to move on. You've definitely got to move on. I like that those guys have the pride and they want to dominate and perform, especially after a loss. So, a lot of guys in that room took it personal. [This week is] a big challenge for us, but just move on to the next one."
Separation Skills
Jalen McMillan has been a full participant in practice this week for the first time since injuring his knee early in training camp. The talented receiver looked in peak form in the offseason workout program coming off last year's significant neck injury, before aggravating his knee during an indoor practice. McMillan is ramping up towards a return to action and will add another dimension to Zac Robinson's offense. He can win along the formation whether lined up as the X or Z, and will be asked to fill a myriad of roles upon his reincorporation into the offense, including lining up in the slot, lining up along the boundary and beating man-to-man or taking advantage of cushion in zones. McMillan is a route-running technician with an innate feel for how to generate separation using fakes and speed modulation, creating distance from defenders with finesse. He plays with outstanding spatial awareness and Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson discussed what he brings to the receiver room.
"Yeah, I think 'J-Mac,' dating back to his days at Washington, we watched him coming out a ton," noted Robinson. "Then when you saw what he could do his rookie year, he's wired to separate, and he's got great separation skills. He's got great tools at the line of scrimmage. He knows how to set defenders' leverages. I think he's good, really, across the board. He's just a really solid, sound receiver. He's got great hands. His separation skills have been impressive when he's been healthy out there, and we look forward to, if he's able to play this game, having him out there when he's ready to go."
Challenge of Jared Verse
Although the Browns front no longer consists of Myles Garrett, who posted an absurd single-season record with 23 sacks in 2025, the unit does have Jared Verse. Prior to arriving in Cleveland in the blockbuster trade that sent Garrett to the Rams, Verse was a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons in Los Angeles. Verse is twitchy and explosive off the line, controlling blockers with leverage and power. He collapses the pocket with speed-to-power and has an effective bend at the top of the rush to flatten to the quarterback. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is embracing the challenge and spoke on his excitement for Sunday.
"Yeah, they don't [have] Myles anymore, but yeah, they brought in Jared," discussed Wirfs. "Jared is a really good pass rusher, a big, strong kid, big power guy. Yeah, it's going to be a fun matchup. I can't wait. [I] saw him in L.A. last year. We were slinging the rock that game. Hopefully [we get] a little more mixed 'D&D' (down and distance), mixed play calls this time around. Yeah, always a fun matchup. Yeah, good D-Line. It's going to be a fun game."
