It's very much still a work in progress, but at least it's now on paper.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released their first depth chart of 2022 on Tuesday, though not because Head Coach Todd Bowles and his staff were in a hurry to get it out. Rather, teams are required to put out a depth chart in the week leading up to their first preseason games. The Buccaneers kick off their preseason on Saturday with a home game against the Miami Dolphins.
While the Buccaneers have enjoyed quite a bit of roster continuity over the last few years, there is significantly more turnover this summer than there was a year ago. After winning Super Bowl LV at the end of the 2020 season, the Buccaneers famously were able to bring back all 22 of their starters from that game, plus most key reserves, for 2021. In contrast, the 2022 Buccaneers have seen a number of prominent departures in 2022 (Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa, Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, Jordan Whitehead) and have also made some noteworthy veteran additions (Russell Gage, Julio Jones, Akiem Hicks, Logan Ryan, Keanu Neal, Kyle Rudolph, Shaq Mason).
As such, there will be some new starters this season, and that's reflected in the first depth chart. Here are the 22 listed starters on offense and defense, though that is definitely subject to change in the weeks ahead, particularly at center where someone will be taking over for the injured Ryan Jensen.
WR: Mike Evans
WR: Chris Godwin
LT: Donovan Smith
LG: Aaron Stinnie
C: Ryan Jensen
RG: Shaq Mason
RT: Tristan Wirfs
TE: Cameron Brate
WR: Russell Gage
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Leonard Fournette
DL: Akiem Hicks
NT: Vita Vea
DL: William Gholston
OLB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
ILB: Devin White
ILB: Lavonte David
OLB: Shaquil Barrett
CB: Sean Murphy-Bunting
CB: Carlton Davis
S: Antoine Winfield Jr.
S: Mike Edwards
Click here to view the Buccaneers' entire first depth chart of 2022.
