Tampa Bay Buccaneers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Cody Thompson was able to make the most of his chances during Saturday's preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 28-year-old hauled in five receptions for a team-high 66 yards and one touchdown in the loss. His score was on a six-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Trask in the first half. It was a quality outing from Thompson who looked like the best receiving option on the field during Saturday's game. He'll need to keep this going during the final preseason game as Thompson is battling for a spot on the 53-man roster. Another strong game like this could secure Thompson a backup wideout spot to begin the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving made some noise during the team's preseason opener last week. Sadly, Irving wasn't able to have the same level of success during Saturday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fourth-round pick rushed six times for 26 yards in the loss. The yardage is about the same, but last time around Irving was able to find the end zone. He'll continue to compete with Sean Tucker for the primary backup role behind Rachaad White in the backfield. The Bucs don't seem too concerned with getting their starters reps in the preseason. That being said, Irving and Tucker should get one more chance to impress the coaching staff during the final preseason game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask was given the start under center once again for the second preseason contest on Saturday. The former second-round pick looked better on the field during this outing. He completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 108 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions in the loss. This performance should give Trask the edge in his competition with John Wolford for the backup job behind Baker Mayfield. During the second half, Wolford completed 7-of-14 passing attempts for 52 yards in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There is still one preseason game left on the schedule. Possibly, Mayfield gets into that contest, but it'll likely be Trask and Wolford for a majority of the snaps.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will head to the bench for Saturday's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It sounds like the Bucs are going with the same strategy as last week. That means most of the starters are going to sit including Mayfield for the second straight week. It'll be Kyle Trask and John Wolford under center as they continue competing for the backup spot behind Mayfield. The final chance for Mayfield to log any preseason action will be Aug. 23 versus the Miami Dolphins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Payne Durham (knee) suffered a knee injury during the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Jaguars on Wednesday. According to Buccaneers insider JC Allen, Durham's MRI results were negative, and he is not expected to miss much time. Durham was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and appeared in 13 games during his rookie season, recording five catches for 58 yards. He played in Tampa Bay's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 10, where he had two receptions for 27 yards. The Buccaneers won the game 17-14. If Durham cannot participate in the next preseason game, Ko Kieft and Devin Culp will have the opportunity for more reps to compete for the third tight end spot on the 53-man roster behind Cade Otton and Durham.UPDATE: Head coach Todd Bowles said Durham is day-to-day.