Tom Brady To Play In The Buccaneers Preseason Finale
The final preseason game is approaching for the Buccaneers, and many of the 22 starters that will line up in the season opener against Dallas have yet to take a snap and see game action. This preseason game becomes more crucial for the starters to play as they need to develop some chemistry, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Tom Brady needs to play with his receivers in a game situation. Although Brady came to Tampa in 2020 with no OTAs and no preseason games, and the Bucs won the Super Bowl, not playing in an actual game before the season starts is not ideal. When Tom Brady is your quarterback, this may not be as important as it would be for some other teams.
However, it is essential for the offensive line. The Buccaneers will have four new starters along the offensive line. Donavan Smith is the only returning starter. The starting wide receivers have yet to play in a game. Mike Evans has nursed a sore hamstring all camp, while Chris Godwin has been recovering from his offseason surgery.
Russell Gage was signed in the off-season and has been hampered by nagging injuries during camp and has yet to suit up. That means that Mike Evans and Julio Jones could see their first action of the preseason. Todd Bowles said on Thursday that everyone healthy would play.
Brady Will Make His First Preseason Appearance For Buccaneers
That means Tom Brady will see his first action of the preseason. How Much Brady will play, we don’t know. But, if the offense looks sharp, it may be a couple of series, and the night will be over for Brady. Brady and the offense may play most of the first half if the offense struggles.
Chris Godwin will not play as he sat out practice on Thursday. In addition, running back Gio Bernard, injured in the first preseason game, did not practice on Thursday either. More and more questions are now being raised about Bernard’s overall health, and the Bucs may be thinking about going with just three running backs instead of four.
I would not expect Tristan Wirfs to play against the Colts, as he is nursing an oblique injury. Defensively, defensive backs Zyon McCollum, Logan Ryan, and Keanu Reaves did not practice Thursday and are not expected to play.
Bowles said there are still some positions up for grabs and will be looking hard at them on Saturday. “Left guard. There are a ton of guys at the receiver spot. The corner spot has yet to be determined, starting and backing up, and back up inside backers and a few more special teams players. So we’re looking at a lot of that this weekend.”
The Buccaneers continue to tweak the roster before cutdown day on Tuesday. The team signed linebacker Genard Avery for some depth after losing Cam Gill for the season. Avery started 12 games with the Philadelphia Eagles last season and had a career-high 43.5 tackles last season. He has 7.5 sacks in his career.
Bowles likes the value that Avery brings to the team. “He’s a good pass rusher, and he’s a good special teams player. So we thought it was valuable to have him, and rather than look for somebody like that in the middle of the season in case someone gets hurt, we thought there would be value in adding him right now.”
To make room for Avery, the Bucs waived wide receiver, Cyril Grayson. Grayson was the hero in the Buccaneers’ 28-24 win against the New York jets.
With Grayson out, that leaves Scotty Miller, Breshad Perriman, rookies Kaylon Geiger, Devin Thompkins, and Jerreth Stearns competing for the final one or two receiver spots.
The Buccaneers are 0-2 and will be just looking to get through the game with no more injuries as the countdown to the regular season continues.
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