Training camp is over for the Buccaneers, but the try out process isn’t.
The roster moves from 90 to 53 as soon as the preseason comes to an end on Aug. 30 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Cuts are coming,” said head coach Dirk Koetter. “We’ve got guys fighting for jobs…guys trying to make those last spots. I love how these guys are working.”
The Bucs now switch to an in-season schedule, which comes with one major change.
“By far the biggest change is that we switch to afternoon practice. The players are more of a 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. job instead of a 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. job”, said Koetter.
Similar to last year at this time, the Bucs front office is faced with the decision of how many receivers to keep. This will become clearer in the last few preseason games, but it doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.
Koetter told News Channel 8 Sports, “That receiver group is pretty deep. We have to work with what we have. You have to fill every single position and backups and special teams. It’s a big puzzle. Jason [Licht] and his guys are working on it all the time.”
General Manager Jason Licht has just over a week to put all the pieces of this season’s Bucs puzzle together.
The team’s Sept. 9 date with the defending NFC South champions, the New Orleans Saints, approaches quickly.