Takeaways From Buccaneers First Depth Chart of the Preseason

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inch closer to their first preseason game of 2021, the team has unveiled its first unofficial depth chart of the year.

There are very few, if any, surprises to be found among the starting units in this depth chart, which was to be expected after Tampa Bay returned all 22 starters from its Super Bowl run this offseason. That being said, there's plenty to take in when it comes to the Buccaneers' depth set up on the chart.

AllBucs takes a deeper dive on the first depth chart below.

O.J. Howard is a starter in 12-personnel

Despite missing 75 percent of Tampa Bay's 2020 regular season and the majority of offseason workouts until recently, circumstances have made O.J. Howard a member of Tampa Bay's first-team offense. Although Rob Gronkowski is the Bucs' starting tight end, Howard would take the field with Gronkowski in two tight end sets (12-personnel) if the season began today.

Cameron Brate is expected to be Tampa Bay's No. 2 tight end this season as he was last year, but has spent the majority of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list up until his activation from the list on Monday. Howard returned to practice on July 30 after rehabbing a torn Achilles and was limited to begin with, but has expanded his usage as practices have gone on.

K.J. Britt has an early lead for No. 4 LB role

Tampa Bay selected two inside linebackers in the draft this offseason in K.J. Britt and Grant Stuard, who have competed with veteran Joseph Jones for the No. 4 linebacker role. Britt has taken an early lead over the two and is on track to make the final roster at this time.

Given the starting lineup of Devin White and Lavonte David, Tampa Bay's No. 4 LB spot will be handed to a capable special teams player. That led some to believe Stuard had a decent shot at beating out Britt and Jones due to his speed and athleticism. However, Britt has not only filled in on special teams but also appears comfortable in the middle of the second-team defense, particularly while playing downhill and against the run.

New-look backup offensive line taking shape

The Buccaneers let tackle Joe Haeg walk in free agency this offseason and saw interior lineman A.Q. Shipley medically retire at the end of last year. As such, the Bucs have done some shuffling on their second-team offensive line.

As things stand, the second-team unit from left to right consists of Brad Seaton, Nick Leverett, rookie Robert Hainsey, Aaron Stinnie, and Josh Wells. The Bucs can feel comfortable with the right side of the line as Stinnie played well in the 2020 postseason after starting guard Alex Cappa went down with an injury, while Wells is an eighth-year pro with ample starting experience.

The questions lie on the left side through the middle. Seaton has been with Tampa Bay since 2019 but has yet to appear in a game and had opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Leverett has impressed in camp due to his positional versatility but is also inexperienced when it comes to playing in regular-season games.

Hainsey, Tampa Bay's third-round pick, has transitioned from tackle to center for the first time in his career and the coaching staff has liked what it has seen from the move. That being said, it is still a new position for the rookie, and he has also missed over a week of practice in camp as of this story.

Don't read into Kyle Trask's current spot

Second-round pick Kyle Trask is listed as Tampa Bay's QB No. 4 on the current depth chart. Rest assured, he will be listed higher than that come Week 1.

Trask has been shaky throughout his first pro training camp, but Tampa Bay drafted him to develop the quarterback over the long term. The team will carry three quarterbacks into the regular season and the competition for the No. 2 spot, behind Tom Brady and ahead of Trask, will be left to one of Blaine Gabbert or Ryan Griffin.

Those two will compete for the role throughout the preseason, and it is presumed that Gabbert is the current favorite to win the job given his higher salary and the fact that he was Tampa Bay's No. 2 QB last year.

Will Jaydon Mickens hold onto return duties?

The Buccaneers traded up for wide receiver Jaelon Darden in the fourth round of this year's draft, envisioning Darden not only as an electric receiver within the offense but also as a return man on special teams.

Seventh-year receiver Jaydon Mickens isn't letting Darden take his special teams roles away too easily, though. Mickens currently holds the lead for both the kick and punt returning jobs with Darden and fellow receiver Scotty Miller trailing behind him. Mickens averaged 24.3 yards per kick return and 6.2 yards per punt return on a total of 30 attempts a year ago.

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason updates, and other news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.