3 Buccaneers Who Won't Be on the Roster by Week 1

Every position is always up for grabs in the NFL, and competition is expected every offseason. While some veterans guarantee their spots through skill and work ethic, there are plenty of players on every NFL team who have to fight tooth and nail just to stay on the roster every year — and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no exception.

The Buccaneers have brought in a lot of competition this season, with multiple free agency signings and draft picks to put pressure on the roster. Even outside of that, though, there are some other players who have already been on the team near the bubble who could contribute in 2026, and that could spell doom for some other players on the Bucs' roster.

Here are three players who could find themselves off the roster entirely once cuts happen in training camp:

OLB Chris Braswell

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Chris Braswell (43) works out at One Buc Place. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Main competitor: David Walker

Chris Braswell was drafted with a second-round pick in 2024 with hopes that he could lend his power-rushing skills to the pass rush rotation. He hasn't been able to do that at all — in two seasons, he's played 34 games but netted just 2.5 sacks and 48 total tackles.

Braswell's seat is especially hot given how much the Bucs added to the edge rushing room. Al-Quadin Muhammad and Rueben Bain Jr. are now in the room, which shoves him even further down the order, and edge rusher David Walker is set to actually make his debut after tearing his ACL in practice last year. Braswell has to prove he can play better than Walker — if he doesn't, he's the sixth edge rusher out, and that probably means he's off the roster entirely.

QB Connor Bazelak

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Connor Bazelak (8) passes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Main competitor: Jalon Daniels

Connor Bazelak impressed the Bucs last season as a UDFA when he came in as a camp body in lieu of the injured Michael Pratt. He did well enough in preseason to earn a roster spot as the team's third quarterback and emergency option, but a new UDFA in town might put him in jeopardy.

The Bucs brought on UDFA quarterback Jalon Daniels out of Kansas, and his athleticism and scrambling ability give him a higher ceiling than Bazelak — and it allows him to play different quarterbacks on the scout team better than he can, too. Bazelak can maintain his job by showing stout knowledge of the playbook, but he's on the back foot heading into training camp and he's already getting his reps siphoned by Daniels.

TE Devin Culp

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp (82) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers in the first quarter | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Main competitor: Bauer Sharp

Devin Culp has shown promise as a move tight end in Tampa Bay, but he hasn't done too much overall. In two years, he's caught just six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, and he struggled to get on the field last year even with a slew of injuries in the wide receiver room.

The Bucs drafted Bauer Sharp in the sixth round, and Sharp fulfills that same exact archetype that Culp does. On top of that, Sharp has looked very good across rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and Culp injured himself in OTAs and hasn't been able to show what he's made of.

Culp likely has to dazzle in training camp — right now, he appears to be on the outside looking in among the tight end room.

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