The Jets are trying to avoid an 0-3 start, but they face a tough test against Todd Bowles and the 2-0 Bucs in their first road game of the year. The last meeting between these teams featured a late blown lead by the Jets after Zach Wilson went rogue and tried a quarterback sneak as the Jets looked to clinch the game on fourth down. However, it was best remembered for Antonio Brown quitting midgame and frolicking shirtless in the end zone as he left the field. Will Sunday be similarly memorable?
Let’s
break down the Bucs’ roster going position by position:
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield passed for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season as he led the Bucs to a 10-7 record and made his first postseason appearance. He’s averaging under 200 passing yards per game so far this season though.
Although he’s been efficient so far this year with five touchdowns and no interceptions, Mayfield led the NFL with 16 interceptions last season. The Jets, who have yet to force a turnover yet this season, will hope to put him under pressure and force mistakes.
The backup is the freshly unretired Teddy Bridgewater, who has only started two games since 2021 and last threw an NFL pass three years ago.
Offensive Line
The Bucs returned all five starters, each of whom played over 950 snaps last season. However, that continuity has gone up in smoke.
They suffered a major blow during the week as they lost the right side of the line with right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch both suffering season ending injuries. These are both big losses as Goedeke recently signed a big money extension and Mauch, who actually finished Monday night’s game, was a recent second round pick.
On Monday, Charlie Heck replaced Goedeke and is now listed as the new starter at right tackle. Elijah Klein, who was a sixth round pick last season, has been listed as the new starting right guard and will make his first NFL start against the Jets.
Compounding matters, they were also without pro bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs for the first two games, so starting center Graham Barton has been forced to move to left tackle. Wirfs returned to practice on a limited basis this week but has been ruled out from playing on Sunday.
With Barton at left tackle, veteran Ben Bredeson – listed as the starting left guard – has been filling in at center. So, who is the left guard? In the first two games they elevated Michael Jordan off the practice squad to play there, although he’s not 100 percent either.
Bredeson and Barton, who had a team-high 13 penalties, had mixed fortunes last season.
The most familiar name on the bench is ex-Jet Dan Feeney, but he was only signed this week. The other reserves lack experience as Luke Haggard was just signed from the practice squad and Benjamin Chukwuma is an undrafted rookie.
Running Backs
Bucky Irving rushed for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in addition to catching 47 passes last season, but he’s off to a slow start this year as he’s averaging just 3.5 yards per carry behind the makeshift line.
Reserve Rachaad White offers a change of pace and was the hero on Monday night with the game winning touchdown run.
Sean Tucker and undrafted rookie Josh Williams round out the rotation but have just one carry between them so far.
Pass catchers
The Bucs have another injury issue at wide receiver as rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka, who leads the team with three touchdown receptions, is listed as questionable after missing practice this week. In addition, Chris Godwin missed the first two games after having been limited to seven appearances last season. Like Wirfs, he returned to practice this week but has been ruled out from a return to game action.
Tampa’s leading receiver is predictably Mike Evans, who is gunning for an incredible 12th consecutive thousand-yard season, although he’s actually slightly off the pace two games in. This could be another assignment where Sauce Gardner shadows him, especially with no Godwin and Egbuka potentially limited or unavailable.
Of the other receivers on the Bucs roster, Sterling Shepard has seven catches in the first two games, but the rest – Ryan Miller, seventh round pick Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson – have just one catch between them.
At tight end, Cade Otton was productive last year with 59 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. Backups Payne Durham, Devin Culp and Ko Kieft have yet to record a catch this year. Durham is the main reserve.
Defensive Line
Bowles’ defense operates with 3-4 personnel, anchored by the massive pro bowler Vita Vea, who is solid against the run and had seven sacks last season.
Greg Gaines and Logan Hall are the other starters but the unit has been weakened by a season-ending injury to former first round pick Calijah Kancey, who had led the Bucs with 7.5 sacks last season.
Rookies Elijah Roberts and Elijah Simmons offer depth off the bench. Roberts was a fifth round pick but Simmons was undrafted.
Linebackers
On the outside, the Bucs’ starters are ex-Jet Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby, who led the Bucs with 20 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss last season.
In terms of reserves on the outside, Chris Braswell and Anthony Nelson each saw less than 10 snaps off the bench last week and Markees Watts only played on special teams.
On the inside, veteran Lavonte David starts alongside SirVocea Dennis. David, who led the team with 122 tackles last season, is in his 14th season but Dennis made the first two starts of his career this season and has struggled so far, so they may opt to give more playing time to the more experienced Deion Jones at some point.
Undrafted rookie John Bullock is the only other inside linebacker currently on the roster.
Defensive Backs
The starting cornerbacks are Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, who led the Bucs with 17 pass breakups last season. A pair of day two rookies are the primary reserves as the nickel back has been Jacob Parrish and Ben Morrison has been getting reps in dime packages.
The Bucs’ starting safety duo pairs veteran Antoine Winfield Jr. with Tykee Smith, who is coming off an excellent rookie season. Smith leads the Bucs in tackles so far this year.
The main backups at safety are Kaevon Merriweather and Christian Izien, who each saw plenty of action last year but have only played three snaps between them in 2025.
Cornerbacks Kindle Vildor and Josh Hayes and safety Rashad Wisdom are also available to provide depth.
Special Teams
The kicking game features punter Riley Dixon and ex-Jets kicker Chase McLaughlin, who found a home in Tampa Bay in 2023. McLaughlin has already missed three kicks this year compared with four during the entire 2024 season but Dixon is off to a good start as he averages 51 yards per punt.
In the return game, Kameron Johnson already made an impact with a 54-yard punt return. Tucker has been handling kickoffs. Tez Johnson, Williams and White are all also options, as is Egbuka, if healthy.
Miller and Hayes have been the primary gunners so far but the Bucs lost a few of their most productive players in coverage in 2024. Nelson, Kieft and Tucker are key contributors but Jones currently leads them in special teams tackles in 2025.
