The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have many positives to take away from their 19-0 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Pro Football Focus saw a handful of individual performances differently than the final score might suggest.
Tampa Bay finished with only 87 yards of offense and 31 net passing yards, so it isn't surprising that most of the Bucs' highest grades came on defense. David Walker led the entire defense with a 91.0 grade, while Luke Haggard surprisingly took the top spot on offense with an 80.1.
Here are some of the PFF grades that stood out from Tampa Bay's preseason finale.
David Walker tops the defense
Walker looked good throughout the night, and PFF's grading backed up what was noticeable on the field. The second-year edge defender earned a team-high
91.0 defensive grade across 18 snaps.
His 90.6 pass-rush grade was particularly impressive. Walker generated three pressures on nine pass-rush snaps, recording two hurries and a quarterback hit. He didn't record a sack, but consistently created problems off the edge and showed some power when collapsing the pocket.
That's an encouraging finish to the preseason for a player who should have a role in Tampa Bay's pass-rush rotation.
Luke Haggard leads a struggling offense
Luke Haggard's 80.1 offensive grade led the Bucs despite Tampa Bay's offense doing next to nothing as a unit. Haggard played 32 snaps at left guard and earned a 77.9 pass-blocking grade and 76.7 run-blocking grade.
Haggard's performance becomes even more noticeable considering how poorly the offensive line performed around him. Tampa Bay allowed five sacks for 33 lost yards and averaged only 2.9 yards per rushing attempt. Haggard was one of the few offensive linemen who came away with strong marks in both areas.
Payne Durham followed Haggard with a 75.8 overall grade, while Ko Kieft earned a 74.1.
Jack Pyburn's box score was better than his PFF grade
Pyburn was arguably Tampa Bay's biggest standout while watching the game, finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss. PFF still gave him a solid 73.6 overall defensive grade, sixth-best on the Bucs, but his 43.5 pass-rush grade doesn't exactly match what showed up on the stat sheet.
PFF credited Pyburn with two total pressures on 24 pass-rush snaps, both of which were sacks. His best mark actually came against the run, where he earned a 91.0 grade.
Regardless of how PFF viewed the individual pass-rush reps, Pyburn made plays when they mattered and put together a strong final audition before roster cuts.
Elijah Roberts continues making noise
Elijah Roberts was another defensive lineman who caught the eye during the game, and PFF rewarded him with an 81.3 overall grade, third-best on Tampa Bay's defense.
Roberts played only 11 defensive snaps, but made the most of them. He earned a 74.0 pass-rush grade while recording two pressures, including a quarterback hit and hurry. Roberts also received a 67.4 run-defense grade.
Between Roberts and Walker, Tampa Bay got some encouraging work from two young defenders despite what eventually became an ugly night for the defense as a whole.
Jalon Daniels lands near the bottom on offense
Jalon Daniels showed off his arm on a few throws, but his overall performance was uneven, and PFF's grade reflected it.
Daniels received a 53.7 offensive grade, ranking 16th among Tampa Bay's 24 graded offensive players. His 62.0 passing grade was better, but PFF gave him a 40.7 rushing grade.
Daniels finished 8-of-15 for 57 yards and took three sacks. Some throws showed why Tampa Bay has something worth developing, but he also held onto the ball too long at times and wasn't consistently decisive. His preseason finale looked much more like a developmental quarterback still trying to put everything together.
Jake Browning finished even lower. His 37.4 overall grade was the worst on Tampa Bay's offense, while his 38.6 passing grade also reflected a rough night. Browning completed two of four passes for just two yards and was sacked twice after replacing Daniels.
Ayden Garnes gets a solid mark after encouraging finale
Ayden Garnes was another player who looked better than Tampa Bay's overall defensive performance would suggest. PFF gave the rookie corner a 67.5 defensive grade across a whopping 68 snaps.
His coverage numbers were more mixed, with Garnes receiving a 71.9 coverage grade but a 43.2 run-defense grade. He was targeted four times and allowed two receptions for nine yards, according to PFF, while recording four tackles without a missed tackle.
Garnes needed a good final audition with roster cuts approaching, and between what he put on tape and his PFF grade, he gave the Bucs something to think about.
Bucs' highest and lowest PFF grades
On offense, Tampa Bay's five highest grades belonged to Luke Haggard (80.1), Payne Durham (75.8), Ko Kieft (74.1), Barika Kpeenu (69.0) and Bauer Sharp (66.6). The five lowest belonged to Jake Browning (37.4), Nash Hutmacher (43.2), Elijah Klein (43.4), Sean Tucker (43.7) and Devin Culp (46.0).
Defensively, David Walker (91.0), Miles Killebrew (90.3), Elijah Roberts (81.3), Jayson Jones (74.9) and Nick Jackson (74.3) made up the top five. Damarion Williams received the lowest defensive grade at 41.7, followed by Javin Wright (45.6), Xavier Williams (46.8), Yasir Holmes (48.5) and Roman Parodie (49.5).
PFF grades aren't the final word on how a player performed, but they add another layer to Tampa Bay's final evaluation before roster cuts. In a game where the collective performance left plenty to be desired, Walker, Roberts and Haggard were among the players whose individual work stood out.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: PFF grades paint a grim picture of Bucs’ preseason finale
