Bucs Report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun their roster cuts, and quarterback Connor Bazelak is among the first players waived. Per Greg Auman, the Buccaneers are waiving Bazelak as they begin trimming their roster ahead of Sunday’s cutdown day. Via Fox Sports Greg Auman, “Bucs are waiving second-year QB Connor Bazelak, who was last year’s No. 3. Only got four snaps in last two preseason games as focus shifted to rookie Jalon Daniels.” Bazelak was the Buccaneers’ No. 3 quarterback last season.

Roster cuts begin Sunday across the NFL, meaning difficult decisions involving fringe players are quickly approaching. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one of those decisions could involve the quarterback room. Baker Mayfield has the starting job secured. Behind him, Jake Browning and Jalon Daniels have spent training camp competing for the QB2 role. That competition has remained intense throughout camp. The Buccaneers entered their preseason finale with the backup quarterback battle still unsettled.

With the preseason now finished, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can turn their attention toward the 2026 regular season. One of the biggest questions surrounding the team involves Baker Mayfield and his contract situation. Mayfield is entering the final year of his current deal. The quarterback has made it clear that he wants to remain with Tampa Bay. However, he also wants a contract that reflects what he believes he is worth. Mayfield is currently playing under a three-year, $100 million contract.

The preseason finale is usually about getting through the final game healthy and preparing for the regular season. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, the night ended with two defensive injury concerns. Tampa Bay lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-0 in its final preseason game. The loss came with some unwanted news, as Todd Bowles revealed injuries involving Keionte Scott and Mohamed Kamara.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may feel good about their starting offensive line, but the depth remains uncertain. That concern became more apparent Friday night during Tampa Bay’s 19-0 shutout loss to Jacksonville. With the starters resting, the preseason finale provided Todd Bowles and his staff another chance to evaluate the backups. The Buccaneers were looking for players capable of filling important depth roles before final roster decisions. Instead, the group struggled against the Jaguars.

Well, How Bad Was That? The Buccaneers laid an egg in their preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars losing 19-0. The Bucs didn’t have a great week for much of anything, especially the special teams. Here are my special teams’ grades: Kickoff Coverage: N/A When you score zero points, you only get one opportunity to kick off! That opportunity didn’t come until the start of the third quarter, and it wasn’t even kicked by the Bucs’ starting kicker.

With roster cut downs coming by Sunday evening, it’s interesting to see the wide range of opinions as to who the Buccaneers should keep and who they should let go. Much of the Bucs’ fandom would love to see quarterback Jalon Daniels be named QB2 behind Baker Mayfield while Jake Browning gets his walking papers. A lot of people are excited about what players like Dean Patterson IV, Josh Williams, and Jack Pyburn could bring to the team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up their 2026 preseason slate with a difficult 19-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bucs traveled to EverBank Stadium for the finale and couldn’t find enough offense to stay competitive. Despite the shutout, Tampa Bay finishes exhibition play with a 2-1 record. The Bucs had previously won two of their three preseason contests before facing Jacksonville in the final game.

The preseason is finally over. We are on to real deal football. The only thing left to do for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is make their final cuts. While there is a constant revolving door at the bottom of every roster, the Buccaneers have until Sunday at 6:00 to trim down to their opening 53 man roster. All the impressions made in training camp finally come down to these decisions. Here is my final prediction for the Buccaneers 2026 roster.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Buccaneers’ rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels will get an extended opportunity tonight. “Bucs plan to start rookie QB Jalon Daniels and play him the first half and maybe more tonight vs. Jacksonville. He will be followed by Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak. Daniels is making legit run at No. 2.” Daniels is expected to start against Jacksonville and play the entire first half. He could potentially see even more action in the game.