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There is finally going to be football on TVs and on radios this week when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the New York Jets. They go on the road in their first action of the preseason after several weeks in training camp. As a result, there are going to be some younger players poised to make a strong first impact.
The Bucs need to see some things from their rookie class on offense and defense. There are UDFAs who are going to play a critical amount of snaps, and there is a coaching staff that needs to show they can handle new roles.
With the stage set, there are three matchups we are looking forward to seeing between the Bucs and the Jets.
The Bucs' secondary has some new pieces in 2026, as well as some players in new roles. We want to see Jacob Parrish on the outside and how he can handle the size of the Jets' wide receivers. Beyond that, the depth they have is going to need to be strong based on the alreadyshaky healthy of Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum coming back from injury. This unit is going to need to have some options in 2026, and it all starts with this matchup to show what they have.
With new playcaller Zac Robinson, the Bucs' rushing attack needs to be firing on all cylinders. We are not likely to see a lot of Kenneth Gainwell or Bucky Irving, but what we want to see is how much he tries with the running backs. Will we see more passing work for them? What will the approach at the goal line be? The run game felt abandoned at times in 2025, and that cannot be the case in 2026.
The Bucs' special teams cost them a handful of games in 2025. With the arrival of new coordinator Danny Smith, we are interested to see how well they have things cleaned up both in blocking and in coverage. If the special teams look good, then this is one massive liability that is lifted off the Bucs' shoulders in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: 3 matchups to watch in the Bucs preseason opener against the Jets
Continue reading...
The Bucs need to see some things from their rookie class on offense and defense. There are UDFAs who are going to play a critical amount of snaps, and there is a coaching staff that needs to show they can handle new roles.
With the stage set, there are three matchups we are looking forward to seeing between the Bucs and the Jets.
1) Bucs' secondary vs. Jets' QB room
The Bucs' secondary has some new pieces in 2026, as well as some players in new roles. We want to see Jacob Parrish on the outside and how he can handle the size of the Jets' wide receivers. Beyond that, the depth they have is going to need to be strong based on the alreadyshaky healthy of Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum coming back from injury. This unit is going to need to have some options in 2026, and it all starts with this matchup to show what they have.
2) Bucs' rushing attack vs. Jets' front seven
With new playcaller Zac Robinson, the Bucs' rushing attack needs to be firing on all cylinders. We are not likely to see a lot of Kenneth Gainwell or Bucky Irving, but what we want to see is how much he tries with the running backs. Will we see more passing work for them? What will the approach at the goal line be? The run game felt abandoned at times in 2025, and that cannot be the case in 2026.
3) Bucs' special teams vs. Themselves
The Bucs' special teams cost them a handful of games in 2025. With the arrival of new coordinator Danny Smith, we are interested to see how well they have things cleaned up both in blocking and in coverage. If the special teams look good, then this is one massive liability that is lifted off the Bucs' shoulders in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: 3 matchups to watch in the Bucs preseason opener against the Jets
Continue reading...
