The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t need long to make a statement in New Jersey.
On Tuesday, during the first of two joint practices with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay’s defense took control and made the Jets’ starting offense look overmatched. The Bucs were in town ahead of their preseason opener Friday night, and this was their first chance of the offseason to line up against another team instead of their own offense.
For a club that has drawn plenty of buzz through training camp, the real question was whether that hype would hold up against outside competition. By the accounts coming out of practice, Tampa Bay answered that with force.
Geno Smith had a rough afternoon against the Bucs’ defense, and the numbers from Connor Hughes of SNY told the story:
“Geno Smith was 10 of 16 passing with 2 TD (red zone), 2 INTs and 2 sacks. Stats a little misleading, the 18-yard pass to Mason Taylor was the only completion longer than 10 yards. Not a great day for the offense.”
The splash plays came quickly. Cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams, who has been one of Tampa Bay’s standouts in camp, jumped Smith for a pick-six on the second snap of 11-on-11 work. Linebacker Alex Anzalone, one of the veteran additions the Buccaneers brought in this offseason, also returned an interception for a touchdown.
The pressure didn’t stop there. Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Al-Quadin Muhammad each got to Smith for what would have been sacks, adding more disruption against New York’s first-string offense.
It was a strong opening test for a defense that badly needed a turnaround after 2025. Tampa Bay finished 20th in scoring defense, 19th in total yards allowed and 27th against the pass, and the front office made fixing that group its top priority this offseason. The Buccaneers addressed the unit in both free agency and the draft, and as many as five new starters could be in the mix this year.
Tuesday’s showing offered a glimpse of what that overhaul might look like when it clicks.
And the Bucs did it without Vita Vea, who remains out with a “back injury” while holding in during his contract dispute. If Tampa Bay keeps him and gets him back on the field, the defensive front could become even more imposing.
On paper, this might be the most talented defense Tampa Bay has had in years. It’s also a young group with a lot of new pieces, so chemistry may take time to build once the regular season starts. But if this unit comes together the way it looked in New Jersey, the Buccaneers could have one of the league’s best defenses by the end of the year.
In Other News...
Bucs Preseason QB Plan Suddenly Looks A Lot Less Certain
A quiet preseason week got a little more complicated for Tampa Bay when backup quarterback Jake Browning went down during a joint practice with the Jets. Browning appeared to suffer a lower back injury, left the field and was replaced by second-year quarterback Connor Bazelak, a development that immediately put some uncertainty around how the Buccaneers will handle the position in their first preseason game.
The timing matters because Tampa Bay had been working through its quarterback plan for the opener, and Brownings availability could shape how those reps are divided. If he cannot go, the Bucs may need to lean on Bazelak and Jalon Daniels to cover more of the work, which would turn a simple preseason tune-up into a more fluid evaluation period for the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Joint Practice Turned Ugly And Luke Goedeke Is Central
Joint practices are supposed to sharpen a team before the games start counting, but the Buccaneers and Jets managed to turn one into a full-on dustup. Tempers flared on the field between both sides during the session, with multiple scuffles breaking out as the two teams worked through camp reps and got a little too comfortable with the physical edge that often comes with August.
Luke Goedeke wound up right in the middle of the mess after a Jets interception by safety Jairus Monroe sparked a post-play confrontation, and another altercation later involving Jets defensive tackle Darrell Jackson and a Buccaneers offensive lineman pushed things far enough that the teams scrapped their second scheduled joint practice. For Tampa Bay, the episode leaves the usual training camp takeaway hanging over everything else: the line between competitive and chaotic got crossed quickly, and the details of how the Bucs handle the fallout will matter just as much as the next rep. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Depth Chart Just Sparked A Real Defensive Competition Debate
The Buccaneers first official depth chart ahead of their preseason opener against the Jets offered an early look at how the defense is being sorted out, and it came with a few eyebrow-raisers. First-round rookie Rueben Bain Jr. is the lone rookie listed with a starting spot, while Vita Vea remains penciled in as the starting nose tackle even after missing practices, a reminder that these early charts can say as much about expectations as they do about current availability.
SirVocea Dennis also shows up as the starting middle linebacker, a noteworthy call in a camp where Josiah Trotter has drawn attention with more splash plays. The secondary has its own intrigue, with Benjamin Morrison sitting as a second-string cornerback despite limited practice time because of injury, and J.J. Roberts listed behind the starters at safety even though he has not been on the field because of injury. The chart does not settle the competition, but it does make clear that several jobs remain very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]