The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get their home opener in Week 2, and the matchup with the Cleveland Browns brings a familiar face back into the spotlight: Baker Mayfield against his former team.
To get a clearer read on what Tampa Bay is walking into, I asked Ryan O’Leary, the site expert for Dawg Pound Daily, for his view from Cleveland. His answer painted a Browns team with real concerns at quarterback, but also enough defensive talent to make this game more than just a revenge storyline.
The biggest question in Cleveland right now centers on Deshaun Watson, and O’Leary didn’t hide how shaky that situation looks. He said the Mayfield decision is easier to resent now because of how badly the Watson trade and contract have gone, but also made clear that the Browns had already reached a breaking point with Mayfield in 2022.
At that point, he was butting heads with then-head coach Kevin Stefanski, dealing with injuries, and had even asked for a trade. The real failure, in O’Leary’s view, was what Cleveland chose next.
“Oh I definitely think that Mayfield and the Bucs could be the team that finally ends the Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland.”
That possibility feels even more real after what happened in Week 1. Watson struggled badly against Jacksonville, and O’Leary said another rough outing in Tampa Bay could make it impossible for Cleveland to keep him on the field for the Week 3 home opener against Carolina.
He also noted that the Browns’ quarterback competition between Watson and Shedeur Sanders dragged into late August and never felt especially convincing. Todd Monken, O’Leary said, went with Watson because of experience, but the Browns’ two tough road games in Florida to open the season - along with Watson’s $46 million salary - almost certainly mattered too.
The Bucs’ pass rush could have a chance to breathe a little easier, but maybe not for the reason most fans would expect. O’Leary pointed out that Cleveland’s offensive line actually held up well against Jacksonville, and ESPN had the unit top-10 in both pass- and run-block win rate in Week 1.
The bigger issue, he said, was Watson himself. PFF charged him with all five sacks, and O’Leary blamed shaky pocket presence after Watson has played very little football since the middle of the 2024 regular season.
That plays into what Tampa Bay wants to do defensively. O’Leary said Watson’s tendency to hold the ball and leave plays early should fit perfectly into Todd Bowles’ hands.
On the Browns’ side, O’Leary called the trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams the biggest move of Cleveland’s offseason, even with the return haul that included two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse. His point was simple: this is not the same pass rush the Browns have leaned on for years.
Jacksonville was able to chip and double-team Verse in Week 1, and Cleveland’s front barely showed up. The Browns also lost Alex Wright to a torn Achilles in training camp, which only thinned that group further.
There is one area where Cleveland can make life uncomfortable for Tampa Bay, though. O’Leary singled out the slot matchup, especially Chris Godwin against Myles Harden or whoever the Browns use inside.
Harden struggled against Jacksonville’s Parker Washington, and Cleveland had to lean heavily on zone coverage because of it. Even then, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars still picked them apart.
O’Leary expects Godwin to have a big day, and said the same concern applies to whichever Buccaneer works out of the slot.
If the Browns are going to hang around, O’Leary sees one path: Tampa Bay giving the ball away. He said no other team turned it over four times in Week 1, and if Mayfield can’t protect the football in a game against his old team, Cleveland has enough talent on both sides to keep things interesting.
The Browns’ best overall strength, in O’Leary’s view, is their starting secondary. He described Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell as one of the better corner duos in football, and said the safety group with Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman is elite, with rookie Emmanuel McNeil-Warren also waiting in the wings.
New defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg had an ugly debut against Jacksonville, but O’Leary stressed that the nickel spot is the weakness, not the secondary as a whole. If the Bucs are sloppy, Cleveland has the pieces to make throwing the ball very difficult.
In Other News...
Warren Sapp Lands In An Awkward Off-Field Tampa Scene
Warren Sapp found himself in an uncomfortable off-field scene in Tampa this week, drawing attention at a City Council meeting tied to a flood-prevention project. Council chairman Alan Clendenin and Tampa Police intervened after Sapp was allegedly causing a disturbance, and the council asked that he be trespassed for the day.
Sapp said he was at City Hall only to pick up paperwork and disputed the authority to remove him from the public building. It was the sort of public dustup that has little to do with football, but for a former Buccaneers star still known around Tampa, it was enough to put his name back in the local spotlight for all the wrong reasons. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Head Into Home Opener With One Lineup Concern Still Lingering
The Buccaneers are heading into their home opener with a little more clarity on the roster, thanks in part to another look at safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. Tampa Bay elevated Melifonwu from the practice squad for its Week 2 matchup, giving the secondary another option as the team sorts through a handful of injury questions on the eve of its first game at Raymond James Stadium.
Miles Killebrew, Jacob Parrish and Jalen McMillan all landed on the questionable list, leaving at least one lineup spot worth watching as kickoff approaches. Sean Tucker is expected back after sitting out Week 1, but Melifonwu remains part of the subtext here too: he was active last week without getting into the game, and this elevation also leaves Tampa Bay with one more practice squad call-up available later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie WR Suddenly Has A Week 2 Opportunity Fans Will Notice
Ted Hurst III made a quiet but useful first impression in his debut, catching all three of his targets for 36 yards and showing the kind of steadiness Tampa Bays staff has already noticed in practice. General manager Jason Licht has also pointed to Hursts consistency behind the scenes, a sign that the rookie wideout is not just hanging around for developmental reps but is already carving out a place in the Buccaneers plans this season.
Now comes a chance to turn that early trust into something more visible. With Week 2 bringing Cleveland to town, Hurst is positioned for another opportunity to contribute, and it will be worth watching how the Bucs continue to work him into the offense as the year gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]