The Buccaneers get one last preseason tune-up Friday night, and there’s more riding on it than the final score. Tampa Bay closes out the 2026 preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shot at finishing 3-0, but the bigger story is what happens behind the scenes as the roster-cut deadline looms Sunday.
The Bucs are not expected to play their starters, which puts the spotlight squarely on the players trying to survive the final round of evaluation. Friday’s game is the last chance for the bubble guys to make a case, whether that means climbing the depth chart or locking down one of the final roster spots. Among the key battles to watch: Jalon Daniels trying to beat out Jake Browning for the backup quarterback job, Sean Tucker and Josh Williams fighting for the RB3 role, and the race for backup safety spots behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith.
Tampa Bay and Jacksonville kick off Friday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET from EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL.
Locally, the game will air on WFLA8, with Chris Myers handling play-by-play, Rondé Barber serving as analyst and Jeff Dubrof reporting from the sideline. Fans who miss the live broadcast can catch a rebroadcast on WTTA-TV Channel 38 on Saturday at 1 p.m.
For viewers outside the market, NFL Network will rebroadcast the game Saturday at 3:30 a.m. and again Tuesday at noon.
The game can also be streamed live on the Buccaneers app through this direct link, though that option is only available in-market. Out-of-market preseason games are available with a paid NFL+ subscription.
On the radio, the flagship call will be on WXTB 97.9 FM, with Tony Castricone on play-by-play and Dave Moore providing color commentary.
In Other News...
Bucs Need More Than Baker Mayfield To Fix A Costly Problem
Baker Mayfield has become one of the Buccaneers tone-setters on offense, the kind of quarterback who can bring some snap to a huddle that too often looked flat early last season. Tampa Bay knows the issue well by now: slow starts piled up, the energy lagged, and it all played a part in a disappointing finish. With Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs among the players stressing urgency, the message around the building has been that the offense has to arrive ready from the first series instead of trying to wake itself up later.
Wirfs, back after his injury, has been especially pointed about the offensive lines responsibility in helping set that tone. Mayfield can supply the fire, but the Bucs know that emotion alone will not solve a problem that showed up repeatedly over the course of last season. The line is expected to do more than protect him, too, with Tampa Bay wanting it to help carry the energy that the offense lacked and turn those sluggish openings into something closer to a statement. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Backup QB Battle Just Put One Roster Spot In Focus
With Baker Mayfield firmly installed as the starter, the Buccaneers have one of their clearest preseason questions centered on the backup quarterback job. Jalon Daniels and Jake Browning are both in the mix, and Tampa Bays staff has spent camp sorting through how each fits behind a veteran starter as the roster clock ticks toward final cuts.
Todd Bowles has not said who will open the final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but both Daniels and Browning are expected to play, giving the Buccaneers one last look before decisions have to be made. The interesting wrinkle is that Tampa Bay could keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, which leaves open the possibility that this battle is not only about who backs up Mayfield, but whether both contenders end up sticking around. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Cutdown Day Could Reward A Few Camp Standouts
With the Buccaneers heading into their final preseason game, the real pressure point is no longer the scoreboard but the roster math. Tampa Bay must trim from 90 players to 53 soon after the exhibition slate ends, and that always creates an opening for the under-the-radar names who have spent camp making the strongest possible case. This year, a handful of standouts have done enough in training camp and preseason action to keep their names in the conversation as the front office sorts through depth and positional needs.
Garnes, Patterson, Fordham and Williams have each flashed in ways that make them worth watching when cutdown day arrives. The Buccaneers do not need to announce anything yet, and the final decisions are still ahead, but the existence of those candidacies says plenty about how competitive the back end of the roster has become. For players who were supposed to be fighting uphill all summer, that is the kind of momentum that can turn a solid August into a real chance at sticking around. [Read more 🡒]