Five players unlikely to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the reigning Super Bowl champions and have one of the best rosters in the league. When you bring back all 22 starters after winning the Super Bowl, any team would be poised for a repeat.
They added edge rusher Joe Tryon and QB Kyle Trask in the draft, giving them quality depth across the roster.
Still, every team has to make roster cuts and there will be solid contributors released. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers likely won't release any of their starters, but there are a few depth players that could get the boot by default.
Five players the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely to part ways with
QB Ryan Griffin
The Buccaneers drafted QB Kyle Trask in the second round with the mindset he will be groomed as Tom Brady's heir. That leaves Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin on the chopping block. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely keep one of them, but who stays?
Blaine Gabbert is finding relevancy with Tampa Bay and his entire contract is guaranteed. He was also the QB2 last year behind Brady and has an established relationship with the team.
Ryan Griffin would pose no financial risk to the team if they released him, making him the easy choice. A team like Miami or Tennessee could bring him in to pad their depth.
DE Steve McLendon
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Steve McLendon during the offseason, but that doesn't make him a lock-in to make the roster. He's a respected player in the locker room but he's more of a rotational player at this point.
At 35, McLendon is still finding work in the NFL and could find another team to retire with. Houston maybe?
RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Ke'Shawn Vaughn was a 2020 3rd-round pick but could find himself unemployed already. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely go with 3 RBs this year: Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and Giovani Bernard.
Vaughn is liked by the coaching staff but has also hurt himself by initially ditching OTAs. Even though he did show up, head coach Andy Reid wasn't impressed with the RB's choice and could see it as a lack of commitment. The Falcons and Browns could sign him if he's cut.
WR Justin Watson
Justin Watson had seven catches in the first four games last year and served as valuable depth when Chris Godwin was injured. Antonio Brown's signing pushed Watson down the depth chart and he didn't have another catch the entire season. He's now lost in the shuffle and won't make the list for the final roster.
EDGE Quinton Bell
1st-round pick Joe Tryon will push someone off the roster. RIght now, Bell fits the role as the odd man out. He's only appeared in five games in two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has recorded zero stats. Seems like an easy roster cut.