Preseason Week 1 Most Impressive: Bucs vs. Steelers

For Palmer, it was a great play as he made his initial case for more playing time amongst the young and competitive Tampa Bay receiving corps. Overall on the evening, he caught all four passes thrown his way for 33 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

Besides his receiving ability, Palmer also put his 4.33 speed to use in the return game, bringing back two kickoffs for 54 yards. Between him and Deven Thompkins, the return game should offer more explosiveness at the start of the season than Jaelon Darden did last year. 

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield

With all of the offseason hype surrounding Baker Mayfield and how he would do in his first official game action, he did not disappoint. 

Mayfield completed eight of nine passes on the night for 63 yards and the touchdown to Palmer. He also demonstrated his well-renowned intangibles, including his command of the offense and leadership in the huddle playing alongside many backup weapons.

In what is surely to remain a tight quarterback competition, Mayfield fared better in the first preseason game than his counterpart, Kyle Trask, who finished the night completing six of ten passes for 99 yards and an interception.

Bucs OLB Cam Gill

After not doing anything of note in training camp, Gill stepped out onto the field after missing last season and reinserted himself in the outside linebacker competition. With head coach Todd Bowles recently calling the position the one with the hardest roster decisions looming, each outside linebacker will need to make some splash plays to strengthen their case for snaps. 

Throughout the first half against the Steelers, Gill did. He had 1.5 sacks on quarterback Mason Rudolph, including the first sack of the game. In the second instance, he split it with defensive tackle Mike Greene.

Bucs TE Payne Durham

Late in the fourth quarter, quarterback John Wolford found rookie tight end Payne Durham for a 4-yard touchdown. While it was his only catch of the night, Durham did well to catch the pass in tight coverage, a common occurrence for him at Purdue.

To get more snaps in the tight end room with David Wells, Ko Kieft, and Tanner Taula, Durham must create separation any way he can. Catches like the one he had at the end of the game are a step in the right direction.

ILB J.J Russell

After a would-be fumble recovery was overturned, Bucs inside linebacker J.J. Russell ensured the offense would ultimately get the football on the next play. On a Tanner Morgan pass up the middle, Russell intercepted it and put the Tampa Bay offense in the red zone.

Russell is a name not heard much in the past couple of months, especially with SirVocea Dennis pushing him further down the depth chart. Having spent most of the year bouncing between the 53-man roster and practice, this interception will increase Russell’s chances of doing the same again this year.

Bucs WR David Moore

Besides Trey Palmer, the Bucs receiver that impressed the most is offseason signee David Moore. He looked plenty familiar with Dave Canales’ offense, having played under him in Seattle.

His biggest play of the night came with a caveat, however. In the third quarter, he took a pass from Kyle Trask and headed upfield, faking out a group of Steelers defenders after coming to a brief stop. By the end of the play, he had a 38-yard reception, but 15 yards were taken away after a facemask on cornerback James Pierre.

Even with that, it was still a nice showing for Moore, who led the team with 66 receiving yards on three receptions.

In the past, he has displayed a knack for the big play. In 2018, he had 17.1 yards per reception. In 2019, it increased to 17.9. Obviously, there are question marks as he is a few seasons removed from that and not playing at all last year, but Moore at least showed his playmaking ability on a few plays.

ILB K.J. Britt

While it was a solid showing by the Bucs’ defense in the first half, K.J. Britt did his best in leading a unit featuring plenty of youth and inexperience. Taking Devin White’s stead, he even gave the pregame pep-talk in the huddle at midfield.

In the first half of action, Britt had four total tackles, second to Will Gholston. He also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

His roster spot is not guaranteed, with SirVocea Dennis impressing throughout the offseason and all but certain to make the roster. To be Tampa Bay’s third inside linebacker, Britt will need to flash enough playmaking ability on the field as well as continuing to be solid on special teams. 

Bucs DT Mike Greene

Mike Greene was only credited with half a sack on the night, but he generated pressure with two quarterback hits. With each of the starting three defensive tackles inactive (Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Greg Gaines), it was Greene’s chance to get meaningful snaps, and he did not disappoint.

OLB Markees Watts

As an undrafted free agent, outside linebacker Markees Watts had a huge play to put himself on the NFL map. He had a sack-fumble on quarterback Tanner Morgan in the fourth quarter for a loss of 14 yards that the Steelers recovered.

While he probably will not make the 53-man roster at such a deep position, he could play himself into practice squad consideration by flashing more ability to disrupt the quarterback.

Bucs P Jake Camarda

After having an impressive rookie season by punter standards, Jake Camarda put together an impressive season debut showcasing his leg. He had six punts for 286 yards, a 47.7 average. This included a booming 61-yard punt in the first quarter.