Bucs Insider Live, Sept. 4

up for it. We'll try to bring all the excitement here. And man, we do have a lot to talk about. And yes, all of you guys can also help us decide what we're gonna talk about, sending all those questions on Facebook. If you're not already watching the show there, head over the Bucks Facebook page and put all of your questions in the comments below the live video. As we let people get those questions in. We had the entire roster cut down over the weekend. It wasn't it

just a one day thing. That were even moves after that, So let's start with Saturday for you. The big ninety down to fifty three cut down some of the high level things that you noticed of either guys that were cut you were kind of surprised by our guys that made it that you were interested by, and some of those ear Um, I think the two surprise cuts were

the ones that were surprised to everybody. So I'm not reinventing the wheel here or anything, but veteran defensive backs keep Tandy and Josh Robinson, both of them technically safeties, although Josh was basically that special team's days. I didn't see that one coming, and for that reason, I was a bit surprised that Isaiah Johnson made the team, not

because I didn't think he was a good player. You know, he made he made the active roster at the end of last year and another time earlier in the year. He's clearly been a guy that's been improving throughout his two years here. I just thought it was gonna be a numbers crunched in safety because I thought I'd already had five account in four and I didn't think we could keep six safeties when it seemed clear we're gonna keep at least five corners. Ended up keeping six, So um,

that was a bit of a surprise. But when you see it shake out, you see they were able to keep six corners, and I think the reason for that was m J. Stewart. He still wasn't practicing on Monday. It looks like there's a chance he's not ready to go for Week one. So you have another quarterback there, and it's actually a former New Orleans Saint Devanta Harris who was just cut. I knew it was a few weeks ago on this waen claim him off waivers, right,

and so what did you think? We talked a lot about the idea of the roster moves being things where sometimes it's not that you're cutting a guy or keeping a guy just because of that, but because of all the other needs what different guys can do it. And special teams is one of the areas where we knew that there might be some cuts to make room for other positions that we knew just really earned their spot. And we talked about wide receiver being one of the

ones we thought could affect that. It's it will be interesting to see who picks up the slack and the snaps and the tackles from two of your better special teams players in Keith Tandy and Josh Robinson. And you know that is a general thing that generally turns over a lot because it's usually a lot of young guys. So it's not anything new that this is happening, but you do have to replace that. In addition, DeVante Bond is on injury reserve right now and he was our

leading special teams tackler last year. So some guys are gonna have to step up. And you mentioned wide receivers. I think Freddie Martino and Justin Watson are two candidates for that. We already know that Freddie Martino is a great special teams player. Justin Watson seems to have the capability to be a very good special teams player and

he has said that he wants to do that. Um. The only thing about that is if both those guys are up and active, that keeps six receivers active on game day, which isn't very common for us, and it would cost you something. You might only be able to keep up three tight ends and stuff four or something

like that. So it may be the case where only one of those two guys is active on any given uh Suddenly, you know, injuries obviously change matters, but so it'll be interesting to see which one gets to call because that guy is not going to get a ton of reps on offense with all the other four guys healthy, So we'll see how that pans out. Yeah, that's true.

Any position groups in general that had some things that you think are were sort of surprising, or in general just guys that made it that you think, man, this is going to be interesting to see. I think going ten deep on both the defensive in the offensive line is deeper than you usually see. Especially on the offensive line. I think nine is a more common number. And then you keep uh seven of them active on game day.

But again, both of those positions and the decisions made at them were impacted quite a bit by injuries, you know, um, especially the offensive line. You still don't know what the status of Donovan Smith is going to be this week. He didn't practice on Monday. I wouldn't read a ton into that because that's a bonus practice and maybe you

wouldn't really expose that guy to that. Anyway, we'll learn a little bit more about Donovan as the rest of the week goes on, or we may not learn a whole lot because I have a feeling this is one of those topics where coach Cutter is gonna want to volunteer a lot of information, so um, you know, it was not really by the time we got to the cuts, it wasn't a particular surprise that Mike lib Key made the team because he was one of the great stories of training camp and he had made such a rise

and it played so well. Pressed into duty at tackle, which is the position he came into league as by the way, before the Bucks were working on the inside, so he has experienced there. But it was good to see him hold up. And now on our very first depth chart we put out, lidd Key is listed as the backup to um Donovan Smith. Now on game day, the reality of it is, you really probably only keep one tackle up and he's your back up with the bull spots, and that could be Leonard Wester instead of Licky.

But then you also kept Adam Gettis, and you you've had Evan Smith has missed a little bit of time, Caleb Ben and I has missed a little bit of time. I think those are hedges against injury situations. And then of course we started on Sunday with ten defensive alignment, but at the moment we only have nine because they put Mitch on right on injury reserve and just a

quick side on that. That was the plan all along, but you had to keep him on the fifty three men restler at least into Sunday in order to be able to put him in an injury reserve but have them be eligible for one of those designated for return positions. That doesn't necessarily, Saider really mean it will be him in the end, but he's eligible for it now, So if he can come back after eight weeks, then he can. But now we're down to nine, which is a little

more common number for defensive alignment. Okay, and bringing up the injured reserve idea, How did injuries end up affecting uh, this roster, some of the guys that were put on some of the different injury um areas because you know, we hadn't known a lot all preseason because they're not required to put out stuff in terms of an injury report. So I feel like this was actually the biggest indicator of the overall health of the team all all preseason. Yeah,

we'll look at the linebacker position. In the weeks leading up to it, we talked many times about how that was a great competition and um in Coach Cutter even when prompted, ask where's the competition remain here in the last few days? What positions, and he'd usually say linebacker and wide receiver. Um. As it turned out that competition almost was decided by default because both Devonte Bond and Riley Bullah suffered foot injuries and both of them ended

up going on injured reserve. Now there's still if you put a got an injury reserve before UH preseasons over, you can still work out an injury settlement with them and release them, and then they would they'd be abiable to sign anywhere else. But they also at some point in the future could return to you that you have

to if you work out an injury settlement. That is supposed to the way an injury summit works is you pay them for the number of games you think they would have missed have they been injured but still on the roster. So for after you do that with a guy, he can return to you after that many weeks plus three. So I'll say, if we made a five week injury settlement with Devonte Bond, we could resign him eight weeks later if he was still there and there was interested

in that. Okay, UH, and you know, we talked about there was the big cut down Saturday, but then there were some other moves the next couple of days, and we actually Ryan asked about how Karl Nassib is going to help. I'm sure that everyone is uh pretty familiar with him hard knocks. We've got our own accountant here now on the team. And uh, he asked, is he really that much better than Will Clark, which was the

corresponding roster. Yeah, And and and in that situation, I figured something's gonna ask that, and it's really kind of the easiest answer, easiest question answer because clearly, if you switch out one guy for another guy at the exact same position, you think he's something of an upgrade to you. And not to say anything bad about Will Clark, but they're always looking to do that, especially at the um you know,

second or third levels of the depth chart. You're happy with the guys you kept, they like Will Clark, but if you see a guy out there, if you if you like player A, but Play or B becomes available and you're great on him, is a little bit higher. It only makes sense as long as it makes financial sense. And there's no financial issue with this one. So I just assume they think he's maybe a bit more of you know, maybe a more powerful guy off the edge. He is definitely bigger than a lot of the guys

that we've had in generally. Yeah, I mean we have some big d lineman, but uh, for a defensive end, he's he's a pretty big dude. I think it's an intriguing signing or claim. After I was a little bit surprised that Cleveland cut him. They they cut him, They kept him to Sunday, and then they claimed five players off waiver. Remember Cleveland has that enviable position that the Bucks did in two thousand and fifteen, I think, where you have the first waiver claim, and it's not like

guys used to playing fantasy sports. No, they if they have the first claim and they claim a guy they dropped back to twelve or whatever the last in the NFL until a game has been played, or maybe I think it's three games have been played, you have the first waiver claim on every single person. So they used it and picked up five guys and and they decided one of those guys was better for them than Carl Nassa.

And then the Bucks decided that Carl Nasson was better than them for them then Will Clark, yeah, which is always interestingly thinks of it as the roster cut Saturday, but it's so much more than that. You want to see who else everybody else is cutting and then go And you know we talked about Mitch on Ryan and you you wanted to keep a spot for him to get him through the Sunday and then put him in

Drew reserves. So what the Bucks did, and they've actually done it two years in a row, is they cut both of their long stampers and then they just signed Garrison s and more and back the next day. Right, So we got cut and then signed back the next day. And I'm sure they told him, oh, yes, that that This is what I mean. You take a little bit of a risk if somebody comes along and wants to sign him. But considering the fact that we just signed him a week ago, they probably figured it was a

reasonable risk. That's true. Um, I know some people are tuning a little bit later, that weren't he at the very beginning. So Kevin actually asked who was the most surprising cut from Saturday? And uh, I know you kind of answered this at the beginning, But Keith Andy for sure,

and and safety overall was the position. I think we probably got more questions about than anything all preseason, So taking into considerately, he was someone that we didn't talk a ton about, and especially not in the idea of thinking that he was in danger of getting cut. So what instead of just the idea of him getting cut, what does him getting cut tell you about the guys that are still on the roster and how that position will look. Well. One of the things that tells you,

um is that they really like Isaiah Johnson. They've him here for two years. He came on as an undrafted guy out of South Carolina in two thousand sixteen, made the practice squad and kind of unusually, he was on the practice squad for every single week of the two thousand and sixteen season. That's a bit unusual because that

turns over so much. Sometimes those guys get promoted the active roster, or sometimes you've seen enough of them and you have you have more of a need at linebacker than safety or whatever, so you make a switch there for one. For a guy to stay on the whole seventeen weeks doesn't happen very often, but it's an indication they liked him a lot. I wanted to make sure they kept him around and took him to camping in

next year. Uh. And then in two thousand and seventeen it was another step up for him because twice he got promoted when the MUCKs Bucks needed help at safety, once in October and once in December. So again you're seeing they like him even more now. When Coach Cutter was discussing him on Monday, the first day we got to talk to him after the cuts, he really was saying how much that that player has improved over those two years. It's just the classic example of what you

use the practice squad for. So I gotta I gotta believe they like him a lot. You know. It's kind of the thing where he takes the place of a guy who's getting a little bit, a little bit farther along his career, probably in terms of how much he's making is more. And that happens let in the NFL. It's it's natural turnover. It's it stands out a lot to us because, like you said, we never talked about Keith as being in any danger and everybody loves Keith

Tandy for good reason. And so when a guy that you value in so many ways, not just what he does for you on the field, but just what kind of a guy is you hate to see it happen. I knowing him, I'm sure he took it um well and considered and just started considering his next move. Yeah, that's true. I love this. Chris said, he took Peyton Barber and his fantasy draft in his fantasy draft, so let him know to do well and make me look

like a very smart person. Uh So, over, we hadn't talked a ton about the running back position so far in terms of who all made the roster. I know that that was an area that you've been sort of interested in, those last one or two spots there, and

you're your guys, Shawn Wilson, you've been singing his praises. Well, let's just be and you gotta back me up here that I was the first one on the Seawan Wilson absolutely from the very beginning camp, right, he was my predicted guy to keep, and then a lot of people got on by the end of camp, and by the time we got through there to the end, I don't think there was a lot of doubt that he was going to make the team, especially after Charles Simms went

on into reserve, because at that point Coach Cutter almost always keeps four tailbacks on the depth chart at least and and actually he usually keeps all four of them up on game day and one of them at least will do something for you on special teams. Um So, Sean Wilson was basically battling darry On Gooomba Wally, who was doing great and by the way, made the practice squad, but I felt like Sean was a little bit ahead

of him. And uh so, I didn't think Dorry didn't have to pass him, so I didn't think it was a big surprise. But I like that. And um you know, the guy who drafted Peyton Barber will be happy to know that he's our starter right now. And there was a lot of talk about Round Jones uninspiring numbers in the preseason, right, and that's fair, But Coach Cutter really made a point and you can see it in these games that lots of times a broken down run is

somebody else's fault. And you know, you saw the very first carry in the last game. He got the handoff and was hit immediately by a defensive lineman. Because there had been a bust upfront and the guy came immediately in, so that can happen. I would just say he didn't have a great preseason, but I wouldn't read too much into it. That being said, Peyton Barber looked great to me,

and he deserves what he got. He was the one running back who and he got to play with the first team line most of the time, so that says something too. But he was the one guy who was creating yards for himself, which is something he did very well last year. He's good at picking up extra yards after first contact, and uh, you know, I just thought he looked a little bit more dynamic this year. He's He's always been a nice, powerful runner, a good goal

line back, but I think he looks more dynamic. Okay, we got about a minute left. We'll try to get through two last questions here. One Marshall wants to notice vive I have any realistic chance of playing on Sunday. Well, I we will know more about that in the next two days. He did not practice on Monday. If I'm a betting man, I would say it's probably not gonna happen. Um, he would only get two or three practices. If he does play, I would imagine it would being a very

limited role. Um, I'm and we are still just guessing here. This is not information that the Bucks have put out. Um, and Coach Cutter again was not real. I didn't have a lot of details to share on this, but he says, come along fine, but just from my guess, I would guess now, okay. And then the last one here, Kevin wants to know, do you consider Justin Watson the fourth or fifth wide receiver? Fifth? Yeah, because the other four in front of have clear and obvious roles and the

very productive players. Um, so it could be a little while to like god when last year, it could be little while till he has some significant role on offense or injuries could open the door. Hopefully not, hopefully not. He has to be hopefully just either earns a spot or everyone's playing so great that we have the best top five wide receiver group in the league. All right, that's gonna do it for us here on Buccaneers Inside

a Live presented by Miller Lite. Thanks so much for joining us, and we'll see again next week.