The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their 2025 preseason off on the right foot with a 29-7 win over the Tennessee Titans. With the vast majority of the starters getting the night off, it was an opportunity for a number of other players to step up, and some did just that in a big way.
Here are six players whose arrow is pointing up with the preseason opener now in the rearview mirror.
1) RB Sean Tucker
Tucker is a player who's deserved more time, but the running back room is such a good one that the opportunities haven't been there. However, they were there on Saturday night after Rachaad White suffered a groin injury in the first quarter. Tucker took over and quickly showed why he would be a starter on at least a handful of teams across the league. He had a nifty run where he tiptoed along the sideline for a gain of 23 yards and out of bounds just short of the pylon, scoring on a short run a few plays later.
His workload should increase substantially if White misses any significant time, and he's well equipped to perform in that spot.
2) QB Kyle Trask
Trask was in a big spot on Saturday, as even the Bucs' broadcast talked about the urgency for him to deliver a good performance. And that he did in the first half, leading three Bucs scoring drives before halftime. He finished 12 of 16 for 129 yards. He was accurate and put the ball where it needed to be almost every throw, including threading a needle to Emeka Egbuka in the first half on a deep pass near the pylon that the latter almost pulled down. His one sack resulted from holding the ball too long, but that's a small demerit in what was otherwise a strong outing.
3) WR Ryan Miller
Miller stood out the most among the pass catchers, pulling down 5 catches for 63 yards in the first half alone. However, he suffered a hard hit early in the second half and left the game, later being evaluated for a concussion. But Miller had a strong performance catching everything from his head down to the ground. The WR room is ridiculously deep, but Miller is making it very tough for the Bucs' coaches to let him leave town - whether that's on the back end of the 53-man roster or the practice squad.
4) CB Jacob Parrish
The Bucs' 2025 third round pick had a very memorable showing in his first NFL action. On Cam Ward's first pass, Parrish flew in and broke up a would-be first down. Later, he had another pass break up, becoming the first Buccaneer since Carlton Davis III and Jordan Whitehead in 2018 to have 2 PBUs in their first preseason game. He backed up his strong camp play well.
5) LB Nick Jackson
The Bucs finally poured on some splash plays on defense in the game's final minutes when Titans QB Tim Boyle started handing out presents, but earlier in the game, Jackson had a couple of big plays to cap off an all-around outstanding evening. He had a sack of Brandon Allen midway through the third quarter and capped the drive off with an acrobatic interception on a tipped ball. He became the first Bucs player since 2017 to have a sack and an interception in a preseason game. He also led the Bucs with 6 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. One heck of a night for #53.
6) RB Owen Wright
Wright probably had 30+ more rushing yards than his 87 on 18 carries, but multiple unnecessary holding penalties pulled them back. The second year back out of Monmouth finally found paydirt late in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard scamper. There's not much daylight for the 53-man roster with the Bucs' three-headed monster, but that was a good effort for a practice squad spot or another opportunity elsewhere.
