The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent the 2022 offseason loading up to make another Super Bowl run. As a result, they have an extremely deep roster that looks set to be among the best in the entire NFL.
That deep roster is headlined by Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. Brady intially retired at the beginning of the offseason, only to change his mind and unretire just over a month later. With Brady under center, the Bucs will have a shot to win every game they play.
But Brady is going to need a good supporting cast if he wants to win, and he certainly has a good one in Tampa Bay. The roster is so good that there are some extra pieces on the roster that just may not be necessary anymore. With in that mind, let's take a look at three players on the Buccaneers roster who could end up being cut candidates during training camp
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3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut candidates
3. Giovani Bernard
The Buccaneers have a ton of weapons for Brady at his disposal, so it's not surprise that the three likeliest cut candidates are offensive playmakers. The first guy is Giovani Bernard. Bernard profiled almost exclusively as a pass-catching back for the Bucs last season, assuming he was actually on the field for them in the first place.
Bernard has only eight rush attempts for 58 yards last season, but he hauled in 23 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns. Nothing spectacular, but Bernard had some value towards the end of the season when the Bucs were short on talent on the offensive side of the ball.
The Buccaneers drafted another running back in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Rachaad White, who will probably be looking to take snaps away from Bernard. Leonard Fournette is back to be Tampa's lead running back, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn was a third round pick back in the 2020 NFL Draft. By the time training camp closes, there simply may not be a spot on the roster for Bernard, making him a likely cut candidate.
Breshad Perriman made his way back to Tampa Bay for his second stint last season, simply because they needed somebody to go out and play at wide receiver alongside Mike Evans. Perriman had a defining play in Tampa's Week 14 victory over the Buffalo Bills in which he took a short slant pass from Brady 58 yards to the end zone to win the game for the Bucs.
Aside from that, Perriman didn't do much during his time with the Buccaneers. He finished the season with 11 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown. Perriman admittedly only played in six games, but even when he was playing, he clearly wasn't very effective.
With Tampa's recent signing of Julio Jones, that has crowded up the Buccaneers wide receiver room, leaving less space for guys like Perriman. Given that he has far less upside than most guys in Tampa Bay's wide receiver room, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get cut before training camp is finished.
1. Scotty Miller
Scotty Miller is another guy who might end up getting boxed off the roster thanks to the recent addition of Jones. Miller followed up his breakout 2020 campaign with a massively disappointing 2021 season in which he had just five catches for 38 yards. Miller was an afterthought on Tampa Bay's offense when they had virtually no one to play at wide receiver for them. Now that they have all their weapons back, it probably doesn't bode well for Miller's future with the Buccaneers.
Miller admittedly struggled with injuries last season, and only played in nine games after landing on the injured reserve with a bout of turf toe. But even when he was healthy, Miller was a nonfactor. Now that they have Chris Godwin back after he tore his ACL last season, plus free agent additions in Jones and Russell Gage, how is Miller going to find his way onto the field?
The only thing working in Miller's favor is that he will be just 25 by the time the season starts. He's also proven to have a bit of chemistry with Brady, which may earn him some good will with the coaching staff and front office. If Brady stepped in and said he wanted Miller to stick around, chances are he wouldn't get cut.
Scotty Miller has some upside as a slot receiver, and he played a big role on Tampa's Super Bowl winning squad in 2020. But his inability to show up in any way, shape, or form for the Bucs in 2021 has made him a very serious cut candidate heading into training camp.
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