The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter 2023 in the first season of the post-Tom Brady years somewhere in between a restock and a full rebuild. The team still has star wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and defensive standouts Devin White, Lavonte David, and Vita Vea, but outside of this group, the team is very much a mixed bag.

Training camp and preseason are well underway, meaning we are ever closer to the inevitable final roster cut. By August 29, the roster must be trimmed from 90 to 53 players. With pressure on incumbent Buccaneers to perform, which veteran players in Tampa Bay could face the axe before Week 1?

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Devin White

Devin White requested a trade from the Buccaneers earlier this year, and it appears that the franchise was able to appease their star linebacker enough to keep him on the team for the final year of his contract. That being said, White could still decide he wants to leave Tampa if he is unhappy with his current situation. In that case, the Buccaneers will search for a trade partner for the fifth-year backer. There will be no shortage of suitors, especially when Devin White will likely be available at a discount, but in the unlikely event the team can't move White, the next move would be to cut him.

The franchise would be forced to eat all $11 million of his 2023 salary, a price possibly worth paying if Tampa views White as too much of a negative influence on the team. This is a very similar scenario to the DeAndre Hopkins situation in Arizona, and the Cardinals chose to release their star receiver instead of trade him, so releasing Devin White would not be an unprecedented move.

Lavonte David

The other half of Tampa Bay's talented inside linebacker duo, Lavonte David is well into the back end of his NFL career. The 33-year-old enters his 12th NFL season — all of them with the Bucs — and is playing as well as ever. David's Pro Football Focus Player Grade of 84.0 (puts him in the High Quality category) is his best since 2019, and his 124 tackles were also the most since 2015. Like White, he is also in the final year of his contract. A rebuilding Buccaneers team would save $1.1 million by cutting the veteran backer, and while it would hurt the team in the short run, it is unlikely that David would re-sign with Tampa Bay in 2024 anyways.

Ke'Shawn Vaughn

Another Buccaneer entering the final year of his contract, running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn has somehow stuck around in Tampa Bay despite carrying the ball just 79 times across his three NFL seasons. Vaughn had 17 carries in 15 contests last year for 3.1 yards/rush. Only three went for first downs. Incredibly, Vaughn's 53 yards on the ground were the third most on an anemic TB rushing attack. He offered very little as a receiver too, catching a total of 12 passes in his pro career.

Vaughn was the third back behind Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White in 2022 and is still the third-stringer with White and new signing Chase Edmonds ahead of him. The fourth-year back has 11 carries for -4 yards in Tampa's first two preseason contests, and while the rest of the Buccaneers' rushing game has been similarly weak, it is difficult to see Ke'Shawn Vaugh surviving another season in the NFC South.