The Tennessee Titans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-3 on Saturday night after the latter labored awkwardly for four quarters. Bucs fans surely would have liked to see their backups do better overall in their time under the sun, but you just have to take what you can get.

Head coach Todd Bowles and his staff will certainly use this game to assess what their next set of cuts will be. Those are due later this week.

Of course, there were also guys who distinguished themselves well. These are the Buccaneers who were able to improve their stock looking ahead to the 2022 season.

Here are two guys, in particular, who made themselves better and may earn starting positions in the upcoming weeks.

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Buccaneers backups who can steal a first-string job in 2022

2. Jamel Dean

The Buccaneers designated Carlton Davis III and Sean Murphy-Bunting as their two starting cornerbacks on the team's initial depth chart. That does not necessarily mean, however, that the defensive backs' position battle is over.

Despite having his elbow dislocated in Week 1 of the previous season, Murphy-Bunting started 13 of his 16 games. He made 70 total tackles, 53 of which were solo. He also had one forced fumble, one interception, and one recovered fumble. So far in the preseason, however, he has just been okay.

Jamel Dean, on the other hand, could be on the up and up. He has been competing with Murphy-Bunting for a starting cornerback position over the past few weeks. Take note that he started in half of the 14 games he played in last season. He also made 62 total tackles, 51 of which were solo. In addition, Dean recorded a pick-six and seven pass deflections.

Murphy-Bunting and Dean are both in the final year of their contracts, so they will likely give it their best on the field to get paid. Splitting the position between them might be a solution because the Buccaneers could need to make a decision in the upcoming summer. Tampa Bay will likely provide both guys enough chances to show their value, but Dean could potentially steal more than his share of starting snaps, too.

Looking ahead, it's clear that both guys are playing not just for spots this season but for the coming years as well.

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1. Nick Leverett

Whoever will win the starting left guard position has been the subject of conjecture for some weeks. Competition has been fierce, and it just got spicier with the injury to Aaron Stinnie.

Right now, it looks like a two-horse race between rookie Luke Goedeke and veteran Nick Leverett.

This past weekend saw Stinnie being carried off the field due to an injury. He tore both his ACL and MCL during the game, as we now know. Sadly, his season ended before it had even started.

That leaves Goedeke and Leverett in contention. Neither is the best choice for a 45-year-old quarterback's protection, but the Bucs have little else to work with.

In an ideal world, Goedeke would stand up and firmly take the position. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round and has the talent to succeed in the NFL. Right now, however, it's too much, too early for him.

Another factor is Goedeke's transition from right tackle in college to left guard in the NFL. He comes from a great college program in Central Michigan, but that's still a significant leap in competitiveness in addition to the shift in position.

On the other hand, Leverett does have some experience at this level. After signing with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2020, he participated in two games that year. Those games didn't go too well, though. On the flip side, it's important to note that he has really improved in the past couple of seasons. Leverett is a tough player who puts in a lot of effort and has the intangibles coaches love. At this point in time, even if Goedeke may have more talent, Leverett's effort and experience might enable him to win the starting spot