The Bucs have opted to rest their starters, while New York is playing everybody. How will Tampa's players fare against the Jets' full team?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off their preseason slate Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets after two scuffle-filled practice sessions earlier this week.
It's two different tales of the tape in terms of philosophy from head coaches Todd Bowles and Aaron Glenn, with the Bucs playing no starters and the Jets planning to play everyone.
This will be a tough test for the Bucs' players lower on the initial depth chart, but is also a great opportunity for players to make a first impression.
This week, at joint practice, both rookie edge rushing first rounders dominated opposing offensive lines, with Tampa's Rueben Bain Jr. and New York's David Bailey making headlines.
While Bain is not playing tonight, the Bucs' secondary offensive linemen will have a good test against one of the draft's top talents.
Bucs players listed behind Bain will also get increased snaps, with David Walker being a key player to watch.
Walker has been perhaps the most impressive player on the Bucs' roster at camp, with reports saying that he had recorded a "ghost" sack in nine straight practice sessions.
Following another standout practice, veteran defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches talked about what he's seen from Walker.
"D-Walker is somethin' serious," Nuñez-Roches said."I feel like he has a 95 win percentage ratio. … He’s definitely vicious."
The former Central Arkansas standout will now have the opportunity to tee off against highly-touted talents like Armand Membou (7th) and Olu Fashanu (11th) on the Jets' offensive line.
On the offensive side of the ball, Ted Hurst III is a player who has been featured on social media throughout the past week, making multiple high-difficulty grabs at camp.
"Ted Hurst III had a great day on Wednesday and was targeted a bunch. He only had one drop, but made several catches – mostly on the slant passes – that moved the chains for Tampa Bay’s offense," Pewter Report noted. "Hurst was a huge reason why the Bucs were able to move the football near the end of practice with Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka unavailable."
Hurst has a great combination of size and speed, meshing a 6-foot-4, 206-pound frame with 4.42-40 time.
With the departure of Mike Evans in free agency, Hurst becomes the goalline fade threat for Mayfield to target at the apex of his routes.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson recently talked about his plans for Hurst, saying he will be utilized as a deep threat in the X receiver role.
With a player with Hurst's speed and size, starting quarterback Baker Mayfield has another archetype of receiver on the outside.
Mayfield will not play tonight, however, with Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels likely sharing time.
Second-string quarterback Jake Browning was originally in line for the start, but suffered an injury in practice this week.
He has not been officially ruled out, but Tampa's precautionary approach will likely apply to him as well.
Although they are cross-conference, these two teams have history, with Tampa winning the past three regular season affairs.
But, prior to 2017, the Bucs had dropped a remarkable eight games in a row to New York from 1985-2013.
It will be interesting to see how the Bucs' second-string units respond to this opportunity and fare against a full-forced New York effort.
