Tampa Bay prioritized a high-floor veteran over an exciting but unproven rookie. Was it the right decision?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finalized their initial 53-man roster on Sunday.
While the roster looks to be a solid one that is capable of competing for the NFC South division title and has the potential to possibly make some noise in the playoffs, there are still a few questions about who the Bucs decided to keep and who they chose to cut.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels had an outstanding training camp and preseason, earning the QB2. However, Daniels was the only QB to make the roster behind starter Baker Mayfield, including the well-established and highly regarded Jake Browning, who has been one of the NFL's best backups over the last few years. Tampa rolling with Daniels as Mayfield's new backup is incredibly risky, especially after it was reported that Browning would not return to the Bucs' practice squad even if he cleared waivers.
Defensively, Tampa's decision to only keep eight defensive backs was shocking, at least to me. Not only is that a dangerously low number, but most of them are either very young and inexperienced, have injury concerns, or both.
Luckily, the team added several DBs, especially safeties, to its practice squad on Monday, giving the Bucs readily available extra depth if needed.
There was also one roster spot earned on Sunday that could be debated at length.
Did the Buccaneers get it right by keeping veteran outside linebacker Anthony Nelson Over undrafted rookie Jack Pyburn?
The Case For Nelson
Nelson has been a Buccaneer for the past seven seasons. Although he has never been one of the defense's most-heralded players, he is nonetheless an extremely valuable part of the pass-rushing rotation.
The Bucs know what they have with Nelson. He is a dependable, trustworthy veteran. Nelson may not have Pyburn's youth or developmental upside, but Todd Bowles knows he can count on Nelson to be productive whenever he is out there.
Nelson also played well this preseason, proving he still belongs on this team, no matter how many exciting rookies or free agents were added to the defense.
The Case For Pyburn
Pyburn has made a ton of headlines recently.
At first, those headlines had nothing to do with his play for the Bucs. Pyburn has been part of a group of former college players suing the NCAA for an extra year of collegiate eligibility. After a temporary restraining order was awarded to the players, the path had been paved for them to return to college, even after signing contracts with NFL teams.
The fight is still ongoing, with the NCAA and all of the major conferences vehemently against allowing former professionals to return to college sports.
Pyburn seemed determined to return to LSU if he didn't make Tampa's roster.
However, he started dominating during the preseason, notching two sacks in each of Tampa's first and last preseason games. His four sacks led the entire league this preseason, and it looked like he may have played his way onto the roster.
Pyburn is much younger than Nelson and has higher upside. He looked like he could eventually become a fixture of Tampa's defense.
In the end, the Bucs decided to keep the veteran Nelson over the rookie Pyburn, who was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs, ending his time in Tampa and likely his efforts to return to college.
Final Thoughts
Rookies like Pyburn are very exciting. Seeing someone who went undrafted step onto the field and notch four sacks in three games quickly creates a lot of buzz.
However, having a veteran like Nelson around brings immense value to the Bucs. He knows the defense. He can start if needed. The coaches can move him around the field or up and down the depth chart as they please and will still get the same player.
Going with Nelson was probably the right call. Preseason success doesn't always translate to the regular season, and the Bucs' defense will already be heavily featuring rookies like Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter, and Keionte Scott. Having a high-floor veteran like Nelson is important.
It would have been great if Tampa could have stashed Pyburn on the practice squad, but it wasn't a guarantee he would have chosen that option over the potential millions in NIL money he could make by returning to school.
