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Bucs vs. Dolphins 2018 preseason: Rookie recap The Buccaneers finally got their preseason going on Thursday night Ronde Barber Jersey , starting the August exhibition schedule with a 26-24 road win over the Miami Dolphins. There was a lot to look for in the game, but perhaps nothing was more intriguing than how Tampa Bay’s rookies would respond to their first NFL action.Overall, the group performed well. It’s never smart to read too heavily into the preseason opener, but the Bucs had to like what they saw from most of their first-year professionals. As we’ll do every week, let’s go ahead and break down what we saw out of the rookie class.CBs Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart, S Jordan WhiteheadWith first round pick Vita Vea sidelined due to a calf strain, a lot of the pregame focus was on second round running back Ronald Jones II. But over on the defensive side of the ball, a trio of rookies in the secondary took over the spotlight in their NFL preseason debuts. Carlton Davis, a second-rounder out of Auburn, made an early impression by picking up a couple of tackles in the first quarter. By the time his night was over, he had five tackles (tied for second on the team) and two pass breakups. One of those was a beauty that came midway through the second quarter: M.J. Stewart, the Bucs’ other second-round corner out of North Carolina, had himself a solid night as well. He didn’t have any eye-catching highlights, but played well in coverage and came up with three tackles.The biggest winner of all the rookies had to be safety Jordan Whitehead, who was selected in the fourth round. He came up with two tackles and two pass breakups while collecting some big hits throughout the night. He clearly isn’t one to shy away from contact, which makes up one big aspect of his game. But he showed on Thursday night that he isn’t just a hard-hitter, playing well over the top in coverage. Have a look here as Tampa Bay stopped Miami inside the red zone with the help of the former Pitt Panther:Whitehead did get beat on the Dolphins’ go-ahead two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, allowing the receiver to beat him to the outside. All three guys had their rookie moments on Thursday, but that was to be expected. Overall, the Bucs should be happy with these three, as they flashed plenty of potential already. With the injury to Vernon Hargreaves III and the struggles of Ryan Smith, we could see these guys quickly take control of the secondary.RB Ronald Jones IIAs expected, Peyton Barber got the start at running back for Tampa Bay. He looked quick on his four carries, rushing for 21 yards and a touchdown. After he got his work in, second-rounder Ronald Jones made his debut. He didn’t get off to the best start, letting a pass go right off of his hands on a key third down. Pass-catching is an area that he needs to improve on, so look for him to get a shot at redemption next week in Tennessee.As far as his game on the ground, there wasn’t a lot to see. He carried the ball eight times for just nine yards, but most of his work came behind a second team offensive line that was missing some of its true second-teamers. The big positive of the night for Jones was that he picked up his first NFL preseason touchdown, making an excellent cutback to find the end zone: WRs Justin Watson and Sergio BaileyFormer Penn wide receiver Justin Watson, a fifth round selection, made his professional debut as well on Thursday night. He took a solid step forward in his quest for a roster spot by catching all three of his targets for 30 yards, but what many might remember from his night was a costly fumble deep in Tampa Bay territory. The turnover obviously won’t cost him a roster spot immediately, but you can bet that he’ll learn from it. And as far as the jump from Ivy League to the NFL, he looked plenty comfortable out there.Sergio Bailey, an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan, made a great first impression on Thursday. He finished the night as the team’s leading receiver, hauling in four passes for 52 yards. Two of his catches came back-to-back on Tampa Bay’s game-winning drive. The best of the restAlex Cappa, a third round pick from Humboldt State, entered in the second half with the second/third team offensive line and held his own... Linebacker Jack Cichy, a sixth-rounder from Wisconsin, returned to game action on Thursday for the first time in over a year. A torn ACL cost him his senior season with the Badgers, but he stepped right in with the backups and collected two tackles (one solo)... Vita Vea was seen on the field pregame, again without his walking boot... A few promising undrafted free agents, running back Shaun Wilson (Duke), tight end Donnie Ernsberger (Western Michigan) and offensive lineman Cole Boozer (Temple) were held out from Thursday’s game. As we continue to move on with our free agent previews for the 2019 offseason, we have approached a position group that seems to have plenty of depth on the surface, but if you look close enough Mike Alstott Jersey , you’ll see that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have to bring in some help from the outside. The Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as their sure-fire pass-catchers for 2019. Those two are a great start, but depending on Bruce Arians’ evaluations of Justin Watson, Adam Humphries, and DeSean Jackson - the Bucs could be in pretty desperate need of some receivers.Jackson’s $10 million cap hit, lack of production, and bad attitude are known all too well and the word on the street is that Humphries - an unrestricted free agent in 2019 - may be able to find himself on the good side of a contract that’s worth close to what Jackson would make this year.If that’s the case, then it’d be almost impossible for Tampa Bay to bring back Hump.So, the Bucs need a backup plan, therefore, here we are. Just like the offensive line, these receivers that we are about to look at don’t have to be starters. They are simply options that could fill the potential void at the slot position and the potential lack of a vertical threat.Don’t rule out the possibility of an in-house candidate making their case for one of those roles, but for this article’s purpose, we will only look at free agents. The highest-graded receiver in the league was Deandre Hopkins. He finished with a 92.0 overall grade that included a 92.2 receiving grade and a 63.8 run blocking grade. The 92.2 mark was the highest amongst all receivers in 2018.With all of this now in front of us, let’s find out who the Bucs can bring in at receiver for the 2019 campaign. 1. Wide Receiver, Adam Humphries, Tampa BayPFF Grade: 75.2 Overall/74.0 Receiving/67.3 Run Blocking/781 total snapsThis one is pretty obvious. Hump finished with career-high marks all across the board outside of yards per reception. There is no reason to think that he wouldn’t find a role in Bruce Arians’ offense. But as our own Alex Salvarezza and I discussed on our most recent episode of Overtime, Humphries may be offered/demand as much as $10 million during free agency. There is no way Tampa Bay could afford that salary. They’d break even if they cut Jackson and paid Humphries $10 million, but the thought here is to expand the cap, not even it out. The Bucs could use that $10 million elsewhere, because there are plenty of holes on the current roster. The former undrafted free agent finished with 76 catches for 816 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. His a tremendous route runner, insanely tough, and has only gotten better as the years have passed. The sweet spot here is right around $6-$7 million per year. That’s really all that Tampa Bay can afford, but if Humphries is wanted elsewhere - and there have been plenty of rumblings of interest - then there’s no reason to deny the thought that he could reach $10 million in salary. Let’s hope he gives the Bucs a hometown discount. Honorable Mentions: Golden Tate, Cole Beasley2. Wide Receiver, Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles ChargersPFF Grade: 65.9 Overall/66.4 Receiving/58.9 Run Blocking/857 Total SnapsI’ll admit on this one that I’m a bit biased. This is my dude right here. Williams is a 6-foot-4 205-pound speedster that can run a 4.33 40-yard dash. His size and speed are a rare combination and he is a pretty decent run blocker as well. Just like Hump, Williams went undrafted - except he hails from Western Oregon instead of Clemson - and now finds himself in prime position to make some pretty decent money in free agency.He finished last year with almost the same stat line as Jackson. He wound up hauling in 41 receptions for 653 yards and five touchdowns in2018, good for 15.9 yards per reception. This cat would be a true difference-maker if the Bucs were to sign him. It’d be like having Vincent Jackson - the other Jackson - lined up opposite of Mike Evans all over again, except this time you have a player who is “on the up” instead of in decline.And Williams is much faster than Jackson. Much, much faster.The Bucs also have the salary cap working in their favor. Not necessarily their cap in particular, but the Chargers’ cap. L.A. has around $21.9 million in cap, but guess who is due a new deal after this season?Melvin Gordon.You know he is going to want to get paid and he is the key to that offense outside of Philip Rivers. It would stun the NFL if the Chargers let him walk.So, that likely means that the Chargers will have to say goodbye to someone(s) and that someone in particular could be Williams. If that ends up being the case, keep your fingers crossed that Tampa Bay ends up becoming Williams’ new home.Honorable Mentions: Phillip Dorsett, Josh Gordon3. Wide Receiver, John Brown, Baltimore RavensPFF Grade: 64.7 Overall/65.1 Receiving/54.4 Run Blocking/797 Total SnapsOut of all three options, Brown is the most likely candidate to land in Tampa Bay. He’s projected to earn around $6 million and not only does he have familiarity with Arians and his system/scheme, but it’s safe to say that Arians was able to get the best out of Brown. He finished with a 1,000 yard season in 2015 and caught 113 receptions in his first two seasons under Arians.But Brown was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia in 2016 and that apparently gave him some issues with his hamstring. He wasn’t able to build off of his promising sophomore campaign and even had more issues with his hamstring that kept him out of six games in 2017. All of that was put aside in 2018, however, as Brown played in all 16 games and finished the season with 42 catches for 715 yards and five touchdowns. At 5-foot-11 178-pounds, he is basically the same size as Jackson and can run a 4.34. Brown is essentially Jackson without the attitude. Their measurables are nearly identical and they both possess elite speed. Signing Brown makes the most sense out of all of the other options and when you consider how Arians is bringing a lot of his former staff together, you have to ask yourself, ‘why wouldn’t he bring backs some former players, too’.Honorable Mention: Jermaine Kearse