Bills @ Buccaneers

Final Score: Bills 23, Bucs 19

Writer: Matthew Bevins (MattBQBList on Reddit)

We got to see the final weekend of football before the regular season, which meant a game of irrelevance, as both teams were very certain they wouldn’t put any prospective starters in harm’s way in the process. The Bills started the game with an undrafted quarterback in Shane Buechele behind center, while the Bucs countered with some mish-mash package of Kyle Trask and Connor Bazelak, who were fighting it out for the lauded third-string role.  There was some explosive playmaking, but for the most part, the entire game was a mixture of players who will most likely not see the field unless there’s an injury or they’re cut from the final roster and end up playing elsewhere. Let’s dive in before all our final drafts!

Three Up

• Baker Mayfield – Baker Mayfield oddly saw one snap of possession in this meaningless game, but the ramifications of this matchup and how the depth chart looks put him on this list, not any form of gameplay. The quarterback room in Tampa leaves much to be desired, as the team has brought back a continued reliable backup retread, Kyle Trask, and pulled one of my all-time favorites, Teddy “Two Gloves” Bridgewater, off the High School coaching sideline, but not with any huge vote of expectation or confidence. If Mayfield were forced to miss time, this would be one of the more lacking quarterback rooms in the league, and it only further goes to show how much the Bucs have bought into the Mayfield school of thought.
• Bucky Irving This has all the makings of the above point as well. Bucky Irving was a fantasy sleeper and darling to many last year (you can look up my talk-up commentary from last year, I bought all in), and he did nothing but pay off all his followers with one of the best rookie outputs you could ask for. While the coaching staff seems to like an “all-out” form of running back committee, we saw last year that they’re open to a dominant back, and a 2A and 2B behind them to spell him on the tail end of games, or in blowouts. Irving just has to secure the position for a few weeks, and then he could be a smooth sailing top 10 rusher, and there isn’t much in the way of it. Rachaad White seems like he may have one more season to prove his value after losing the starter’s role just last year.
• Tez Johnson – Tez Johnson was the one player in this game that kept me from rubbing my eyes from boredom spells. It was effective and decently played football, but when no one is likely to make a team cut, it’s hard to keep your head in the game. Tez Johnson gave his all and will be talked about further in the team rundown.

Three Down

• Sean Tucker – Sean Tucker is one of those “whispered around fantasy sleeper circle” names, but he continues to get in his own way. In week one’s preseason game, Tucker almost ripped off a 5 YPC(Yards Per Carry), but still left the game staring up at roster longshot Owen Wright, and in week two, he performed much worse, to the tune of single-digit rushing yards. Tucker has shown his upside with opportunity, just as recently as last year, but the team may want to upgrade on their third roster back in case of full Rachaad White fallout, and Tucker is one of the least consistent backs in the league.
• Frank Gore – Frank Gore Jr. has his father’s name to go on so far in the league, and not much else just yet. Gore was given the chance to handle the majority of the carries in this final preseason game and finished with a 3.2 YPC and a rushing touchdown. While the touchdown was nice, he couldn’t separate or get next level against other backups looking to find their way onto a pro squad, and this could likely lead to him finding his way out of Buffalo, or at least onto the practice squad. With consistent names like Ty Johnson and Darynton Evans, there won’t be much need for them to have him anywhere higher on their list.
• Chris Godwin/Jalen McMillan – Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan are both dealing with injuries, and have week one questions already in tow next to their names. While McMillan is now on IR, Godwin is likely a game-time decision for opening weekend. There won’t be much forcing the Bucs to bring back McMillan with Tez Johnson showing up to end out preseason.

Buffalo Bills

Quarterback

Shane Buechele: 25/30, 278 Yards, 1 TD | 5 carries, 20 yards

Buechele came out of nowhere as an undrafted rookie that the Chiefs cut, and the Bills swooped in on. After two weeks of Mitchell Trubisky and Mike Glennon, it’s very clear the Bills have an idea who their backup is. Therein lies Buechele. Poised in the pocket, able to make snap decisions, and didn’t give up a single pick in his entire first start, it’s clear Buechele may have something for an NFL in desperate need of consistent quarterbacks. While this likely will just end up retaining him as the star QB on their practice squad, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up behind Trubisky eyeing down that backup role at some point this season.

Running Back

Elijah Young: 16 carries, 53 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 40 yards

Frank Gore Jr.: 10 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards

Frank Gore Jr. likely thought he had a small grip on an opening week roster spot, but inconsistency and average rushing may not push him ahead of Evans or Johnson on the depth chart. While he was able to hit paydirt in this game, there wasn’t much left otherwise to be seen, whereas Elijah Young was signed the same day of the game, and still came out and outplayed Gore. That can’t be something this coaching staff won’t notice, especially in a running back room that’s almost entirely in flux aside from James Cook, freshly minted off his new contract. Young may not see himself on the pro squad, but could see a practice squad position ahead of him, whereas Gore may not even be given that same opportunity.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Tyrell Shavers: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD

Elijah Moore: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 8 yards

KJ Hamler: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 33 yards

Kristian Wilkerson: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 46 yards

While Elijah Moore has a spot likely saved for him on the bench behind the expected 3 top targets (Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer), it’s hard to see any sort of upside with him. Used mostly in at the line pass calls, or slightly ahead, he wasn’t able to make any space on his routes, and ended up blocking or uninvolved in almost half of his snaps (per PFF.com). Moore is someone who will be helpful with targets and opportunity, the ultimate stat compiler, but the most exciting names in this game were those that haven’t had a chance to shine elsewhere. Tyrell Shavers only ended up with three targets, but could have caused a roster crunch issue with just a single unbelievable catch for a touchdown early on with the first scoring play of the game. Peeling off coverage, he was able to make a single-handed grab over his shoulder while avoiding being pushed out of bounds by Bryce Hall. The Bills’ WR room is full of what-ifs and possibilities, so it remains to be seen if Shavers can sneak in on the 53-man and make things interesting.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback

Kyle Trask: 13/17, 93 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 4 Yards

Connor Bazelak: 12/19, 107 yards, 1 TD

The Bucs quarterback situation is now Baker Mayfield, followed by a big shrug. Kyle Trask has been in Tampa since being drafted off the Florida Gators squad, and about the only thing he’s been able to showcase is his allegiance to sitting on a bench somewhere in Florida during football season. Bazelak was interesting and seemed to have a zippier way of playing, but even so, there’s not much to think about here. While there are reliable and potentially players who could hold over the position for a game or two pending injury issues, there is nothing here that excites me, and if anything seperates Bridgewater even further from these guys for the second depth chart position.

Running Back

Josh Williams: 8 carries, 28 yards

Owen Wright: 4 carries, 10 yards

Sean Tucker: 3 carries, 2 yards

There isn’t a lot rolling out of this backfield, and it’s really starting to look like Irving may have a full opportunity to take this backfield and “run” with it. Sean Tucker is a boulder with hands, and there’s no one else on the squad who’s stealing away carries. Rachaad White will eat the normal amount of frustrating carries on extended drives, but aside from Tucker coming out and ambling, Josh Williams held on to the ball and carried for a reasonable yards per carry above 3. There’s not much else to be found here. Draft Irving early.

Wide Receiver

Tez Johnson: 8 targets, 8 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD

Ryan Miller: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards

Tez Johnson was the name of the night, both for sheer excitement calls, but also for expected movement on depth charts. Johnson caught all of his targets. He made a dynamic touchdown reception, where the play-action pass led him to the front corner of the end zone with an immense grab. He closed the play out with a backflip. The hits kept coming, as he probably knew any decent showing could likely put him in the slot or on the bench with targets for Week 1. Just a few days prior, we found out that Jalen McMillan will go on IR and won’t see the field for a minimum of four games. Ryan Miller saw the second-most snaps and ended up catching a couple of passes, but there’s not much left to be cemented here. The usual suspects of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will run the WR room, with Tez likely a sneaky play for week one. Buy him at the end of your draft, Baker loves to have an exciting WR room.