A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: What do we want to see from Bucs-Steelers joint practice?
Scott Reynolds: Bucs OLB Chris Braswell vs. Steelers RT Troy Fautanu
Bucs outside linebacker Chris Braswell received a lot of hype this offseason about one of the team’s more improved players, but that didn’t materialize in the preseason opener. Braswell had nine pass rush opportunities and didn’t score a pressure, a QB hit or a sack. And he played on 19 passing plays, which was the most of any Bucs defensive lineman or outside linebacker. Braswell played into the third quarter after facing off against Alabama teammate J.C. Latham, the Titans starting right tackle for nine pass plays. After Latham, Braswell went up against a few backup right tackles and just didn’t have any success.
Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles covered for him by suggesting he was pleased with how he played, but the film showed otherwise. Braswell did fine in run defense, but Tampa Bay didn’t use a second-round pick on him just to take on tight ends and set the edge. The Crimson Tide alum only had 1.5 sacks last year and was expected to make more of a leap as a pass rusher this year. He’s had flashes in camp, but the buzz is that rookie David Walker was going to pass him on the depth chart before his season-ending ACL injury because he’s more of a natural pass rusher.
Braswell will get a chance at redemption this week in Pittsburgh as he’ll be facing another first-round right tackle in Troy Fautanu, who was last year’s first-round pick, in both the joint practice and the game. While Tampa Bay’s starters are expected to play in the first quarter, look for Braswell to see extended playing time once again. The hope is that he can learn from last week’s preseason opener, and take Larry Foote’s teaching to heart and have a better showing in two rounds with the Steelers. If not, the Bucs may have to go out and truly replace Walker with another pass rusher if Braswell doesn’t step up.
Matt Matera: Evans, Egbuka & McMillan Against Ramsey, Slay & Porter Jr.
The Bucs going against the Titans is one thing, but facing against the Steelers is another. Mike Evans has been exceptional once again during training camp while Emeka Egbuka has been the talk of the town. McMillan continues to gradually improve and his leaping catch in Saturday night’s preseason game indicated that he’ll make plays when the moment comes.
Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
While Evans has seen everyone in the game, Egbuka and McMillan are still new in this league. That’s what makes a matchup against Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. so enticing. Ramsey and Slay are veterans of the game in their first year with the Steelers. They have reputaions as some of the best corners in the league with Ramsey widely considered the best a couple of seasons ago. Porter is a third year player that has established himself as an important part of the defense.
Seeing Egbuka and McMillan compete against these three will do wonders for their prepartion into the regular season. We were also robbed of an Evans-Ramsey training camp matchup a couple of seasons ago when Ramsey was on the Dolphins. But since he’s with a new team, he’ll likely get looks against the greatest receiver in Bucs’ history. It’s the most exciting matchup to see this week.
Bailey Adams: Zyon McCollum Gets A Test From DK Metcalf
As far as testing himself against top receivers and using that to prepare him for the regular season, Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum has it good in Tampa. He’s spent years matching up with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Evans in addition to getting reps in against Chris Godwin, among other talented receivers. This training camp in particular, McCollum has drawn a lot of matchups against Evans for some fun Galveston-on-Galveston action.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
But as beneficial as it is for McCollum to get work in against a player of Evans’ caliber, joint practices allow him to test himself against other top receivers from other teams. For example, when the Bucs square off with the Steelers in Thursday’s joint practice up in Pittsburgh this week, Tampa Bay’s CB1 will presumably do battle with DK Metcalf, who was traded from the Seahawks to the Steelers this offseason.
Metcalf had 6,324 yards and 48 touchdowns over six seasons in Seattle, never being held below 900 yards in a season and recording two seasons with double-digit touchdowns. The big-bodied, 6-foot-4, 229-pounder out of Ole Miss is now in Pittsburgh as Aaron Rodgers’ top wide receiver, and as the two continue to get acclimated with each other, this will be a good test for McCollum as the regular season draws near.
McCollum is having a solid camp to this point, especially considering how often he’s lining up on Evans. But the fourth-year corner is one of the only players in Tampa Bay’s secondary who has yet to record an interception in the last two and a half weeks of training camp. It would be great to see him come up with one against Rodgers this week in the joint practice, especially if he’s working against Metcalf.
McCollum has earned the right to be the Bucs’ CB1 over the last year and a half or so, but it’s time for him to take that next leap up. He reportedly wants a big-money contract extension, and he’s definitely a candidate to receive one. But for me, I’d like to see another year of the former fifth-round pick and see if he can step up and be an elite-tier corner. If he wants CB1 money, he needs to hold up against WR1 types, and that’s why I’m so intrigued to see the battles between him and Metcalf this week.
Josh Queipo: Can The Bucs Linebackers Hold Up Against The Steelers Tight Ends?
Maybe the Bucs were right all offseason when they said they felt good about their linebacker room. Meanwhile, the outside world has claimed the room is a walking red flag, with SirVocea Dennis’ injury history and Anthony Walker Jr. and Deion Jones both being past their prime. Lavonte David, the ageless wonder that he is, is entering his age 35 season. But in the team’s first preseason game undrafted free agents Nick Jackson and John Bullock – linebackers six and seven on their depth chart – had two of the better games of any Bucs players amid a lot of really promising performances. Perhaps this unit is as strong as the team has asserted.
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
These joint practices with the Steelers will test that theory. Pittsburgh has one of the sneakier good tight end rooms in the NFL. Starter Pat Freiermuth is a solid, do-it-all player in a similar vein as the Bucs’ Cade Otton. Behind him the Steelers traded for pass-catching threat Jonnu Smith coming off of a career year. Their third-string option could start on a few NFL teams. Darnell Washington is a deadening blocker with length and athleticism to factor in as a red zone weapon.
Covering these three targets, and shedding Washington as a blocker will be a tall task for the Bucs’ middle-of-the field defenders. And how well they are able to hold up against Pittsburgh’s talented trio will be a first signal as to how well the room may fare come the regular season. I’ll be watching to see how Dennis uncovers as a run defender and how well he and David communicate and navigate their zone assignments to force incompletions and limit yards after the catch. Plus seeing if Jackson and Bullock can follow up on their performances from last Saturday night.
Adam Slivon: How The Bucs’ Defense Fares Against Aaron Rodgers, Steelers QBs
It should go without saying that the Bucs’ defense performed very well last weekend. Playing the Titans at home, they only allowed seven points and came away with three interceptions. Reserve cornerbacks Tyrek Funderburk and Roman Parodie each had one, as well as inside linebacker Nick Jackson. After seeing rookie quarterback Cameron Ward and thriving against backups Brandon Allen and the since-released Tim Boyle, how will head coach Todd Bowles’ unit hold up seeing a Steelers’ quarterback room led by Aaron Rodgers?
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: USA Today
It is unlikely that Rodgers will play much, if at all, during the second week of the preseason. The 41-year-old was held out during Pittsburgh’s preseason opener, making way for Mason Rudolph and Syklar Thompson to get valuable reps – and make the most of them. Rudolph completed 9 of 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown before being pulled after two drives. It was then “The Skylar Thompson Show” as he went 20 of 28 for 233 yards and three touchdowns. While it is still just the preseason, each of these quarterbacks will be a great test for the Bucs’ defense.
Seeing how the rookie and backup defensive players play this week will be revealing as the final 53-man roster comes into focus. During the joint practice held on Thursday, seeing how they perform versus Rodgers will be one of the biggest storylines. I want to see the same ballhawking defense from last Saturday, and not one that gets picked apart by a four-time NFL MVP and the capable backup quarterbacks behind him.
