Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Breaking Down Remaining Roster Battles and Cut Decisions

Roster-cutting season is no fun for anyone in the NFL, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no exception, as they are forced to whittle down a 90-man roster to just 53 names.

The cuts have already begun, but plenty more are required before the regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

Even with just one preseason game left, there are plenty of tight roster battles still raging, with veterans and young players alike fighting for their jobs. Time is running out to impress Tampa Bay's decision-makers, and though most starters are unlikely to play against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, this final preseason game will be vital in determining the last few spots on the team.

What positions will be the most hotly contested over the next week for the Bucs?

Defensive End

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Jacquies Smith and George Johnson have never been full-time starters in the NFL, but they're locked into that role at either of the defensive end spots for Tampa Bay heading into the 2015 regular season.

Behind them, there's even less proven production at the position.

T.J. Fatinikun is undersized but has flashed the speed and explosiveness off the edge that suggests he could be an effective rusher, while former first-round pick Larry English showed some promise down the stretch last season. The potential is there, but the Bucs are hoping for the best rather than depending on a successful track record.

Those two are likely to make the final roster, with quite a few others on the bubble who could easily be left on the outside looking in, such as William Gholston, Lawrence Sidbury, Da'Quan Bowers and Ryan Delaire.

Wide Receiver

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The Bucs wanted to get deeper at receiver this offseason, and they've accomplished that to the point of having some extremely tough decisions to make at the position heading into the regular season.

Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson are locked in as the starters on the outside, with Louis Murphy and Russell Shepard likely to be sure bets to make the team as well. After that, it's a tight race to grab one of the last roster spots.

Christian Shanafelt of NFLDraftBible.com reported on Monday that the Bucs had cut second-year pro Robert Herron, but Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times said later that evening Herron's release had yet to be confirmed by the team. His release wouldn't be surprising, as even though the former sixth-round pick has improved since last season, the Bucs spent two more picks on receivers this year.

Rookie fifth-round pick Kenny Bell has looked much better in practice than game action, missing last week's game with an injury. Still, he should end up making the team based on his potential. Tampa Bay's other draft pick at the position, sixth-rounder Kaelin Clay, will have to beat out undrafted free agents Rannell Hall and Adam Humphries for the last roster spot.

Clay is the more experienced return man of that group, but Hall and Humphries have both had fantastic training camps, offer more as pure receivers and also have return experience. This will arguably be the toughest call the Bucs have to make all preseason.

Cornerback

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The starters are set on the outside with Johnthan Banks and Alterraun Verner, but there's little reliable depth at corner beyond them.

Mike Jenkins has had an up-and-down preseason but should make the team based on his experience, and with Sterling Moore moving inside to push for the starting nickelback role, the door should be left open for Brandon Dixon to earn a roster spot as the team's fourth outside corner.

In the slot, Moore should end up winning the starting job, with last year's shuffling starters—Leonard Johnson and Isaiah Frey—fighting over the backup role. Johnson has struggled this preseason and is dealing with an ankle injury, which won't help his campaign to beat out Frey for a spot on the final roster.

Injuries are inevitable in the NFL, but the Bucs are hoping they don't have to deal with many at this position in 2015 based on their severe lack of proven depth.

Kicker

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There's only one preseason game left, but the kicking job is still up for grabs in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs bringing in more competition via trade this week.

After bringing back veteran Connor Barth to compete with Patrick Murray, neither kicker converted his only field-goal attempt in last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns, leaving the door to the competition wide-open.

The Bucs made things even more interesting by trading for Detroit Lions kicker Kyle Brindza on Monday, per the team's Twitter account. Brindza is a Notre Dame product with a big leg who can even punt and handle kickoffs.

After releasing veteran punter Michael Koenen in favor of Jake Schum on Tuesday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, it shouldn't shock Bucs fans if there are two new faces handling the kicking and punting duties for the team this year.

Offensive Line

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Tampa Bay's struggles along the offensive line have continued through the preseason, but that doesn't mean the team won't have some difficult decisions to make when it comes to the final roster cuts across the unit.

The one decision that should be the easiest for the Bucs is replacing Garrett Gilkey as the backup center with Jeremiah Warren, who started in place of injured starter Evan Smith last week and was one of the few bright spots of the group. Warren also has the versatility to play guard if needed, which increases his value as a reserve.

Both of last year's fifth-round picks—Kevin Pamphile and Kadeem Edwards—should make the team as backups, while Patrick Omameh's ability to play either guard or tackle should secure him one of the last spots. Edawn Coughman and Reid Fragel could be the odd men out, with Gosder Cherilus replacing Demar Dotson for the time being.

Tampa Bay's offensive line will look plenty different again in 2015, but only time will tell if the on-field results will change for the better this year.