Preseason Shakeup
July 30th, 2025
When Baker Mayfield joined the New Heights podcast recently, he shared a personal welcome-to-the-NFL moment.
Mayfield, a rookie with the Browns in 2018, described how he got hit hard during that preseason by beastly and legendary Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
Mayfield wondered aloud why Cox was eve in the game. At the time, Cox was coming off his third consecutive Pro Bowl honor and a Super Bowl win.
That’s always a good question to ask as August approaches: Is preseason a dangerous waste of time for established starters?
Sean McVay and other head coaches sit starters in preseason. Many others don’t, and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is in the latter camp.
Last night, Sage of Tampa Bay Sports and JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman asked Bowles if he would have any kind of “different philosophy” during preseason this year.
“We’re going to change. [The starters] are going to play,” Bowles said, noting their target game for significant action is unclear.
“They may play the second game, they may play the third game – it depends,” Bowles said. “We play Buffalo, so we’ll see. We haven’t worked that part of it out yet. They’re going to play.”
There are a couple of variables here. First, the Bucs play the Bills in the regular season and in the final preseason game. It’s not common to see a team in preseason and in the regular season, and NFL coaches are a paranoid bunch by nature and don’t want do anything that potentially could help an opponent. So that’s why Bowles mentioned, “We play Buffalo, so we’ll see.”
And there’s Week 2 of the preseason with the Steelers.
The Bucs have one joint practice with Pittsburgh in the Steelers’ stadium. If Bowles thinks the Bucs starters can get top-flight work in practice there, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is going to play starters in the actual game two days later, then perhaps Bowles goes all-in with his starters that week and passes on them playing against Buffalo in Tampa.
Regardless, Bucs starters will see preseason action, which will drive Joe to find anxiety assistance.
Ira Kaufman Talks Major Media Shift, Tuesday’s Night Practice Impressions, Mike Evans, Jameis Winston Admissions, And Much More
July 30th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Not worth the possible injuries
July 30th, 2025 at 3:21 pm
All I know is I paid full price as a season ticket holder for preseason games it was my number one reason for canceling. Absolute farce to call them anything but tryouts. They shouldn’t wear the real uniforms until week 1 and shouldn’t add them to regular season. Hopefully it’ll be a class action lawsuit one day for bait and switch practices. If so, I’m in.
July 30th, 2025 at 3:22 pm
I think you need to play in preseason. Usually you watch the first couple games of the regular season and the play shows the timing is not there, tackling is poor,which ,yes may occur for the season . Players appear gassed the latter part of the game. It is a team sport and teams need to play under game conditions to fine tune their play. Simple as that. Scrimmage is not a game and won’t prepare you like an actual game.
That is my humble opinion.
July 30th, 2025 at 3:26 pm
It’s a long season; look how 2020 turned out without any preseason games. The Bucs were healthy then. It’s just not worth the risk.
July 30th, 2025 at 3:49 pm
There’s open competition at a lot of positions
My question is……..who are the starters?
July 30th, 2025 at 4:05 pm
The first 3 games of the regular season look like preseason sometimes.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:32 pm
To me, it’s no big deal. I grew up with four preseason games, the first two are almost all new guys trying not to get cut and trying to make the team. By the third preseason game, the starters play a full half, the fourth game, the starters may play for a drive or two and then it’s the back ups.
Sitting them and not playing them at all is ridiculous to me. They barely hit and practic anymore. The number of practices is less than half of what it used to be. And it shows on the field. There is extremely sloppy play for the first few weeks and tackling throughout the NFL over the past decade has become horrible.
They only have three preseason games now so I would play them the first half of game 3. Those first two games are needed for the young guys to try to prove themselves.
This year is weird because that’s Buffalo and then they play at Buffalo. I’ve never seen that before.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:34 pm
The reality is that preseason games don’t count. Not worth it to risk injuries in games that don’t count. I’d rather have “starters” look a little rusty in the first couple of regular season games than standing on the sidelines (or worse yet out for the season) because of injuries suffered in a preseason game. We will soon be playing 18-game seasons. Playing starters in pre-season will be a thing of the past.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:35 pm
It is a given at least 1 starter will get hurt in pre season.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Watch out for a starter and his back up gets hurt.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
Andy Reid plays his starters in preseason games and we see the results of that. For the Bucs, they have a new OC and new pieces on defense, they need the preseason games to get acclimated.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:50 pm
Not worth it, but if you’re gonna do it, at least trot them out for the hometown crowd
July 30th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
Some starting positions are decided during preseason games
July 30th, 2025 at 5:29 pm
There is NO open competition in the Bucs training camp
They already know who the starters are
They know who will make the final 53, and who won’t make it
July 30th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
Playing starters a great deal in the preseason? Works both ways … sort of.
Andy Reid is known to play his starters a great deal in preseason. Conversely, Sean McVay keeps his on the bench. Based on that alone one might say Reid is the better coach due to recent team records and Super Bowl appearances. Who knows for sure? But I like Reid’s approach. Reps, reps, reps …
Most professional sports adopt the credo; ‘it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish.’
Albeit true in most sports with 82-162 regular season games to play, but every game in the NFL’s short, 17 game schedule is a must win.
When a team misses the playoffs or loses a home field playoff chance by a game, it’s not difficult to reminisce about that Week 2 loss because your starters were “rusty.”
July 30th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
We have probably gotten hurt as much in practice as we ever did in preseason.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:02 pm
Tony Dungy believes in playing starters a little in preseason to AVOID injuries with better conditioning.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:28 pm
Whatever Todd decides, we know how it’s gonna go.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:37 pm
I’ve been a proponent of starters playing in preseason. Injuries are gonna happen whether in camp, practice during the week, games, etc. so the players need to play. Everyone runs the same risk. There are a lot of pro’s and con’s to that, like avoiding injury. We had some in 2020 and guys came back, the most serious was Vita for the year. Last year guys were dropping like fly’s, Winfield end of 1st game, Hall 1st game and on it went. I say we do away with pre season games, have more camp and pad practice. That give’s position coach’s and players a better learning environment, 1 on 1. I think these guys are starting to get spread too thin with the out of country games, adding more games and playoff games and all that crap, it’s gonna take it’s toll on the players, they will suffer.
July 30th, 2025 at 7:33 pm
It’s amazing all these low T idiots who think playing football is a safe sport where everyone needs to be secured in bubble wrap. Grow a set. Players used to play 3 or 4 preseason games not that long ago, and now you sissies are whining about playing a single snap. You’re all a bunch of women.
July 30th, 2025 at 7:44 pm
I grew up watching Greenbay in the 60’s when Lombardi played his starters from the getgo. By the start of the season they were bashing heads and kicking butts. Lombardi drove them hard and never eased up
And they won a lot of champion ships under Lombardi. Halas drove the Bears hard too and they were tough as nails too. I think the skill positions are better now. But the overall level is softer. Most players today still have their front teeth. Ray Nitshke didn’t. I do believe the speed and skill levels are much higher today. But fewer bad ass gladiators and way more pretty boys.
July 30th, 2025 at 7:57 pm
This year the Bucs need to play starters in the preseason. Maybe a couple of quarters with all starters. Griz is new and he needs practice calling plays and running the offense with the starters.
July 30th, 2025 at 8:04 pm
All this coming from the coach who kept Godwin in, down an insurmountable score, and broke his leg…
July 30th, 2025 at 8:13 pm
Every player should play during the preseason
These guys are competing against each other for jobs
Every roster spot is valuable, they need to compete for these spots
You just can’t rest then, when they haven’t secured a starting job
They need to play in every preseason game
Then you pick your team, and name the starrers
July 30th, 2025 at 8:47 pm
I like the old way. Starters in first series then immediately give way to backups.
4th quarter is a battle for the practice squad.
July 30th, 2025 at 8:49 pm
I think the starters are 3 rooks and Grizzard needs the practice with the #1’s
July 30th, 2025 at 11:01 pm
Crickett Baker Says:
July 30th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
We have probably gotten hurt as much in practice as we ever did in preseason.
——-
I would actually say that’s an understatement, I think way more players have been injured in practice as opposed to when they played 3 or 4 preseason games. Additionally there’s a lot more injuries in general – and it goes back to the limited practices demand by the stupid players union that is too dumb to realize that less practices mean less time to get into playing shape.
Keep in mind like every union, the NFLPA only exist by siphoning funds off members of the union, and if there’s more players injured, well that means more players signed to replace them, which means more dues to the union.
July 31st, 2025 at 4:19 am
View from 132 Says:
“Hopefully it’ll be a class action lawsuit one day for bait and switch practices. If so, I’m in.”
It’s not Bait and Switch.
You knew ahead of time about the preseason games. You knew starters play less, if at all.
So it doesn’t qualify.
Bait and Switch uses decption, and that isn’t done in this case. They are open and honest about it.
July 31st, 2025 at 4:23 am
Rod Munch, you’re right…but there are not a lot of people in this world that don’t want to do less and get paid more, so it won’t ever change.
July 31st, 2025 at 7:31 am
Bowles is this team’s greatest liability. He is so convinced that he can never be wrong that he is making changes for absolutely no reason. The extension he was gifted has probably emboldened him even more. It’s a shame. Imagine what this team could do with a half way decent HC and a competent DC.
July 31st, 2025 at 9:43 am
Bosch with the truth.