“One Trick Pony” Players Need Not Apply
August 9th, 2025
Todd Bowles isn’t messing around when it comes to his roster. First, the head coach served up an edict: Be “hellacious” in kick return coverage and you’ve got a golden ticket to make the team.
And Bowles continued.
Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday, Bowles laid down the law. He said his backups need to be significantly versatile or they won’t make the roster. Of course, that’s in prime focus with the preseason opener tonight at The Licht House at 7 p.m., when nearly all starters will ride the bench.
Bowles stressed that the final 20 players to make the team get the microscope as the roster puzzle is completed.
“This guy might be great at something and this guy may not be, but this guy can do three or four things,” Bowles said. “[Another] guy cannot and he’s got two or three people ahead of him. Now this guy can do everything and he is only got one or two people ahead of him and he’s a luxury and we can move him around. So you get into those type of things, and that’s when it becomes the right 53 of building your team.
“If you’re the sixth receiver or 10th or 11th defensive back or ninth offensive lineman and you’re a one-trick pony, you’re probably not gonna be here. Because if you can do everything, you wouldn’t be No. 6 [on the depth chart at your position] or you wouldn’t be nine, you’d be up in the ones and twos. So you can’t just be a one-trick pony and expect to make this team and be the last guy on the roster just because you’re talented. You better be good at quite a few things.”
Lotta jobs on the line tonight as the depths of the 90-man roster go under the lights.
August 9th, 2025 at 11:05 am
Players will be fighting for their careers, not a worthless game for them. I’m excited to see some of these young guys making plays.
August 9th, 2025 at 11:06 am
Yep..worthless preseason game….not to these players & coaches…
August 9th, 2025 at 11:20 am
The NFL loves adding games, but not adding to the rosters. NFL rosters should be 56, not 53. The real crazy thing is only being able to dress 46 on game days, which totally doesn’t make sense. NFL talks about player safety, but doesn’t practice it. They did ban smelling salts, how lame!
August 9th, 2025 at 11:21 am
Not to me, either. It is August Bucs FOOTBALL!
August 9th, 2025 at 11:34 am
My favorite part of a preseason game is waking up the following morning and seeing absolutely no one on the injury report!
August 9th, 2025 at 11:48 am
agree with hodad, rosters should slightly increase
August 9th, 2025 at 11:59 am
Agree with Lightningvinny…
And take that into the season as well.
August 9th, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Sounds like Palmer, Watson, Majors
August 9th, 2025 at 1:25 pm
“Meaningless” preseason game,…….far from “worthless”.
August 9th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
Jacks of all trades….Swiss army knives…….
Mediocrity instead of excellence.
Great.
August 9th, 2025 at 2:08 pm
TBBF … ‘Yep..worthless preseason game….not to these players & coaches…’
(Nice to see your keyboard also has a functional sarcasm font key TBBF; be careful with it though; sometimes mine refuses to turn off).
August 9th, 2025 at 2:34 pm
They need to enlarge the practice squads, even if they don’t enlarge the regular roster.
August 9th, 2025 at 2:54 pm
@ Lightningvinny: My favorite part of these “invaluable preseason games” is NOT waking up with Big Head Fred.
August 9th, 2025 at 5:02 pm
Why enlarge the roster, just end the ruse and make college your minor league. Each NFL team can affiliate with a college team and the machine can keep grinding year round if you add a pro summer league team as minor league affiliate too
August 9th, 2025 at 6:13 pm
Going to be very interested in the play of our back ups… Lots of positions with questions and slots still to be filled – let’s see who rises up under the lights 🤞🏼