3 Buccaneers Veterans Fighting for Their Jobs After 2022 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made sure to address a couple of major roster holes at the 2022 NFL Draft despite not owning a first-round pick. This team was already filled with enough talent to win another Lombardi Trophy, so any contributions from their rookie class would be icing on the cake.

Those rookies are going to have to fight for playing time on the field, though. The established players in Tampa Bay aren't going to give up their roles easily, which should make for an exciting training camp. With that in mind, let's take a look at three Buccaneers veterans fighting for their jobs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

1. Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB

Just because the Buccaneers didn't use a draft pick on running back this year doesn't mean that backup Ke'Shawn Vaughn should feel completely safe. Tampa Bay signed undrafted free agent Rachaad White to a deal and he has a shot to turn some heads in training camp. The Arizona State product posted 1,000 rushing yards on 182 carries as well as 456 receiving yards on 43 receptions during his final college season. White also scored a total of 16 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Vaughn hasn't posted more than 180 rushing yards in either of his first two seasons and has struggled as a receiving option (6.7 yards per catch). This will be a battle to keep an eye on.

2. Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DL

Although he is a natural defensive tackle, Rakeem Nunez-Roches is seemingly in a competition to start at one of the edge spots in 2022. That is if he can hold off 2022 first-round pick Logan Hall. Hall broke out during his junior season at Houston and ended the year with 47 tackles (13.0 for loss) to go along with 6.0 sacks. His ability to adjust to any defensive scheme he is put in should allow for a smooth transition into the NFL. Nunez-Roches has been a dependent player for the Bucs, yet he has never been an elite pass rusher. In fact, the 28-year-old has tallied zero sacks across four seasons of play with the team (51 games).

3. Bradley Pinion, P

Bradley Pinion has been Tampa Bay's starting punter for each of the last three seasons. However, he did average a career-low 42.5 yards per punt in 2021. Add in the fact that the Buccaneers used a fourth round pick at the position and it's clear the 27-year-old may be in trouble. Georgia's Jake Camarda was taken off the board with the No. 133 overall pick and averaged 45.8 yards per punt during his four-year career with the Bulldogs. He also logged 67 punts over 50 yards, 17 punts over 60 yards and 70 punts inside the 20. The kid can do it all and should have the inside track at securing the starting gig.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.