Buccaneers vs. Commanders: Positional Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of proven veterans on their roster whereas the Washington Commanders are in the midst of a rebuild. When looking at each team roster, it's hard to find a position group where the Commanders have an advantage.

Starting at the top, the Commanders' new rookie quarterback Jaden Daniels has yet to play a game in the NFL, and Baker Mayfield is fresh off a career year and $100 million extension; advantage Buccaneers.

The Bucs also dominate in the skill position groups like receiver and running back. Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. is solid but wasn't nearly as productive as Rachaad White last season. Besides Terry McLaurin at wideout, the Commanders don't have as much going for them on the outside and lack depth which is not the case for the Bucs. Mayfield has a plethora of weapons at wideout and will utilize all of them.

One thing the Commanders have going for them is a potentially disruptive defensive line. If there is a position group that Washington has an advantage in, it is upfront on defense. The Buccaneers expect OLB Yaya Diaby to be ready to go in Week 1 which helps their pass rush tremendously.  The Bucs' offensive line will have to strap up against guys like Clelin Ferrell and Jonathan Allen.

While the secondary for the Bucs might be one of the positions that is suspect, they still have All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and veteran Jordan Whitehead which gives them an edge over anyone the Commanders have. Washington also gave up the most pass yards out of any team last season.

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Last is the offensive line. Similar to the secondary, it's unsure what to expect from the Buccaneers going up against the defensive wrecking crew that Washington appears to have, but again the Buccaneers have an anchor in tackle Tristan Wirfs. It will be interesting to see how rookie center Graham Barton fairs in his first NFL game.

The captain of the Commanders' defense is linebacker Bobby Wagner. Despite his age, Wagner is still an incredibly productive player. Last year, he recorded a career-high in tackles in Seattle . Wagner makes it very difficult for running backs to advance past the second level of the defense and that is perhaps the matchup to watch for the game, how well the Bucs can run the ball with Wagner on the field.