The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly From Bucs' Preseason Win Over Jets

The Buccaneers didn't have many of their familiar faces on the field Friday night, but their preseason opener still gave Tampa Bay coaches plenty to evaluate.

Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr. and several other established starters didn't play in the week one preseason game. Tampa Bay instead got an extended look at the players fighting for depth-chart positioning and roster spots.

After the cannon smoke settled, it was a 24-16 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, but it took some navigation for the Bucs to get there. Tampa Bay failed to leave the port early as they trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and had only five first downs and 85 yards of offense by halftime.

As expected, there were some rough moments in this game, but also performances worth remembering. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from Tampa Bay's first preseason game.

The good: The young defense had some juice

Josiah Trotter didn't need a huge tackle total to stand out. Trotter had the green dot early and looked comfortable handling the responsibility. He constantly read the backfield, got out of his stance quickly, and closed space aggressively. He also wasn't shy about meeting offensive linemen head-on when necessary. His final line was only two combined tackles, but his activity was much more noticeable than the numbers suggest and it looks like the Bucs made a great decision by drafting him back in April during the NFL Draft.

The same can be said for Tampa Bay's defensive front. Fellow rookie Zach Pyburn finished with two sacks, while Elijah Roberts added another from the interior. The "second-year rookie" David Walker also provided some pressure off the edge. Walker was injured last season and didn't see any field time at all in 2025

The Jets moved the ball, but Tampa Bay did a much better job of finishing drives defensively after the opening quarter. New York reached Buccaneers territory multiple times without finding the end zone again. Its final six possessions resulted in three punts, two field goals and a turnover on downs before its final possession with 12 seconds remaining.

That is about as bend-but-don't-break as it gets.

The good: Jalon Daniels changed the offense

Tampa Bay's offense looked completely different once Daniels entered the game.

There were some inaccurate throws and a few overthrows, so this wasn't a flawless quarterback performance. What stood out was how composed Daniels looked despite those misses.

His first full possession went 80 yards on 12 plays and ended with Josh Williams scoring from 12 yards out. Daniels later led another lengthy possession, this time going 65 yards on 16 plays before keeping the ball for a one-yard touchdown himself.Daniels also showed enough mobility to make defenses account for his legs. He wasn't bailing from the pocket at the first sign of trouble, which was encouraging. The running ability looked more like an additional weapon than the foundation of his game.

The good: Ted Hurst's routes deserve attention

Ted Hurst finished with only two receptions for 19 yards on six targets, but his stat line doesn't tell the whole story.

At 6-foot-4, Hurst showed impressive fluidity as a route runner. He created opportunities and looked comfortable working different areas of the field. One broken-up end-zone target was also difficult to put on Hurst. The ball came in behind him, giving the defender a chance to make a play.

Hurst still has plenty of work ahead of him, but there was enough there to warrant another look next week. He could be special if he keeps developing.

The bad: Connor Bazelak missed his opportunity

With Jake Browning injured and among the Buccaneers who didn't play, Connor Bazelak had an opportunity to command the offense for the entire first half, but he never really took advantage of it.

Bazelak looked uncomfortable at different points, missed throws and struggled to consistently keep Tampa Bay's offense moving. He finished 12-of-20 for 72 yards, while the Bucs managed just five first downs and went 2-of-7 on third down in the opening half.

Tampa Bay's only first-half touchdown didn't come from the offense at all. Rookie Corner Ayden Garnes jumped a pass and returned it 47 yards for a score.

It's one preseason performance, but Bazelak was given a legitimate opportunity Friday, and Daniels showed off more with his time.

The bad: Tampa Bay got pushed around early

The defense deserves credit for how it settled into the game, but the opening quarter wasn't nearly as encouraging.

The Jets finished the first half with 66 rushing yards, with 44 of those coming from Braelon Allen on only four attempts. His biggest run went for 31 yards and a touchdown, putting New York ahead 10-0 late in the first quarter.

There is an obvious preseason disclaimer here. Most of Tampa Bay's established defensive starters weren't playing, and most of the Jets starters did start.

Still, these snaps matter for the guys who were on the field. Players fighting for roster spots don't want to keep showing up repeatedly on film getting moved off the ball.

The ugly: Special teams nearly created a disaster

Kameron Calloway's second kickoff return opportunity couldn't have started much worse. Calloway muffed the kick at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line, recovered it and eventually made it out to the 11. The Bucs avoided a turnover, but that's not the type of mistake that can become a habit.

Preseason special teams reps are especially important because many of the players competing for the final few roster spots will have to earn their jobs there. A mistake that immediately puts the offense at its own goal line will stand out during film review.

The ugly: The offense took too long to show up

Tampa Bay's opening possession went backward and ended after three plays. The next possession produced one first down before another punt.By halftime, the Bucs had only 85 total yards, five first downs and no offensive touchdowns. That is ugly, regardless of how many starters were sitting.

The difference was that Tampa Bay didn't stay there. Daniels gave the offense some life, the defense kept New York out of the end zone after the first quarter, and the Bucs eventually turned a 10-point deficit into a 24-16 win.

Preseason results aren't worth celebrating for long, but individual performances absolutely matter. Tampa Bay got a few encouraging ones Friday night, particularly from some of the younger players who needed them most.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly From Bucs' Preseason Win Over Jets