3 rookies to watch in Saturday's Buccaneers-Titans preseason game

J.J. Roberts was one of the highest-paid UDFAs in football this year, with the Bucs paying him $300,000 guaranteed for his services — and so far, he's proved just why during training camp.

Roberts has flown around the ball, making excellent pass breakups and nabbing some big interceptions. He got one during 1v1 drills against the Titans at joint practice, too, so we're excited to see if he can do it again during the game Saturday. A versatile DB, Roberts can play safety, nickel or corner, and head coach Todd Bowles has been impressed with him.

"He's got a lot of ability. We like that he's versatile and can play free [safety] and he can play nickel [cornerback]," Bowles said. "I saw that he can hit in college off of his tape. We know he can hit. It's just a matter of putting everything together mentally."

So far, he's been impressive. He's looking to make the 53-man roster already, but a competitive preseason would seal the deal, and we're excited to see if he can make that.

S Shilo Sanders

2025 UDFA, Colorado Buffaloes

Roberts has been excellent, and as a result, he's been an obstacle for one of Tampa Bay's most popular rookies in Shilo Sanders.

Sanders' goal is to make the team just like everyone else, but the Headache Gang CEO has some competition in the safety room — Roberts and frequent Bucs player Kaevon Merriweather stand in his way, and those two are now behind Tykee Smith, who is making the jump from nickel to safety. Sanders has legendary heritage as the son of Deion Sanders and attracts a lot of attention, but as it stands, Merriweather is much more familiar with the system and Roberts is a lot more versatile as a defensive back.

As a result, Shilo needs to make some big splash plays in preseason to have a good chance to make the roster. Those will have to come on defense (interceptions and PBUs will go a long way) but also on special teams, where he could carve out a big role on the roster. Do that, and he can make big strides in his bid for the roster or a practice squad spot — don't, and he may go home once the cutdown happens.

WR Emeka Egbuka

First-round draft pick, Ohio State Buckeyes

This will be interesting either way. Todd Bowles insinuated that starters won't be playing during this preseason outing, but he always likes to give rookies a lot of playing time. As a result, this will be fun whether Egbuka plays or not.

If he does play, it will be a treat to see just how strong he looks in a game scenario. GM Jason Licht said that Egbuka looks like a 10-year vet in practice, and we can attest — he's always in the right places, has very sure hands and is an incredibly smooth route runner. The Titans are set to play starters for a bit on Saturday, so if Egbuka is in the game getting rookie reps, we might be able to watch him work as a preview of what we could see on Sundays.

That being said, he might not play at all, and that's interesting, too. Egbuka has shone brightly at camp, and if he isn't in, it means the team already trusts him as a bona fide starter in an extremely stacked wide receiver room. That would be great news for Bucs fans, so it's a win-win no matter what he does.