For some veterans, Tampa Bay's late round picks in the 2021 and undrafted free agents, Saturday could serve as the final time they dress in red and pewter at the NFL level.
The Buccaneers will travel to Houston to face the Texans for their final preseason game of the year, days before every NFL team will have to cut its roster down to 53 players.
Grant Stuard, an inside linebacker for Tampa Bay and Mr. Irrelevant this year - the final pick in the annual draft - is one of the players on the Buccaneers roster bubble. Saturday's game will hand him one last opportunity this preseason to prove he belongs on the team, and he'll do it in front of a home crowd of sorts.
“I just have to show that I can be a dominant special teams player, that I can take coaching and do the technique that the coaches ask me to do instead of going out there and doing my own thing," Stuard told media on Thursday. "Just show that I can dominate out there in that area of the game that I don’t think I’ve really shown yet.
"I had a lot more reps, especially in special teams this game, so just capitalizing there and showing [head coach Bruce Arians] like, ‘Hey, I’m a dude on special teams, I’m not just a guy, I’m a dude.’ I feel like if I show that then I’ll have a good chance.”
Stuard has been a member of Tampa Bay's third-team defense throughout the preseason and has impressed, specifically by his three tackles-for-loss and one-sack effort against the Tennessee Titans this past week.
However, with fellow rookie K.J. Britt and veteran Kevin Minter ahead of him on the depth chart, Stuard understands that he must make an impact on special teams now more than ever in order to make the final 53.
Thus far, Stuard has taken the field for 28 special teams snaps this preseason, on the kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return, and field goal blocking units. He's posted a tackle but also missed one across those reps. Stuard acknowledged that the biggest special teams learing curves for him have been on the technical side on returns, both kicks and punts.
"It’s just being able to take that technique that [special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong is] coaching and be like, ‘Okay, I have to make this play in space and I have to be a dude,’" Stuard explained. "If you’re not a dude then you’re going to get mixed and you’re going to [miss] a tackle.”
Arians offered Stuard praise for his performance against Tennessee, hinting that Stuard helped his chances to make the final roster given his play. But with more proven players ahead of him defensively, Stuard will have to "wow" the coaching staff with special teams prowess to force the team to consider keeping a fifth inside linebacker.
He'll have a chance to do so in his hometown this weekend, as Stuard went to the University of Houston and grew up locally in Conroe, Texas.
"I really think it’s probably cooler for my family honestly than it is for me," said Stuard. "It’s cool for me because of them. Being able to share this experience with them and hopefully make some plays while in their presence as an NFL guy. That’s cool.”
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