Aug 17, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (15) warms up before a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers Rank Top 3 in Surprising NFL Preseason Stat

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Aug 28, 2024 11:33 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers revealed their 53-man roster on Tuesday after cutdowns, and a certain stat from their preseason campaign in 2024 makes that roster construction a little interesting.

The Buccaneers will have a new offense under offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and he brings with him a West Coast flare to Tampa Bay. Coen learned under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator in 2022, and now, he brings that offensive philosophy to the Bucs — and that includes his use of wide receivers.

NFL data analyst Warren Sharp analyzed how often NFL teams used three-wide receiver sets in preseason, and the Buccaneers were third in the league at 83%. Ahead of them were the Atlanta Falcons in second with 94% — led by offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with the Rams last year — and the Rams themselves at a staggering 99%.

usage of 3-WR sets this preseason:

99% - Los Angeles Rams
94% - Atlanta Falcons
83% - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
82% - Indianapolis Colts
81% - Las Vegas Raiders
79% - Washington Commanders
76% - Cincinnati Bengals
75% - Tennessee Titans
74% - Seattle Seahawks
70% - Cleveland Browns…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 27, 2024

This is intriguing for a few reasons. Firstly, it's further proof that the McVay offense is being installed in Tampa Bay, and that includes some more modern aspects of the offense that prior OC Dave Canales didn't exhibit in Tampa Bay last year (at-snap motion, plays in the can, etc.). But it also makes Tampa Bay's roster construction somewhat interesting.

The Bucs only kept five wideouts on their roster this time around after cuts — Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and undrafted free agent Jalen McMillan. The team does have wideout Rakim Jarrett on injured reserve, but it's interesting to have five receivers when you largely use three wide-receiver sets.

That being said, there are times for elevations during the regular season, and it's likely that players like Cody Thompson, who balled out in preseason this year, can get elevated if need be. It will be fun to see just how Tampa Bay uses these wide receiver sets, and it will be particularly fun to see how the team interchanges McMillan and Palmer this year.