Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Players that must shine vs. Panthers in Week 2
CB Vernon Hargraves III
During the 2016 NFL Draft, the Bucs took Vernon Hargreaves III with the 11th overall pick. It’s safe to say he’s had a rocky career thus far. However, under Bowles and the defensive coaching staff, it looks like he may finally live up to the No. 1 cornerback billing that was envisioned when he was drafted.
On Sunday in Week 1, he had his first interception return for a touchdown and played solid in coverage against Marquise Goodwin for the majority of the contest.
Bowles and the defense need him to continue to evolve. If he can keep up with Carolina’s D.J Moore for the majority of Thursday night’s contest, he will take away quarterback Cam Newton’s No. 1 target, thus forcing their offense to become even more reliant on stud running back Christian McCaffrey. He had a great game last week. It’s time to continue the upward trend.
K Matt Gay
After being picked in the fifth round of this past April’s draft, there were a lot of questions around Matt Gay. Honestly, you can’t blame Bucs fans. The last time we drafted a kicker, it was in the second round and he flamed out after one season in Tampa Bay. However, with each kick he nailed, Gay proved that he was worth the pick, and he won the kicking competition over veteran Cairo Santos during the preseason.
He followed that up by making both extra points and his lone field-goal attempt, a 31-yarder, during Sunday’s loss. The reason why he will be key against Carolina is twofold.
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First, it’s been years since the Bucs have had a reliable kicker that they could trust year in and year out. Secondly, there’s a good chance he will have to attempt more than one field goal against the Panthers. The kid has a cannon for a leg. It’s time to see what he can do with it when the pressure is on.