TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the preseason with a game against the Miami Dolphins. 

Two weeks of practice comes down to this.

“It will be great to see the preseason games and who can play under the lights,” head coach Todd Bowles said.

The spotlight won’t be on the starters. In fact, you won’t see a lot of the starting lineup, including Tom Brady, who has taken a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. That means second-year quarterback Kyle Trask gets the start against the Dolphins. 

The Bucs had originally planned for Trask to start before Brady made his announcement. The coaches want to use the preseason to evaluate Trask and determine whether he is the future quarterback.

“He’s confident in where he’s going, he’s understanding things,” Bowles said. “We’re putting him in a lot of situations where he’s getting some experience. That’s all we can ask for right now.”

That’s what preseason games do: they put players in situations that they don’t see at practice. It’s a good gage of where a player is at and what they need to work on. 

And with the regular season inching closer and closer, getting game-day ready is vital. Especially since the Bucs start to the regular season features a gauntlet of some of the league’s top quarterbacks. That’s something that excites Tampa Bay’s defense.

“I’ve always loved playing against the best players in the league because it’s a chance to make your mark on the league,” linebacker Shaq Barrett said. “And I’m always consistently trying to prove myself and trying to earn my keep in this league and on this team.”

There are position battles all over the team, especially along the offensive line and in the secondary. Players are able to show off in the joint practices against the Dolphins this week. 

But games are different. Game reps are full speed, full contact. And games provide a chance to shine under the bright lights.

“I think the No. 1 thing is you have to be patient out there and don’t try to speed the game up because I feel like you mess up,” linebacker Devin White said. “So just read your keys and play fundamental football, and I think the rest is history.”