INTRO: So what’s occurring in Tampa Bay throughout free company this offseason? I’m right here to elucidate – but not essentially endorse – what Jason Licht, Todd Bowles and the Bucs have been doing in terms of signing sure free brokers this offseason. Take pleasure in!
FAB 1. Bucs Properly Constructing 2025 Roster From The Backside Up
The place are the splash signings in Tampa Bay this offseason? Aren’t the Bucs going “all in” to win the Tremendous Bowl? Who the hell are Kindle Vildor and Anthony Walker?
Okay, relax.
Belief Jason Licht and the Bucs brass.
Acknowledge that the Bucs have signed 4 starters in free company this offseason.
Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
However chances are you’ll not have realized that as a result of solely certainly one of them – exterior linebacker Haason Reddick – is new to the workforce. But linebacker Lavonte David, vast receiver Chris Godwin and left guard Ben Bredeson return as starters to a 10-win workforce that gained its fourth straight NFC South title final yr.
It is a Bucs playoff workforce that simply doesn’t have lots of holes exterior of nickelback now that Tykee Smith is poised to maneuver to robust security to interchange Jordan Whitehead and be a full-time starter.
Right here’s the projected beginning lineup in Tampa Bay in 2025 with new or re-signed starters this offseason in CAPS.
QB: Baker MayfieldRB: Bucky IrvingWR1: Mike EvansWR2: CHRIS GODWINWR3: Jalen McMillanTE: Cade OttonLT: Tristan WirfsLG: BEN BREDESONC: Graham BartonRG: Cody MauchRT: Luke Goedeke OLB: HAASON REDDICKDT: Vita VeaDT: Calijah KanceyOLB: Yaya DiabyILB: LAVONTE DAVIDILB: SirVocea Dennis (promoted to starter)NCB: ???SS: Tykee Smith (moved to security from nickel cornerback)FS: Antoine Winfield Jr.CB: Zyon McCollumCB: Jamel Dean
Bucs GM Jason Licht – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
And chances are high that Licht and Co. signed a fifth starter this offseason in Riley Dixon, the brand new punter who will problem newcomer Jake Julien for these duties this yr after Tampa Bay went via three completely different punters in 2024.
Tampa Bay’s objective this offseason was to enhance the workforce’s depth, and that’s not in contrast to the duty that former head coach Jon Gruden took on in 2002 when he arrived in Tampa Bay after being acquired in a monumental commerce with Oakland.
The Bucs misplaced to the Eagles in Philadelphia within the 2001 Wild Card recreation regardless of having the likes of working backs Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, vast receiver Keyshawn Johnson, quarterback Brad Johnson, defensive deal with Warren Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks, defensive finish Simeon Rice, cornerbacks Ronde Barber and Brian Kelly and security John Lynch.
Tampa Bay had loads of star energy – loads of grade-A expertise. But it surely additionally had loads of C-level gamers, too. A couple of subpar gamers the Eagles might goal and benefit from – they usually did, and it value Tony Dungy his job as head coach.
When Gruden arrived, he shored up the roster and upgraded the expertise from the underside of the roster up. He changed lots of the C-level gamers with B-level gamers. Kenyatta Walker turned a B-level participant at proper deal with after being a C-level left deal with, and he was an improve over Jerry Wunsch, who was a C-level proper deal with.
Newcomer Roman Oben was a B-level left deal with, and new addition Kerry Jenkins was a B-level left guard, who changed an ageing Randall McDaniel, who had grow to be a C-level participant previous his prime. Greg Spires was a B-level free agent import at defensive finish, changing a C-level defensive finish in Steve White, and so forth.
Falcons WR Darnell Mooney and Bucs CB Tyrek Funderburk and former ILB Okay.J. Britt – Picture by: USA Right now
That’s precisely what Licht and the Bucs are doing this offseason – constructing their roster from the underside up. Changing the likes of inexperienced cornerbacks Tyrek Funderburk and Josh Hayes with a veteran like Vildor, who has 26 begins below his belt. And upgrading the depth at linebacker over Okay.J. Britt and J.J. Russell with a participant like Walker and 30-year previous veteran Deion Jones, who performed effectively on the finish of the season arising from the apply squad.
Free company isn’t even every week previous, and the Bucs aren’t completed but by way of including gamers. So don’t fret.
Keep in mind that Licht and the Bucs are much better at drafting gamers than they’re signing free brokers, and Tampa Bay will add six extra gamers within the draft subsequent month for improved depth functions – and maybe discover an eventual starter or two in that bunch as effectively.
However on the finish of the day, the Bucs simply don’t have lots of holes on this roster as a result of they’ve drafted effectively over the previous few years and re-signed their star gamers.
That’s the signal of an excellent workforce – and that’s what the Bucs are.
FAB 2. Why Is Jamel Dean Nonetheless On The Bucs?
Bucs CB Jamel Dean and Commanders WR Terry McLaurin – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
One of many anticipated – and maybe projected – strikes this offseason was the Bucs transferring on from cornerback Jamel Dean, who has struggled to remain wholesome and struggled to make performs on the ball in protection.
Throw in the truth that the Bucs might save $8,284,941 in cap room by buying and selling him or releasing him, and that Dean has a hefty cap worth of $15,136,941 in 2025, and it appeared like parting methods with the seventh-year cornerback was inevitable.
In spite of everything, a excessive price ticket and a scarcity of turnovers from oft-injured Carlton Davis III prompted the Bucs to commerce him to Detroit final offseason. However Tampa Bay already had a alternative on-hand for Davis in high reserve Zyon McCollum, who truly performed higher than each Davis and Dean did throughout the 2023 season. Transferring on from Davis was simply as a lot about making McCollum the starter in 2024.
As a result of the Bucs don’t have one other starting-caliber cornerback on the roster proper now, it doesn’t make sense for the workforce to maneuver on from Dean till they discover one. When wholesome, Dean is a top quality cornerback. Professional Soccer Focus ranked him because the Twenty fifth-best cornerback final yr, and after what some lesser cornerbacks made within the free agent market this offseason, he’s truly was a little bit of a discount.
Dean is at present the Nineteenth-highest paid cornerback within the league at $13 million per yr. That’s $12 million much less per yr than Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, the league’s highest-paid cornerback makes. Dean had a 75.7 PFF defensive grade final yr, whereas Horn had a 64.5 PFF grade. Dean earned a 75.4 protection grade whereas Horn had a woeful 57.9 protection grade.
Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs handed on signing free brokers like Davis, Charvarius Ward and Paulson Adebo, who all had decrease PFF grades and signed offers for $18 million per yr. Former Jets cornerback D.J. Reed is just too small to play in Todd Bowles protection as an outdoor cornerback, however even he had a lesser PFF grade than Dean final yr earlier than signing for $16 million per yr with the Lions.
I’d have most popular Tampa Bay including one other veteran cornerback like Ward to the combination to compete with Dean after which draft one other starting-caliber cornerback to overload the place in case there’s a rash of accidents. However having two cornerbacks making $13 million or extra could be difficult to the wage cap, particularly because the Bucs are entertaining an extension for McCollum this offseason. McCollum figures to make at the least $13 million, too.
Maybe the Bucs will preserve Dean round for 2025 with the understanding that he’ll get harm and can miss some video games. However when he’s wholesome sufficient to play, he ought to give Tampa Bay 12-13 high quality performances.
The Bucs have already signed a veteran backup within the scrappy Kindle Vildor and can virtually actually choose one or two cornerbacks throughout the first 4 rounds of the draft. A kind of rookie cornerbacks will hopefully venture because the workforce’s starter reverse McCollum sooner slightly than later and supplant Dean.
And if Dean winds up being CB3 in some unspecified time in the future in time this yr, so be it. There are worse issues than having a prolonged, quick, veteran cornerback who is aware of Todd Bowles’ system and has a Tremendous Bowl ring as a reserve.
FAB 3. The Bucs View SirVocea Dennis As A Starter
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Inside linebacker place has been a place with a obtrusive want this offseason, proper? Effectively, not essentially to the Bucs. The workforce has signed three inside linebackers within the legendary Lavonte David, who re-signed for a 14th season, Deion Jones, who re-signed after a superb exhibiting within the Wild Card recreation, and reserve Anthony Walker, who final performed in Miami.
David turned 35 in January, and this very effectively could possibly be his last season within the NFL. His play slipped a bit final yr, particularly in protection as Father Time is closing in, however he’s nonetheless the very best inside linebacker on the roster. David value $9 million to re-sign with the wage cap growing this offseason, so he obtained a little bit of a increase.
As a substitute of pairing David with a participant like Dre Greenlaw, who’s coming off a torn Achilles that value him many of the 2024 season, the Bucs plan to start out third-year linebacker SirVocea Dennis at Mike linebacker to interchange Okay.J. Britt and J.J. Russell, who began there final season.
Dennis was on his method to supplanting Britt because the starter final yr via the primary three video games of the season earlier than a shoulder damage – that started in faculty and flared up in coaching camp – reared up once more in Week 4 and required season-ending surgical procedure. The fifth-round decide in 2023 had seven tackles and a sack within the 37-20 season-opening win over Washington whereas platooning with Britt. Then he posted a career-high 11 stops in a 20-16 victory at Detroit the following week.
Within the first three weeks of the season, regardless of enjoying fewer snaps, Dennis had 22 tackles in comparison with Britt’s 15. The previous Pittsburgh star is a really cerebral linebacker, who’s a nifty blitzer, has a nostril for the soccer and could also be Tampa Bay’s greatest protection ‘backer. Though Dennis performed on simply 81 passing performs final yr with 64 protection drops, he posted the second-highest Professional Soccer Focus grade amongst Bucs defenders seeing the sphere for at the least 15 go performs.
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Ought to Dennis falter or not be capable of deal with a full-time function at Mike, Tampa Bay signed veteran Anthony Walker, who’s considered as an improve over Britt and Russell, particularly in protection. And the workforce additionally re-signed 30-year veteran Deion Jones, who earned a 71.1 go protection grade and a 74 general grade within the 23-20 playoff loss to the Commanders whereas platooning with Russell. The Bucs preferred how Jones match into Todd Bowles’ scheme and need to see extra from him in 2025.
If the season began right this moment, the Bucs would really feel good with David and Dennis because the starters and Jones and Walker because the backups. And Tampa Bay is predicted to draft one other linebacker subsequent month so as to add youth, expertise and extra competitors to the room. I don’t suppose it’s going to be within the first or second spherical the place I anticipate the Bucs to proceed to handle their go rush and discover a starting-caliber cornerback.
If this workforce passes up the likes of Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell or UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger early, that signifies that Bowles and basic supervisor Jason Licht actually consider in Dennis – and that his accidents, which have restricted him to showing in simply 17 video games in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, are a factor of the previous.
FAB 4. The Loss Of Justin Skule Stings A Bit
Former Bucs OT Justin Skule – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs have had a profitable begin to free company thus far, however not every thing has gone in keeping with plan. Tampa Bay misplaced veteran swing deal with Justin Skule to Minnesota on Thursday afternoon and the workforce had hoped to re-sign him.
Tampa Bay was relying on the success that Skule had final yr below the event of offensive line coaches Kevin Carberry and Brian Picucci could be sufficient to sway him to return. Along with his shut friendship with All-Professional left deal with Tristan Wirfs and the close-knit offensive line group.
However Skule, who’s coming into his sixth NFL season, opted for alternative as a substitute. As a reserve swing deal with, Skule wasn’t going to see the sphere in Tampa Bay until Wirfs or proper deal with Luke Goedeke will get injured. He began one recreation for Wirfs final yr and 4 video games for Goedeke in 2024.
However with Vikings Professional Bowl left deal with Christian Darrisaw coming off a torn ACL, there could also be an opportunity that Skule sees extra motion in Minnesota, particularly early within the season the place he might have to start out. And at age 28, that’s what Skule is on the lookout for – the chance for extra enjoying time.
So whereas Skule’s departure stung the Bucs’ entrance workplace for a number of hours, they shortly rebounded with the addition of Charlie Heck on Thursday evening. Tampa Bay feels the 6-foot-8, 311-pound son of former NFL Professional Bowl lineman Andy Heck, will be simply pretty much as good as Skule, particularly with Carberry and Picucci there to develop him.
Keep in mind that Skule was signed to Tampa Bay’s apply squad in November of 2023 and that this time final yr he was a reserve/future signing. Skule did lots of creating final offseason with Tampa Bay’s offensive line gurus and the Bucs’ brass is anticipating the identical kind of growth to happen with Heck and that Skule is probably not missed in the long run.
FAB 5. Watch Pewter Report’s New Bucs Mock Draft Present – Offered By Stroll-On’s
Yours actually and Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo debuted the third of our 5 7-Spherical Bucs Mock Drafts of the yr on Thursday night – sponsored by Stroll-On’s Sports activities Bistreaux. Then we hosted a particular Bucs Mock Draft Present podcast at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday evening – simply hours after the discharge – to go over our third Bucs Mock Draft of the offseason, reply your questions and get your reactions.
Take a look at the episode beneath and tell us what you suppose within the feedback.
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