As the sound of a football hitting an upright and falling favorably for the Commanders fades away, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ends in devastating fashion. When the players clean out their lockers and say their goodbyes to teammates and the canon fire smoke settles across One Buc Place, a question looms over the team. What’s next?
The Bucs have been excellent at drafting talent and finding the right guys for their scheme and locker room. Players like Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan, and Graham Barton are the latest examples of the scouting department’s ability to find talent that can take meaningful snaps for the team as rookies.
Resigning Lavonte David, Mike Evans and familiar face Jordan Whitehead was important. They were key players the team needed back. David is a free agent again this year, and with the future Hall of Famer not sure of what’s next, there is another great opportunity for the front office to add key players in free agency and the draft.
Chris Godwin, who suffered a horrific ankle injury versus the Baltimore Ravens this year, is a free agent. Depending on how his recovery is going, he could bag 20 plus million dollars a year. It would be quite difficult for the Bucs to be able to pay that much with high-profile contracts like Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans on the payroll. Although they have found a way to manipulate the cap in previous seasons, one would assume that the team and Godwin have mutual interest in a return to Tampa, it will not be a decision made for a few months at least.
Lavonte David will be 35 years old when training camp comes around, and as great as he has played over the years, there is no guarantee that he will be returning. KJ Britt is a free agent, and struggled a bit in pass protection this season. J.J. Russell is a restricted free agent and Sirvocea Dennis is coming off an injury that made him miss the entire season.
The off-ball linebacker position is something that is a big concern on paper, regardless if Lavonte returns. Big names like Dre Greenlaw are free agents, but it is unsure if he will be leaving the 49ers. Jihad Campbell, an off-ball linebacker from the University of Alabama would be an option for Tampa, who pick 19th in the draft.
Tampa’s secondary play was shaky this season. Jamel Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, Christian Izien, and Jordan Whitehead all missed time due to injury this season. This led to special teamer Josh Hayes taking snaps at cornerback. With the injury bug making its way through the secondary room this season, it exposed the lack of depth that Tampa has at the position. Bryce Hall was signed before the season, and he also was lost due to injury. Tampa may sign some free agents and make the secondary a big priority in the draft.
Tampa fans have quite a few positives to look forward to. Baker Mayfield is playing out of his mind at the moment. Four of the starting five offensive linemen are locked into contracts for next season with Ben Bredeson being the only free agent. Jalen McMillan stepped up in a massive way when Chris Godwin went down, and Cade Otton had a phenomenal season in the passing game.
Calijah Kancey looked like he has taken a huge step forward in his pass-rushing ability, and YaYa Diaby is another previous draft pick with massive potential. The core of the team is in a great spot, and with a few pieces this offseason, the Bucs may be able to go on a playoff run next year.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
