Free Company Analysis, Draft Dialogue

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds solutions your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account this week within the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your query to the Bucs Mailbag every week by way of X utilizing the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Listed below are the Bucs questions we selected to reply for this week’s version.

QUESTION: With out grading on a curve, what’s the grade you give the Bucs for its offseason efforts up to now? Higher but, why?

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I feel a grade of B-plus or maybe even an A-minus is warranted for the Bucs offseason. They re-signed three key starters in huge receiver Chris Godwin, inside linebacker Lavonte David and left guard Ben Bredeson and added one other starter in former Jets outdoors linebacker Haason Reddick, who ought to assist Tampa Bay’s cross rush off the sting.

Maybe extra importantly, the workforce didn’t lose any key starters in free company, and that’s a testomony to the workforce tradition. The Bucs really don’t have numerous holes now outdoors of discovering a nickel cornerback if Tykee Smith strikes to sturdy security to switch Jordan Whitehead, and maybe discovering an eventual substitute for Jamel Dean at outdoors cornerback reverse Zyon McCollum.

The Bucs bolstered their depth at cornerback with the addition of veteran Kindle Vildor and re-signing Bryce Corridor, who suffered a damaged leg within the season opener in opposition to Washington and was misplaced for the 12 months in 2024. Tampa Bay additionally moved on from Okay.J. Britt and J.J. Russell at inside linebacker and obtained a bit extra skilled and athletic by re-signing Deion Jones, who proved to be a great addition late final season, and importing Anthony Walker Jr. from Miami. Each Jones and Walker are anticipated to be reserves with David and SirVocea Dennis beginning – for now.

Search for the Bucs so as to add one other linebacker and cornerback within the draft, and tackle nickelback as properly. Regardless of signing Reddick, he’s 30 and solely on a one-year deal, so I might see Tampa Bay draft one other outdoors linebacker, too. Discovering one other younger, playmaking receiver must also be on the to-do listing for the draft.

The underside line is that this roster needs to be in competition for one more NFC South division title in 2025 and one other run on the Tremendous Bowl. I consider Tampa Bay is a real contender for the Tremendous Bowl, however not but a favourite within the NFC. The Bucs should show that on the gridiron this 12 months, however one other stellar draft class from Jason Licht and Todd Bowles ought to assist if that occurs, particularly if Tampa Bay finds two or three star-caliber gamers in late April.

QUESTION: Do you suppose the Bucs nonetheless want inside linebacker depth – even when they draft one? Nearly as good as Lavonte David is, he isn’t younger and is ripe for lacking video games at any time.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Whereas I agree that Lavonte David did present some indicators of his taking part in slipping final 12 months, he’s nonetheless one of many league’s higher linebackers – even at age 35. And he’s one of the best and most skilled linebacker on Tampa Bay’s roster. As of proper now, David will begin subsequent to SirVocea Dennis, who’s penciled in at Mike linebacker, changing the duo of Okay.J. Britt and J.J. Russell.

Dennis is coming off a season-ending shoulder damage that required surgical procedure, however he’s been cleared to take part within the Bucs’ offseason program, which begins up quickly. The Bucs actually like him, and he was off to a fantastic begin within the first 4 video games earlier than his shoulder damage, which started in school, flared up. The issue is that he’s solely performed in 17 video games up to now two seasons – and totally on particular groups.

With David at age 35, Deion Jones at 30 and newly added Anthony Walker Jr. turning 30 in July, the Bucs will certainly must draft one other inside linebacker this offseason. Not simply to bolster the expertise on the depth chart, but in addition add a possible future starter. Gamers usually don’t get more healthy with age, and the Bucs had been hit with the damage bug on the inside linebacker place final 12 months with Dennis lacking the final 13 video games of the season, Britt lacking three video games and Russell lacking one.

David has solely missed two video games up to now three seasons as a consequence of damage, and people got here in the course of the 2023 marketing campaign. He began all 18 video games final season. I’d like to see the Bucs draft one other stud linebacker after which put David in a platoon state of affairs the place he’s taking part in 80% of the snaps slightly than 100% of the snaps in every sport. I feel that may prolong David’s shelf-life in 2025 and make him extra productive in every sport and cut back his damage threat.

QUESTION: A fan since 1984, I keep in mind the workforce having to overpay for lower than premium/unproven/questionable free brokers at instances all through the many years. Now they preserve these premium gamers at what I’d say is a reduction. Is all of it about tradition?

Bucs WR Chris Godwin and GM Jason Licht, picture by: Cliff Welch P/R

ANSWER: Sure, there’s little doubt about it. It’s half tradition, however it’s additionally the truth that the Bucs are a winner. They’ve received the final 4 NFC South championships and have made the playoffs 5 straight years. If Tampa Bay hadn’t been a playoff workforce in every of the final 5 years, I feel it will be a lot tougher to retain the workforce’s free brokers – and the Bucs actually wouldn’t be getting any hometown reductions.

Head coach Todd Bowles may be very fashionable among the many gamers and common supervisor Jason Licht has a fantastic relationship with the workforce as properly. Each males are properly favored and properly revered by the gamers. That goes a great distance when it comes to retention every year when free company rolls round.

The opposite factor is workforce chemistry. Licht has finished a a lot better job of avoiding turds within the draft and in free company – guys who could also be egocentric or simply lack the mandatory chemistry to have true workforce cohesion. Licht and the scouts in his entrance workplace examine the particular person as a lot because the participant relating to draft prospects and potential free brokers. The Bucs need to draft and signal gamers who shall be good teammates and love the sport of soccer as a lot or extra as their paychecks.

We’ve seen Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin not break the financial institution relating to their contract extensions. And legendary Lavonte David has determined to essentially work with the workforce on his greenback quantity in every one in every of his one-year offers over the previous few offseasons as a result of he is aware of how necessary it will be to him to retire as a real Buccaneer, having performed each season in Tampa Bay.

I feel Tom Brady signing with the Bucs for $25 million per 12 months, which was a relative cut price, was key for the gamers to see. Brady might have gotten extra in free company elsewhere – or maybe squeezed Licht and assistant common supervisor Mike Greenberg for more cash – however he is aware of that the wage cap pie is simply so massive. The larger the piece that he takes the much less that is still for others. I feel gamers like Evans and Godwin, particularly, noticed that in motion and have carried on that mindset, which has – and can – rub off on youthful Bucs gamers come contract extension time.

QUESTION: Hey Scott, I don’t know if this has been requested in a Bucs Mailbag earlier than, however are you able to see a situation the place Jason Licht trades again within the first spherical, and the way probably would you say that’s proper now?

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, DT Calijah Kancey and GM Jason Licht – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I can undoubtedly see a situation the place Jason Licht trades again this 12 months. If there are a number of gamers left within the Bucs’ first-round pool and he can stockpile some draft picks later in this 12 months’s draft or choose up a draft choose in 2026 I wouldn’t be shocked if Licht strikes down a bit within the first spherical. We even noticed Licht commerce out of the primary spherical in 2022 and draft defensive deal with Logan Corridor with the primary general choose within the second spherical at No. 33, so he’s finished it earlier than.

But at No. 19, there could possibly be a participant there that the Bucs actually like. And if that participant is there, go forward and choose him. The final time Tampa Bay had the No. 19 choose, it used it on defensive deal with Calijah Kancey again in 2023. The important thing shall be figuring out if there’s one participant who is actually graded larger within the workforce’s first-round draft pool or if the remaining gamers left are all sort of grouped collectively.

Whereas Pewter Report is the authority on the Bucs’ draft, I don’t know who Tampa Bay will draft, nor do I do know who ranks the place on the workforce’s draft board. I additionally don’t know if Licht will in truth pull the set off on a commerce or not, so I can’t actually guess on how probably that situation occurs.

One factor I’ll say is that the Bucs don’t have a bunch of holes on their roster after free company, so six draft picks would possibly suffice when it comes to stockpiling the workforce with depth. Bear in mind, there are solely 53 gamers on the season roster, so six extra additions – really, let’s say 5 draft picks make the workforce – would signify 10% of the workforce, which is important.

QUESTION: What do you suppose is the next precedence draft-wise for the Bucs, a cornerback or an inside linebacker?

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I feel each cornerback and inside linebacker are necessary – most likely on the identical scale. If the Bucs want to transfer on from the oft-injured Jamel Dean and discover a more healthy playmaker within the secondary, which is the case, then you possibly can make an argument that cornerback is the highest precedence. But Dean remains to be on the workforce and the Bucs would possibly hold on to him for the remainder of 2025 to both function the short-term starter or as skilled, veteran depth.

Whereas Lavonte David is again for one more season at age 35, the 2025 marketing campaign might very properly be his final. So discovering one other future starter can be necessary. Drafting one other linebacker this 12 months is crucial as a result of then that participant might be taught from David in 2025, which might be extraordinarily helpful. And given SirVocea Dennis’ penchant for being injured, having one other younger, expertise inside linebacker on the workforce for depth this 12 months additionally has super worth.

The excellent news is that the workforce can tackle each wants on this 12 months’s draft. The bottom line is to discovering the correct participant in the correct spherical. Simply because Tampa Bay drafts a cornerback forward of inside linebacker – or vice versa – doesn’t essentially imply one place has been prioritized over one other.