Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 Record: (7-9) 3rd
NFC South
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 28.6 (3rd)
Yards: 397.9 (3rd)
Pass Yards: 302.8 (1st)
Rush Yards: 95.1 (24th)
Defense
Points: 28.1 (29th)
Yards: 343.9 (15th)
Pass Yards: 270.1 (30th)
Rush Yards: 73.8 (1st)
The interesting aspect of what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in
2019 really does leave us starching our heads. Its not that the play on the
field was horrible all the time, but rather the inconsistent nature was the key
issue.
What everyone will remember of the 2019 edition of the Buccaneers
will of course be the play of Jameis Winston. Playing a full 16 game slate for
the first time since 2016 – Winston managed to secure career highs in many
passing categories. Under the tutelage of the Bruce Arians system, the Bucs
were dynamic and forceful through the air. When all was said and done, Winston
threw for a whopping 5109 yards and 33 touchdowns – extremely impressive. The
negative attached to his play was of course the number of turnovers he
accounted for. Passing for a record 30 interceptions and fumbling the ball an
enormous 12 times (five lost), its safe to say where the stumble for the season
came from.
Even more, while most of the blame was placed on Winston and his
erratic performances, the lack of a sound run attack didn’t help the situation
one bit. But adding to the positives, the emergence of Chris Godwin to super
star levels was a common opinion heading into the 2019 offseason. Between the
play of Mike Evans and Godwin for basically the entire season, a sound
foundation is here for this pass game.
With that all said, we can’t ignore all the insufficiency from the
defensive side. And while there are also pieces to this puzzle that have us
intrigued; a lot needs to be figured out to help round out this entire club.
The lone positive from the defense was the top ranked rush stats they employed
- but stopping teams through the air was a massive problem.
While its clear and we have faith that Bruce Arians knows how to
build a roster to winning levels, this offseason should provide the elixir to
move them in the right direction.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
Starting the conversation with how to improve or adjust this
offense, everything begins at the quarterback position and whether they will
entertain resigning Winston to a big money contract. There is also the option
to franchise tag this passer in something of a prove it year to see if his play
can improve in terms of limiting his turnovers. Rumors have already swirled to
suggest Philip Rivers being the potential answer for this stacked receiving
core, but time will tell. Nevertheless, this is the largest decision the Bucs
will have and which way Coach Arians plans to move. For our appetite, we would
tag Winston for one more season and see what will transpire.
When it comes to the receiving core, I believe we have already
articulated our appreciation for Evans and Godwin – but adding Scotty Miller
and Justin Watson to the discussion is a must. Both players are filled with
talent and would provide much needed assistance in 2020. Miller could be one of
the better slot receivers in the game if given the opportunity. This core is
truly one of the better all-around units in terms of talent in the entire
league.
With that, its impossible to review this team without placing our
concern on the offensive line and running back rooms. We all want to criticize
Winston for his issues behind center, but given the fact that this line can’t
do an adequate job in protection, its clear they need a massive upgrade.
Winston was sacked 47 times this past season, and a lot of that should be
placed on the shoulders of this offensive line. Adding to that, not having a
viable run game (which placed at the bottom of the league), finding a running
back to help aid this pass game will be a welcomed sight.
The largest conundrum in our eyes continues to be the lack of
usage for the potential star OJ Howard. Coach Arians clearly didn’t respect
certain aspects of his game or work ethic to provide more playing in such a
pass happy offense. Seeing him find more opportunity could lift this side even
more in 2020.
Truly, this Bucs offense isn’t far off, and would be a top flight
unit if the turnovers were cut in half, provided they could produce a 1000-yard
runner. The upgrades should be vast this offseason.
The Defense
Once again when reviewing the positives this defense holds, the
front seven does carry a boat load of talent which made plays on more than one occasion.
Lead by Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, Lavonte David, Devin White, Jason Pierre-Paul
and of course Shaquil Barrett – how could we not witness more productivity from
this group?
If you followed this club at all this past season, all the issue
rests from the defensive back field. Year-over-year, Tampa Bay simply can’t
figure out how to appropriately draft or sign defensive backs to help round out
this roster. Having cut bait with many first rounders that didn’t pan out (most
recently Vernon Hargreaves), you almost begin to feel sorrow for this scouting
department that can’t seem to get it right. Heading back to the 2018 NFL draft,
we screamed the name Derwin James to be the corner stone of this defense, but
Tampa chose to select Vita Vea instead – still not the correct choice in our
minds. Just imagine if James was the fixture on that back end, we would be
singing a different tune of how dominating this defense was all around.
Nevertheless, the defense does hold a number of talented pieces
that should be able to improve with added depth and playmaking to the
secondary. Some high caliber names do reside as team free agents in need of new
contracts, but we could easily see them all return for the right price.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
While there are some high-profile names that are set to hit the
open market, the fabulous aspect for the Buccaneers rests with the amount of
available cap space they hold. As we sit today, Tampa has a whopping 84.9
million dollars to help revamp this entire roster. Given the fact that this
team still went 7-9 this past season, nearly 85 million could take them back to
the postseason and beyond.
First and foremost, this offseason starts and stops as we said
with what to do with Jameis Winston. Based on the body of work, he should fetch
astronomical dollars on a long-term deal. Granted, the Bucs will be nervous to
be married to Winston without proof of improved ball security. The franchise
tag could be the most appropriate situation.
Building off that, Shaquil Barrett and his near record-breaking
sack season will absolutely bring with it a truck load of funds to his
doorstep. The NFL has moved toward paying individuals who throw the ball first,
and players that rush the passer second to massive money deals. Playing at the
bargain price of 4 million last season, the current market value is set around
16 million per year, hovering around a four to five-year contract, totaling
60-70 million for the position. Locking up Barrett is a no brainer in our
minds.
Adding to the top priority pieces in Winston and Barrett, the Bucs
will also have to consider Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Nassib, and
Breshad Perriman for new contracts. Given the depth at the wide receiver
position, we can’t envision Perriman coming back to a hefty raise after his
late season heroics. However, with how well the run defense was this past
season, it isn’t inconceivable to witness Suh return and perhaps even
Pierre-Paul to keep the front seven intact. Re-upping Suh and JPP will have to
be more on the short-term team friendly side, rather than long term contracts.
To further the outlook, we realize the Bucs have big money in free
space, we still must entertain the options to produce more capital to the
books. While we would never suggest releasing Lavonte David or Ryan Jensen –
offering them new longer-term contracts would inevitably create much more
space. Both players are great pieces to this club and are currently eating up
20.75 million or 9.85% toward the cap in 2020.
In terms of finding players to remove, Cameron Brate and William
Gholston combined hold a healthy 10.75 million this upcoming season and could
be worth releasing. Either way, the Bucs are in a very favorable situation to
build this team the right way once and for all.
The NFL Draft
In terms of the NFL draft, the Buccaneers hold six selections
while missing the seventh-round pick. Based on their record, the Bucs will have
the 14th overall selection in the first round, baring any movement
up or down the board. At this point, still early in the process, many
prognosticators are suggesting that Tampa Bay will entertain drafting another
quarterback from this crop of talent. Seeing some place Oregon’s Justin Herbert
as the heir apparent, we truly wonder.
While we wouldn’t hate the notion that a new passer could be the
answer to much more consistency in the win column, drafting a quarterback in
the first round would ultimately suggest that Winston’s time would be done in
Florida. And while the sexy pick would be finding more offensive weapons, we
could see them not resign Suh or Pierre-Paul and draft defensive line to help
the salary cap. Both could be viable options for this club.
In our eyes, the Bucs should trade down to garner more selections
and help create a roster that will be both youthful and talented at the same
time. There are many ways to build a roster, and finally finding a young
running back at the back end of the first round could be the best scenario. J.K
Dobbins or D’Andre Swift would elevate this offense further - making them a
potential powerhouse.
Needless to say, the Bucs have options to navigate in any
direction, to which the fan-base should be excited at the possibilities. This
could be the start of something very special if built correctly.
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