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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offseason

chrisbeasley February 22nd

The 2023 offseason is here for the NFL. And it brings with it opportunities for all 32 teams to improve. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers it seems like improvement is unlikely. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason started with Tom Brady announcing his retirement. This is the biggest question mark on the roster. What will Tampa Bay do to fill the void left by Brady? But it’s not just Brady the Buccaneers will be looking to replace. Tampa Bay has 24 other free agents they need to replace. There is a need in Tampa Bay for youth. In 2022 the Buccaneers were the oldest team in the NFL. Tom Brady obviously added to that. But the Buccaneers were still the only team in the league with an average age over 27. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason needs to see a big time youth movement.

The coaching staff has undergone a transformation after a disappointing 2022 season. OC Byron Leftwich is gone, and in comes Dave Canales. Canales has been in Seattle for the last decade is different roles on the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps the biggest feather in Dave’s cap is the resurgence of QB Geno Smith in 2022 as the Passing Game Coordinator. Todd Bowles is still in charge. Bowles is held in high regard across the NFL coaching ranks. However his record as a head coach is less than impressive. It feels like Bowles is firmly on the hot seat heading into the 2023 season. Here is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason preview, needs, and information.

  • Notable Free Agents

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offseason Free Agents

    (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

    • ILB Lavonte David
    • DE Akiem Hicks
    • DE William Gholston
    • WR Julio Jones
    • CB Jamel Dean
    • TE Kyle Rudolph
    • CB Sean Bunting
    • DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
    • DE Carl Nassib
    • CB Logan Ryan
    • RB Giovanni Bernard
    • S Keanu Neal
    • S Mike Edwards
    • QB Blain Gabbert
    • G Aaron Stinnie
    • RT Josh Wells
    • WR Breshad Perriman
    • DE Pat O’Connor
    • DE Genard Avery
    • WR Scotty Miller

    These are just a few of the 24 free agents the Buccaneers need to replace. Tom Brady could be included on this list, but since he is retired, I chose to leave him off. There aren’t a ton of top-tier players on this list. However, depth is often underrated this time of the year, but we all know the importance of it come December.

  • Salary Cap

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offseason Salary Cap

    (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently $55.594 million over the cap. GM Jason Licht has a tall task in front of him to get the team under the cap while bringing in new talent. The Buccaneers might be better served taking it on the chin this year and reset the cap moving beyond 2023.

  • Draft Picks

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Picks

    (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

    The Buccaneers own 9 picks in the NFL Draft. I expect them to move back from a few of these picks to get more youth on the roster.

    – Round 1, Pick 19
    – Round 2, Pick 50
    – Round 3, Pick 82
    – Round 5, Pick 155
    – Round 5, Pick 175
    – Round 6, Pick 161
    – Round 6, Pick 196
    – Round 7, Pick 232
    – Round 7, Pick 253
     

  • Team Needs

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason Team Needs

    (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

    – Quarterback
    – Secondary
    – Offensive Line
    – Linebacker

    Right now Kyle Trask is the only quarterback under contract for 2023. Bucs fans want him to pan out, but I don’t see it happening. Trask hasn’t been able to beat out Gabbert for the backup spot. There have been reports that he has had a tough time learning the playbook. That was with the same offense in his first 2 seasons. There is a new OC coming in this year with a new playbook. The Bucs need to figure this spot out. The secondary is being decimated. Starters Jamel Dean, Mike Edwards, and Logan Ryan are all free agents. Some for backups Sean Murphy-Bunting and Keanu Neal.

  • Conclusion

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offseason Conclusion

    (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

    The Bucs are in a tough spot this offseason. There is a bunch of talent still on the roster, but essentially zero depth. The nine draft picks will help with depth and youth. Being $55 million over the cap will make it difficult to revamp the roster on the fly. My thought is the Bucs should eat all of the cap money this year and retool for 2024. Sure they could restructure contracts, which they’ll have to do regardless, but I don’t see this team competing with the huge question marks at quarterback. Jason Licht has his work cut out for him this offseason.

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