There’s loads of optimism for the Bucs as they head into 2024, and for good motive.
In a whole lot of methods, the roster has improved and addressed its greatest wants over the offseason by way of the 2024 NFL Draft and free company. Tampa Bay stored all of its greatest free brokers and has constructed a younger and hungry roster that appears certain to enhance upon its 2023 season.
Whereas hope is within the air, and that was mirrored in our newest PR Roundtable going over what number of video games the Bucs will win this season, there are some noteworthy considerations that may tremendously have an effect on the staff’s possibilities of profitable the NFC South and occurring one other playoff run. There’s sufficient motive to consider that every of these items will probably be higher, however one must also think about that some issues are certain to not go to plan.
That’s certainly why they play the video games.
Beneath are the 5 greatest considerations about this 12 months’s Bucs staff.
1. What Will Baker Mayfield Do For An Encore?
The most important determinant of how far the Bucs go in 2024 is how far quarterback Baker Mayfield takes them.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Mayfield took the staff farther than anybody anticipated final 12 months, each extending and accelerating the staff’s subsequent rivalry window. With the soundness of his long-term house and a well-known offensive system, there’s a actual chance he may be extra constant beneath heart and even carry out higher than final 12 months.
However as he heads into his seventh season within the league, Mayfield has but to place collectively consecutive above-average years of play. One thing to contemplate is that he has led his staff to 6 or fewer wins in 4 of his first six years. There are numerous components for why this has been the case, as he willed a downtrodden Browns franchise out of the cellar and was dealt a tough hand in 2022 being traded to the Panthers and having a quick run with the Rams.
Nonetheless, one has to make the perfect of the circumstances they’re positioned in, and this 12 months gives him the prospect to proceed righting wrongs and proving worthy of being an NFL quarterback a staff can depend on and construct round.
On this act of his profession, there are not any excuses. He’s surrounded by his finest supporting forged but and has a head coach in Todd Bowles that can preserve the staff in video games primarily based on his defensive acumen. With Liam Coen, the offense will probably be catered and constructed in keeping with Mayfield’s strengths greater than ever earlier than.
All he has to do is go on the market on Sundays and present that he’s worthy of being Tampa Bay’s 100-million-dollar man.
2. How A lot Extra Juice Will Bucs’ Run Recreation Have?
Bucs RB Rachaad White and C Graham Barton – Picture by: USA As we speak
After being ranked dead-last working the ball over the previous two seasons, the Bucs need to curb that pattern in an enormous method this 12 months.
Not solely is Rachaad White seeking to be a extra environment friendly working again, however he can have much more assist. Rookie Bucky Irving already seems to be like he will probably be a key contributor and assist preserve White contemporary all through the season. Sean Tucker could even get a handful of touches and has proven able to breaking an enormous run.
Beneath Liam Coen, the Bucs ought to have a extra modernized offense, and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry seems to be to have the trenches extra in sync by way of creating holes for the working backs to blow up by way of.
Nevertheless, there’s trigger for concern.
This was a story instructed final season and even the 12 months earlier than that. Heading into 2022, Leonard Fournette was signed to a three-year take care of White being his prime backup. Fournette was coming off a 12 months the place he had 180 carries for 812 dashing yards, setting a career-high with 4.5 yards per carry. Final 12 months, Dave Canales got here in as offensive coordinator and stated that he could be “cussed” working the soccer, however the execution of that on the sphere left far more to be desired.
Issues do look completely different this time round, although. There’s a contemporary new perspective on offense alongside the teaching workers and extra expertise within the backfield. Very similar to with Mayfield, the Bucs have set the run sport up for fulfillment on the personnel facet, however with out having a 1,000-yard again in practically a decade, discuss and optimism can solely go to this point. Tampa Bay could discover it to be robust sledding out of the gate in opposition to a stingy Washington protection in Week 1 led by defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
3. Can The Inside Offensive Line Higher Defend Baker Mayfield And Assist RBs?
Heading into the 2024 offseason, the inside offensive line was seen as the most important staff want with left guard being vacant after the departures of veterans Aaron Stinnie and Matt Feiler and heart Robert Hainsey not performing in addition to the staff hoped for. To unravel this difficulty, the Bucs went out and signed left guard Ben Bredeson and drafted heart Graham Barton within the first spherical.
Bucs G Ben Bredeson and C Graham Barton – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Already issues seem like higher upfront as Bredeson has acclimated properly over the offseason, whereas Barton seems to be each little bit of being a high-caliber, long-term reply on the pivot. The inside offensive line’s struggles final 12 months led to a litany of points that held the offense again.
With Stinnie/Feiler, Hainsey, and rookie Cody Mauch struggling at instances, it led to the pocket collapsing on Baker Mayfield and the working backs hesitating and never with the ability to capitalize on the shortly closing holes in entrance of them. It’s paramount for Mayfield, who stands 6-foot-1, to have time to see over his offensive line and discover his receivers, whereas the massive guys have to create sufficient push and leverage to carry their blocks for the backs behind them.
NFL Movies’ Greg Cosell drove this level house when he appeared on the Pewter Report Podcast again in early April.
“You simply spent some huge cash on Baker Mayfield, who’s an excellent thrower of the soccer, however he’s a sure form of quarterback,” Cosell stated. “He may be profitable as that form of quarterback, as we all know, however it’s very laborious for him to achieve success if the depth of the pocket is just not managed and brought care of.”
4. Will The Bucs’ Entrance Seven Generate Enough Strain?
Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Exterior linebacker was the opposite huge want for the Bucs this offseason, and like the inside offensive line, it was shored up by drafting Chris Braswell within the second spherical. Braswell joins a room with loads of uncertainty but in addition a better ground. Yaya Diaby is much more jacked and primed to assault the quarterback this season, whereas the remainder of the room is a mixture of veterans and unproven gamers.
This does elevate some degree of concern by way of what the ground is for this group, particularly when contemplating Diaby has essentially the most sacks of anybody within the room in a single season with 7.5.
Tampa Bay lacks a premium cross rusher or a longtime one at that. There might once more be weeks the place the cross rush is neutralized. Alongside the line of defense, nostril deal with Vita Vea and defensive deal with Calijah Kancey can solely accomplish that a lot, and the staff shouldn’t need to financial institution solely on them and frequent blitzes to generate constant stress.
What lessens this concern is Todd Bowles’ defensive sport planning and prowess in the case of creatively placing collectively personnel packages, however till the gamers begin producing one has to surprise who and the way usually they are going to get after opposing quarterbacks.
5. Does A Revamped Secondary Equate To Higher Play – And Extra Takeaways?
The dearth of takeaways by Tampa Bay’s cornerbacks has been evident over the past couple of seasons. Jamel Dean nor Carlton Davis match the archetype of being a ballhawk, and Davis was jettisoned to the Lions again in March.
With over half of final 12 months’s interceptions made by gamers not on the staff, who will step up on this regard?
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and SS Jordan Whitehead – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Dean is getting into a crossroads form of season in 2024, as he didn’t have the form of season anticipated after signing a four-year, $52 million deal to re-up with the Bucs. Whereas head coach Todd Bowles joked about having to drug check him after he made an interception throughout a coaching camp follow, there’s some reality to that comment, particularly as his dropped interception in opposition to the Lions within the Divisional spherical is one thing that continues to sting.
The staff made loads of strikes to shore up the secondary, from signing free brokers Bryce Corridor, Tavierre Thomas, and Jordan Whitehead and drafting Tykee Smith within the third spherical. Antoine Winfield Jr. will nonetheless make loads of performs and Whitehead is an enormous improve at robust security, however the cornerback place nonetheless has its query marks.
Zyon McCollum takes over Davis’ spot, however he has but to file an interception in 30 video games (12 begins). Whereas McCollum has acknowledged his purpose this season is six interceptions, he first has to point out that he can get one and maintain down a beginning spot. With Dean having some harm considerations and solely having 5 cornerbacks on the energetic roster, it’s a room that might want to show itself, maybe extra so than another place.
