The 2023 season is approaching, so the editorial staff of DNA of Sports invites you to take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of the 32 franchises. Today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023. You can find all the presentations by clicking on this link.
After three seasons with Tom Brady, 32 wins for 18 losses and a won Super Bowl, the Buccaneers arrive the day after.
Only one being is missing and everything is depopulated?
Last season: 8 wins – 9 losses, 1st in NFC South, elimination in the 1st round of the playoffs
Movements in the off-season
Notable arrivals: Baker Mayfield (QB), Chase Edmonds (RB), Greg Gaines (DT), Ryan Neal (S)
Resignatures: Jamel Dean (CB), Lavonte David (LB), Nick Leverett (OG), William Gholston (DE), Deadrin Senat (DT), Pat O’Connor (DE/ST), Anthony Nelson (Edge)
Draft: Calijah Kancey (DT), Cody Mauch (OG), Yaya Diaby (Edge), SirVocea Dennis (LB), Payne Durham (TE), Josh Hayes (CB), Trey Palmer (WR), Jose Ramirez (Edge)
Notable departures: Tom Brady (QB), Donovan Smith (OT), Leonard Fournette (RB), Shaq Mason (OG), Mike Edwards (S), Keanu Neal (S)
Succeeding Tom Brady, even at the end of his career, will not be easy for Baker Mayfield. Especially since if TB12 has retired, $35 million of his contract still counts in the payroll! More than $70M impact the salary cap Tampa Bay in 2023, with players no longer on the roster (dead money): Tom Brady but also Donovan Smith, Leonard Fournette, Akiem Hicks, Shaquille Mason etc.
In fact, the Bucs racked their brains to replace departures at a lower cost. Safety Mike Edwards signed a $3 million contract with Kansas City and they replaced him by giving Ryan Neal $1 million. Same logic with runner Chase Edmonds ($1M) taking the place of Leonard Fournette costing four times as much in 2022. Manager Jason Licht has therefore tried to limit the loss of sporting level while being financially limited to recruit.
He nevertheless managed to extend two very important defenders: Lavonte David and Jamel Dean.
The strong points)
THE front seven remains the strength of this defense and this team. On the first curtain, the players are all high draft picks and seem very complementary: the imposing Vita Vea, the slender Logan Hall and the small but explosive Calijah Kancey. With them, Greg Gaines arrives from Los Angeles. A combative player, he was a pillar of the Rams defense during the Super Bowl won at the end of the 2021 season: 90% of defensive games against the Bengals. Signing 4 sacks in each of the last two seasons, he brings quality to a position where rotation is essential.
Behind them, one of the best pairs of linebackers in the entire league: Devin White and Lavonte David. No doubt the latter will see his number 54 retired by the franchise, and his 124 tackles in 2022 shows that he is still among the best at 33 years old. He is also very good on cover and thus complements the very fast Devin White. Rookie SirVocea Dennis is well known to college football fans and his game intelligence will do wonders in the rotation. Depending on the quality of his development, he could, in the short or medium term, replace a Devin White publicly unhappy to be in this franchise unable to provide him with a juicy contract extension.
How can we talk about the Buccaneers without mentioning receiver Mike Evans? Nine NFL seasons and over 1000 yards each time! Too rarely cited among the best in his position, he nevertheless has a rare productivity. In 2023, Mike Evans will still thunder the cannons of the pirate ship present in the stadium.
In the last 30 games, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has only conceded 5 sacks and 6 penalties! Only 24 years old, he is already in the top 5 NFL at his position (and not 5th). With the departure of Donovan Smith, he will change sides in 2023. Incredibly athletic for his size, he offers one of the best value for money while still on his rookie contract.
The weak spots)
Carlton Davis is a good cornerback because he knows how to prevent receptions: 68 times in five seasons. But he knows too little about taking the ball from his opponents: only 7 interceptions in 71 games! Same observation for outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. In 2022, he signs 42 pressures but only 4 sacks. For comparison, Brandon Graham (Eagles) also signed 42 pressures in 2022 but with 11 sacks! Defending a pass or putting the quarterback under pressure is important, but recovering the ball and losing yards by putting the quarterback on the ground is what changes the momentum of a game.
For the two guard positions, Tampa Bay is counting on two players from a lower university level. Not drafted in 2014, Matt Feiler was able to hang on for three seasons in training teams without playing any NFL game! Since then, he has been correct with the Steelers then the Chargers, but little more. Moreover, the latter cut it in March. He will start on the left (LG).
Cody Mauch played tackle with North Dakota State but his size and his liveliness make him more of an NFL guard. A guard must be sharp because their opponents are aligned closer than those of the offensive tackles: the danger therefore arrives more quickly! Left tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen bring quality to this offensive line but the other three (along with right tackle Luke Goedeke) will need to be level.
It seems a long time ago when the tight ends of Tampa Bay were Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate! Entering his 2nd season, Cade Otton acts as number 1. His 392 yards and 2 touchdowns seem to be a correct result for a beginner, but insufficient to bring more to the attack. Ko Kieft, meanwhile, is a good blocker but not more.
Hope for this position comes from rookie Payne Durham. Rising to almost two meters, he has a wingspan greater than those of some offensive tackles in the NFL! After two very good seasons at Purdue University and remarkable performances during the 2023 Senior Bowl, Payne Durham has been wearing number 87 since high school in tribute to Rob Gronkowski: it is up to him to succeed him.
X Factor: Baker Mayfield (QB)
A quarterback must have leadership to carry his teammates with him and Baker Mayfield has a lot of style (a word coined by Shakespeare). Number 1 in the 2018 draft, he is looking for a place to rebound his career after Cleveland, Carolina and Los Angeles (Rams). This spirit of revenge must motivate him after three franchises not wishing to prolong the adventure with him.
Coming of age (28), can Baker Mayfield experience the same surprise success as Geno Smith (Seahawks) last year? Add an asset to make this happen: Dave Canales was the Seattle quarterbacks coach in 2022 and he is now Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator!
Player to watch: Calijah Kancey (DE/DT)
Coach Todd Bowles has always relied on a penetrating front-curtain player: Calais Campbell in Arizona, Leonard Williams with the Jets and Ndamukong Suh for three seasons in Tampa Bay. No doubt Calijah Kancey’s draft is a gift to the coach.
Accustomed to facing opponents bigger than him, Calijah Kancey has developed enough technique to beat them. His qualities of speed then do the rest!
2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule
@Vikings, Bears, Eagles, @Saints, rest, Lions, Falcons, @Bills, @Texans, Titans, @49ers, @Colts, Panthers, @Falcons, @Packers, Jaguars, Saints, @Panthers
Division games are never easy and the rest of the schedule is not easy with matchups against the Vikings, Eagles, Lions, Bills and 49ers! Especially since it is not ideal to have a week off so early in the season (from week 5).
The audio preview of the podcast
In summary
The workforce is not bad but probably too far from the best. The NFC South division does not seem impregnable because the 4 franchises lack, more or less, certainties at the quarterback position (Panthers, Falcons, Saints). But going to the playoffs would be a surprise!
Each season brings its share of the unexpected and some teams win more games than expected. All the fans always show a lot of hope ahead of the season. But after how many games will they be disappointed in Tampa Bay?
