Identifying Buccaneers' most pressing needs heading into free agency and NFL draft

The 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were good, but they weren't great.

There were many ups and downs throughout the season which ended in a first-round playoff loss at the hands of the Washington Commanders. In order for the Bucs to take the next step toward legitimate Super Bowl contention, they'll need to address several positions this offseason, either through free agency, trade, the draft or all of the above.

Let's take a closer look at what their biggest team needs are at this point of the offseason, as it should provide some clues regarding the types of moves GM Jason Licht and his staff may look to make in order to take that necessary step forward in 2025.

Outside Linebacker

YaYa Diaby — Sep 22, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) is introduced before a game against the Denver Broncos at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Over the past several years, the Buccaneers have taken a pressure-by-committee type of approach. Bowles hasn't had the horses to simply rush four down linemen and get pressure the good old-fashioned way. Instead, he's focused his attention on sending exotic games and blitzes in order to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Although Bowles has experienced plenty of success utilizing this approach over the course of his career, 2024 was far from that. If Bowles had an outside pass rush he could count on, it would make life so much easier on the back end of his defense. It's time for Jason Licht to quit messing around, and invest some real capital in a bonafide stud edge rusher.

Cornerback

The Buccaneers' cornerback situation was a major issue this past season. Although Zyon McCollum took a big step forward, he was the only reliable corner the team had all season. Free agent acquisition Bryce Hall was lost for the season before it even began. Veteran outside corner Jamel Dean — who cost the team just under $15 million against the cap last season — couldn't stay on the field. That's unfortunately become a bit of a theme for the Bucs' third-round pick in 2019.

To make matters worse was the lack of depth behind Dean and Hall. Due to their injuries, the team was forced to play a combination of Tyrek Funderburk and Josh Hayes on the outside opposite Zyon McCollum, which proved to be catastrophic as both were torched with regularity regardless of the opponent.

There's a strong possibility the Bucs make the difficult to decision to move on from Dean this offseason. But even if they don't, the team needs to make some moves to shore up some depth at the position. I would expect Jason Licht to sign a veteran corner or two in free agency and draft at least one as well.

Inside Linebacker

Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates after a stop during the fourth quarter of a NFC wild card playoff against the Washington Commanders at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers haven't had reliable play from their linebackers for several years now. Following his stellar performance in 2019 and 2020, Devin White's decline as a serviceable player was precipitous. Meanwhile, Lavonte David has continued to perform exceptionally well for his age at 35 years old. If David does return to Tampa Bay on another 1-year deal, he'll need to begin the process of passing the torch, because the end is near — that is, if he doesn't decide to retire this offseason.

The problem is that Lavonte hasn't had anyone to pass the torch to. SirVocea Dennis has looked promising at times, but he has just 25 tackles in two seasons, primarily because he has been injured for the majority of his two-year professional career. K.J. Britt was never versatile enough to be an NFL starter, but he was thrust into that role by necessity when Devin White fell out of favor. Britt proved this past season he simply doesn't have the tools to get the job done consistently in the NFL, and the Bucs would be wise to look in another direction.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to invest in not one, but two starting-caliber inside linebackers this offseason. Similar to how they could address the cornerback position, the Bucs are likely to pursue this through both free agency and the draft, or maybe even the trade market.

Safety

Antoine Winfield Jr and Tykee Smith — Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) warm up before a NFC wild card playoff against the Washington Commanders at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers thought they had their safety room sorted out when they brought back Jordan Whitehead this past season, but he did not meet expectations. Not only did Whitehead struggle to reacclimate himself within Todd Bowles' defensive scheme, he finished the year on the IR following a car accident that resulted in a serious neck injury. To complicate matters further was the fact that the highest-paid safety in football, Antoine Winfield Jr., was in and out of the lineup all season with different injuries.

The team can (and should) expect Winfield to return to full form next season, but the same can't be said for Jordan Whitehead. Although there has been speculation that the team could look to transition impressive rookie DB Tykee Smith into the safety role, it would make more sense to find a starter through the draft or free agency who could play alongside AWJ on the back end. Keeping Tykee Smith in his current role as a nickel corner where he's able to play closer to the line of scrimmage would likely be the preferred route to take.

Honorable Mentions

The Buccaneers would also stand to benefit from adding a left guard and wide receiver this offseason, but I don't consider either of those spots to be as pressing as the positions mentioned above. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to focus on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, and you can expect Jason Licht to attack each of the positions highlighted above through a combination of free agency, the draft, and the trade market.

Whether or not he's able to make the most of those opportunities is yet to be determined. But in order for the Buccaneers to take a big step towards legitimate contender status in 2025, they'll need to upgrade a number of key positions on the defensive side of the ball.

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