Buccaneers could bring back offensive Super Bowl champion

NFL free agency is set to ramp up in March, and because of that, multiple teams are doing some housekeeping before the chaos arrives.

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are worrying about re-signing Chris Godwin or making a splash for other free agents, the Cincinnati Bengals are clearing some room. One of the things they've done to do that is release guard Alex Cappa, who would have cost $10.2 million against their salary cap in 2025 if he remained with the team.

The #Bengals released veteran guard Alex Cappa.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 3, 2025

Buccaneers fans may remember Cappa well — he was a guard on the line that won a Super Bowl in 2020 protecting Tom Brady and then won 13 games in 2021 the season afterward. The Buccaneers have a need at guard, too, as they haven't re-signed guard Ben Bredeson after he played on a one-year contract from last year. So with all that in mind, should the Buccaneers bring back a piece of their Super Bowl team to Tampa Bay?

Should the Buccaneers sign Alex Cappa in free agency?

Absolutely not. Cappa is far from the performer he was during that Super Bowl run.

Cappa wasn't just bad — he was one of the worst guards in the NFL. Per Pro Football Focus, Cappa was tied for worst in sacks allowed for qualifying guards (8) and the worst guard in the league in pressures allowed (51). He netted an abysmal 39.7 pass-blocking grade, which simply won't cut it.

Cincinnati Bengals guard Alex Cappa on the line of scrimmage against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

One could vouch for chemistry with the offensive line, given he used to play in Tampa Bay, but even that is no longer the case. Only Tristan Wirfs remains of the players that he used to play with, and he was a right tackle back when Cappa was a Buccaneer. Having moved over to the left, Cappa would be next to Luke Goedeke, who he never played with on the line, so there's no intrinsic benefit to that, either.

The Bucs would be much better off re-signing Ben Bredeson. It took a while for him to get going last year, but strong play for most of the season was a big part of Tampa Bay's success on the offensive line and the team would be able to bring some continuity to the unit for the second year in a row.

It would be best to leave Cappa in the past — and to be able to think of fonder memories when he wore red and pewter.

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