Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 Position Group Grades
The season is over for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and as we transition to the offseason let's look back on how the team's individual units did.
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, John Wolford
The Bucs took a calculated risk by bringing Mayfield in through free agency. Down and out they got him on a one-year $4 million deal ladened with incentives. After a quarterback competition through training camp with Trask, Mayfield was named the starter and finished with one of his best years as a pro. He posted 4,044 yards passing with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and led the Bucs to a third straight NFC South title, Super Wild Card win, and the Divisional round of playoffs.
Grade: A-
Running Back
Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds, Sean Tucker
It took a while to get going but the Bucs running game started to find their groove towards the latter half of the season. They still finished ranked 32nd in rushing but White showed real promise once things started to click for the second year back. He finished 10 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing but proved to be a dynamic player out of the backfield the Bucs were hoping for. Edmonds was a nice change of pace back, while Tucer essentially had a redshirt year.
Grade: B-
Tight End
Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft
The tight end room was all Otton who showed signs of improvement as a blocker as the season wore on. He didn't come off the field in several games playing every offensive snap. He finished the year with 47 receptions for 455 yards and four scores. Durham was inactive early on but made some critical receptions down the stretch, while Kieft was used primarily as a blocker.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett, Deven Thompkins, David Moore
Evans the immortal, posted his 10th straight 1,000-yard season and tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns, and showed no signs of slowing down. After a slow start, Godwin got cooking and finished with 1,000 yards himself. Behind the top pair of wideouts, the Bucs had several contributors but no one took over the third wide receiver spot. Palmer emerged late and Moore had a few big games but most of the production came from the paint of Evans and Godwin.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
LT Tristan Wirfs, LG Aaron Stinnie, C Robert Hainsey, RG Cody Mauch, RT Luke Goedeke, G/C Nick Leverett, T/G Brandon Walton, G Matt Feiler, T Justin Skule
Despite a rough start in the running game, the Bucs' offensive line was stout in pass protection. Mayfield was sacked 40 times on the year but about 12 of those were him basically getting himself sacked. Wirf's move to the left side resulted in a Pro Bowl nod, while Goedeke's move back to the right side saw him him finish as a top 25 tackles in the NFL. There's a lot to like about Mauch's future as well.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
NT Vita Vea, DE Logan Hall, DE Calijah Kancey, DE William Gholston, DT Greg Gaines, DT Pat O’Connor, DT Mike Greene
There were some rough moments for the Bucs defensive line but the addition of Kancey made a huge impact. He led all rookie defensive linemen in tackles for loss and his speed and athleticism were on display every week. The arrow is only pointing up for the young defensive tackle. Vea was as stout as always and notched 5.5 sacks. While Hall took a jump in year two and made some great plays during the season.
Grade: B
Inside Linebacker
Lavonte David Devin White, K.J. Britt, SirVocea Dennis, J.J. Russell
David is timeless and proved it again this year with a ridiculous statistic output of 134 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. White was atrocious in his contract year and played his way out of Tampa and onto the bench. Britt showed some real promise as a two-down thumper with good instincts and awareness on the field, while Dennis looked good in his one start on the season. David saves the grade that would be much lower if not for him.
Grade: B-
Outside Linebacker
Shaq Barrett, Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Cam Gill, Markess Watts
The Bucs did not get enough production out of this group this season. Diaby led all pass rushers as a rookie with 7.5 sacks in just seven starts. Barrett isn't the sack monster he used to be and might have played his last snap in Tampa due to his contact. Former first-rounder Tryon-Shoyinka was benched for Diaby in Week 10 and managed just five sacks. Nelson is a decent role player but this team needed more from their pass rushers.
Grade: C -
Cornerback
Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis, Zyon McCollum, Christian Izien, Dee Delaney, Josh Hayes
This group was up and down all season. Marred by injuries and inexperience the Bucs allowed the fourth most passing yards per game. Dean struggled mightily early on and then dealt with injuries as did David. McCollum looked much better this year and even saw time at safety but was still beaten on several occasions. Izien got off to a fast start but evened out but wasn't a liability at nickel. While Delaney and Hayes saw some action as well.
Grade: C
Safety
Antoine Winfield Jr., Ryan Neal, Kaevon Merriweather
Winfield Jr. is an All-Pro deservedly so but the Neal was a big swing and a miss. He was often a liability on the field and was benched several times throughout the season. Merriweather showed promise as a rotational guy but the Bucs need to get better at strong safety. Winfield saves this group with phenomenal play this season.
Grade: B
Special Teams
K Chase McLaughlin, P Jake Camarda, LS Zach Triner, KR Deven Thompkins, PR Deven Thompkins, ST Josh Hayes
Outside of Mayfield, McLaughlin was arguably the best offseason free agent acquisition. He was near perfect on the year making 29-31 of his field goal attempts with his two misses coming off blocks. Camarda had some ups and downs but averaged 50.1 yards per punt and broke records for longest punt in Bucs history. The Bucs need more from Thompkins at the returner position, while Hayes was a pleasant surprise as a rookie leading the NFL in special teams tackles.
Grade: B
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