What Are the Buccaneers' Five Biggest Needs This Offseason?
Quarterback
Well, duh.
The Buccaneers' biggest priority this offseason is finding a capable quarterback to replace Tom Brady. No one should be expected to produce at the level Brady did over the last two seasons, but with that being said, the Bucs are almost certain to be in the market for a proven commodity at the position who could take over the offense rather seamlessly.
The pool of free agent quarterbacks isn't all that enticing, but the potential to trade for a star passer appears to be pretty great. The status of Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Seattle's Russell Wilson, Houston's Deshaun Watson and San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo futures with their teams, to name a few, are up in the air at this time, and the Buccaneers have reportedly looked into trading for at least two of those signal-callers.
The Bucs won't replace Brady with a quarterback in the upcoming draft, that much is almost guaranteed. General manager Jason Licht shared in early February that the team believes 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask "stacks up" with the passers in this year's class — whether he is Brady's heir apparent or not has yet to be determined, but Trask is a clear roadblock between the Bucs and prospects such as Matt Corral, Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell and others.
Running back
The top three running backs on Tampa Bay's 2021 depth chart — Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones II and Giovani Bernard — will no longer be members of the team come free agency unless they earn a new contract. From a roster numbers perspective, the team may not have a bigger need than at running back, but when you weigh positional relevance, quarterback obviously tops the list.
Fournette has likely played himself into a pay raise given his production this season, while Jones saw his usage decrease significantly as a result of Fournette's breakthrough. Tampa may want to keep at least one of these backs around, but it can be argued that both players could find greener pastures elsewhere.
Bernard would actually make a lot of sense to re-sign. His salary was minimal in 2021 after signing as a free agent, and although he played well within his role as a third-down back, he didn't exactly produce his way into a big contract this offseason.
Retaining Bernard alongside rising third-year back Ke'Shawn Vaughn, along with selecting a running back in the early-to-middle rounds of the draft such as Florida's Dameon Pierce, Iowa State's Breece Hall, and Georgia's James Cook among others, wouldn't be the worst result in the world.
Offensive line
40 percent of the Bucs' starting offensive line is set to hit free agency next month, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Tampa Bay prioritizing a new contract for at least one of those players. He may be the more expensive contributor of the two, but when you consider production paired with age, guard Alex Cappa (27 years old) would be sensible to re-sign over center Ryan Jensen (will be 31 in May).
Assuming the Bucs can only keep one, or perhaps neither, the team will need to identify new starting-caliber players for their interior line ahead of the 2022 season. Backup Robert Hainsey, Tampa's third-round pick a year ago, has been groomed to replace Jensen at center for almost a year and will be expected to step up, but that shouldn't stop the Bucs from targeting a veteran center to at least back Hainsey up.
If the Buccaneers opt to keep Jensen over Cappa, a new right guard will need to be found. Aaron Stinnie (also a free agent) has served as a spot-starter over the last two seasons at guard and wouldn't be the worst option to re-sign and promote to the starting lineup, but whether it's through the second and third waves of free agency or the draft, the Bucs could probably find a more intriguing option.
Depth at tackle could also improve as Josh Wells has been mediocre when he's taken the field. Wells' contract will also expire in March. Expect the Bucs to take a look at mid-round tackles in the draft that can be developed as swing reserves.
Defensive line
Ndamukong Suh, William Gholston, Steve McLendon and Pat O'Connor, two starters and two backups, are set to hit the market in the coming weeks, leaving the Buccaneers' defensive line cupboard rather bare. Young defensive line talent was a need for Tampa Bay last offseason but it went unaddressed, but that isn't likely to be the case this time around.
In fact, AllBucs tends to believe the Buccaneers will have a defensive lineman secured via the upcoming draft before the third round gets underway. Prospects to keep an eye on as scheme fits include Texas A&M's DeMarvin Leal, Georgia's Devonte Wyatt, Houston's Logan Hall, and Oklahoma's Perrion Winfrey among others.
We could see the Buccaneers re-signing one or two of their free-agent linemen, probably dependent upon their financial commands, and pairing those veterans with young talent. Suh (35) and McLendon (36) aren't getting any younger, which leaves Gholston and O'Connor as likely targets to re-sign.
Cornerback
Carlton Davis III's imminent free agency is one of Tampa Bay's biggest offseason storylines, it's just been overshadowed by Brady's retirement. The franchise tag could be in play for the rising fifth-year cornerback, as Davis would earn a hefty deal on the free-agent market that the Bucs wouldn't be able to afford without ample contract restructures to produce cap space.
Should Davis return — whether it be via extension or the tag — cornerback will still remain a need, although it would become more of a future need than a current one. If Davis is tagged, that would mean the Bucs' starting cornerback trio — Davis, Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting — would all become free agents next offseason. One way or another, the Bucs could use a No. 3-to-4 corner to develop in 2022.
Whereas, if Davis ended up hitting the market this year, Tampa Bay would need to identify a new starting outside cornerback opposite Dean. That would open the door to a first-round corner in the draft or a less expensive free agent. Florida's Kaiir Elam and Clemson's Andrew Booth possess skill-sets that mesh with defensive coordinator Todd Bowles' prototype at the position.
Honorable mention positions of need: Wide receiver, tight end
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