Buccaneers obliterate NFC South opponents on free agency report card

Quietly, Buccaneers' general manager Jason Licht has already put together a stellar offseason.

The scary part? The NFL Draft hasn't even happened yet. And despite a few minor hiccups, Licht has proven, especially in recent years, to be one of the most consistent drafters in the NFL when it comes to finding value and pro-ready prospects able to contribute almost immediately.

Although Licht and his staff haven't spent much money on external free agents over the past half decade, the reason for that is simply because they've had so much success through the draft that they've had to focus the majority of their resources almost exclusively on retaining their best players.

It's a formula that the Buccaneers have had great success in executing, and it's also an approach they would be thrilled to see continue in the years to come.

That being said, free agency remains a key component to building an NFL team. And with the climax of free agency already in the rearview, and all eyes looking forward to the draft, it's as good of a time as any to reflect on which teams have excelled during this year's free agency period and which have floundered.

ESPN's NFL analyst Ben Solak recently took on the task of ranking each NFL team based on which rosters have improved the most following free agency.

Solak came away extremely impressed by what Jason Licht and the Buccaneers have achieved, and ranked the Buccaneers 5th overall on his list of most improved rosters. Here's what he had to say:

"I loved: The continuity. You won't find the Buccaneers on many winners/losers lists, but they grade very highly for me given how well they spent their money. In retaining Bredeson, they got a starting guard for $11 million per year -- a huge discount relative to the market for Will Fries and Aaron Banks. In retaining Godwin, they got a high-end WR2 for $22 million per year — an impossible discount relative to what other teams would have spent on him as a low-end WR1."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Solak continued to praise the Bucs for their consistent ability to retain their own players.

"The best news? The Buccaneers know how Godwin and Bredeson work in their system, so a lot of the uncertainty inherent to free agency is avoided. All 11 starters from their offense last season are back on the roster. That's great business."

The ultimate objective in the NFL is obviously to be the last team standing at the end of the season. That said, the more immediate goal is to outpace the opponents within your own division. For the Buccaneers that's been easy work in recent years, having captured the last four NFC South Division titles. The season prior? They won the Super Bowl.

As a result of the emphasis placed on division rivalries in the NFL, it feels worthwhile to consider how the rest of the NFC South fared in this roster improvement ranking. And the answer is, to put it bluntly... not well.

Beyond the Buccaneers, the next most improved roster from the NFC South this offseason was the New Orleans Saints, who ranked 15 spots behind Tampa Bay at 20th overall. Next best? The Carolina Panthers at 25. The NFC South team with the worst offseason from a roster improvement perspective, though, was the Atlanta Falcons, who Solak believes had the worst offseason in the entire NFL

"I loved: Pretty much nothing." said Solak. "I didn't love: Pretty much everything.".

Of course one ESPN analyst's opinion does not determine which NFL teams have actually improved the most so far this offseason. That won't be quantifiable until some point next season. That said, it must be nice for Buccaneers fans to see an objective opinion identify such a stark difference between what their team has accomplished this offseason compared to the rest of the NFC South division.

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