Top Needs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers During Upcoming 2023 NFL Draft
We are just over two months away from the 2023 NFL Draft.
There is plenty of uncertainty regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.
For one, we have little to no idea who will be playing quarterback for this football team. What we do know though, is that there will be plenty of other holes to fill on the roster before the first ball is kicked off in September.
As it stands, the Buccaneers are approximately $55M over the salary cap. The team is likely to cut a number of players from the current roster, while also being expected to lose some key contributors to free agency. As a result, GM, Jason Licht, and the rest of the Buccaneers' scouting department will undoubtedly be feeling the pressure to add impact players via this year's NFL Draft.
Although we don't yet have any clue as to which players the Buccaneers' scouting department may be zeroing in on at this point in the process — or what positions will be addressed in free agency — we can still surmise which position groups would benefit the most from an injection of talent.
Spoiler Alert: There are a lot of them.
EDGE RUSHER
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in desperate need of some juice off the edge. With Shaquil Barrett suffering a torn achilles in week 8 of last season, this group is incredibly thin. So much so, that the team's nose tackle, Vita Vea, actually led the Buccaneers in sacks in 2022 with 6.5. Second on the team? Still not an edge rusher. That was Devin White with 5.5.
Meanwhile, the importance of pressuring the quarterback can not be overstated. When you consider the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — who just faced off in the Super Bowl — finished the regular season ranked first and second in team sacks (Eagles, 70, Chiefs, 55), it's not hard to see how a competent pass rush can positively impact a team's overall performance.
Where they choose to draft one, I'm not sure, but I can't see a scenario where the Buccaneers don't look to add an edge rusher in the draft.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
2022 was supposed to be a dominant season for the Bucs' interior defensive line. Although Vita Vea had arguably his best year, the same cannot be said for the rest of this group. Will Gholston was not as impactful as he'd proven to be over the last several seasons. Rookie, Logan Hall, had a disappointing debut campaign. Akiem Hicks, the team's replacement for Ndamukong Suh, was injured for the majority of the season, and thus unable to contribute anywhere close to what was expected of him.
Things just didn't go according to plan for the Bucs' defensive line in 2022.
Now looking ahead to 2023, change is inevitable. Gholston, Hicks, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches are all free agents. Although everyone in Tampa will be hoping to witness a big step from Logan Hall in year two, having a rotation of bodies is essential for any interior defensive line group to succeed.
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Depending on the term and cost, I think bringing Gholston and Nunez-Roches back on short-term contracts could still make sense. But even if that happens, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Buccaneers take a shot on another defensive tackle in this year's draft.
CORNERBACK
Last season, the Buccaneers had one of the best outside cornerback tandems in the NFL, with Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean forming a very effective pairing. Unfortunately for the Bucs, their secondary was ravaged by injury throughout the year, and their anticipated starters were only able to play a handful of games together.
Even more unfortunate for Tampa Bay is the fact that Jamel Dean is now an unrestricted free agent. Dean is a long, athletic, and physical corner who has continued to ascend each year that he's been in the league.
I would hope that Jason Licht, Mike Greenberg, and co. make a concerted effort to try and retain Dean's services. Because if not, then what should have been a strength for the Bucs this past season will immediately become a glaring weakness.
Even if the Buccaneers' are able to re-sign Dean, who is expected to have many suitors on the open market, which will likely result in him exceeding Carlton Davis' contract last year, Tampa Bay will absolutely need to add some depth to this position group by way of the draft.
It's important to note that Sean Murphy-Bunting is also an unrestricted free agent, so regardless of what happens with Dean, I'd expect Licht to draft at least one cornerback this year.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
There's a good chance that the Buccaneers decide to cut left tackle, Donovan Smith, in order to alleviate some of the cap constraints they're currently faced with. Smith is coming off arguably his worst season to date. His propensity for committing penalties (led the NFL), and getting burned off the line by opponents, is simply not acceptable for a veteran player who's set to earn over $15M next season.
Should the Buccaneers decide to move on from Smith, they'll absolutely need to draft a tackle in the early rounds of this year's draft. Even if they decide to keep Smith around, it would make a lot of sense to bring in a talented tackle prospect to bookend the opposite side of the line to Tristan Wirfs (whichever side that ends up being).
TIGHT END
Following the departure of Rob Gronkowski to retirement, and the inevitable decline in Cameron Brate's performance, the Buccaneers were forced to rely on two late-round rookies as their primary contributors at the tight end position this past season.
Luckily for Tampa Bay, the 2023 draft class is loaded with quality tight-end prospects. Although I could see Jason Licht attempting to add reinforcements to this position group via free agency, that shouldn't preclude him from adding one in the draft as well.
RUNNING BACK
Due to his deteriorating burst and explosiveness, I expect the Buccaneers to cut ties with Leonard Fournette this offseason. In doing so, the team will not only create some much-needed cap space, but they'll also provide a clearer avenue for their talented second-year back, Rachaad White, to become the top dog.
Still though, every team needs a variety of running backs in their rotation. Ke'Shawn Vaughn is under contract for one more year, and drafting another would give the Buccaneers a trio of rushers, all of whom would be playing on their rookie contracts.
So not only would drafting a running back provide the team with some much-needed depth at the position, but it would allow them to do so while spending fewer dollars per each rushing yard gained.
As the offseason continues to unfold, with roster cuts and free agency decisions yet to be finalized, we'll get a much clearer picture of what type of plan Jason Licht has mapped out for this year's NFL Draft, which is set to take place on April 28th.
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But if it were happening tomorrow, I'd be shocked if the Buccaneers didn't try to address the majority of the positions listed above.
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