Buccaneers named top team for NFL free agency class

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done great work the past few years to retain their top free agents. Sometimes, that work goes a bit under the radar, given that other teams typically acquire flashy free agents from other teams. Sometimes, though, that work gets appreciated for what it is — keeping continuity with great players.

That's what the Bucs did this time around by retaining players like wideout Chris Godwin and guard Ben Bredeson this year — two players that ended up being bargains, given how the rest of free agency went. This was noted by ESPN analyst Ben Solak, who ranked all 32 teams in the NFL by their free agency class and placed the Buccaneers at No. 5.

Solak was particularly impressed with the discount the Bucs got on Godwin and the money they spent on Bredeson in comparison to other guards in free agency.

"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... All 11 starters from their offense last season are back on the roster. That's great business," Solak wrote.

Tampa Bay was a top-five offense in the league last year, and with new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard learning under Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and utilizing similarities in his system from last year, that offense could keep on firing. If that's the case, Tampa Bay's decision to retain this talent could end up being a great one.

Solak wasn't pleased with everything, though. He mentioned in his rundown that the Buccaneers could have taken a bigger swing at backup quarterback than Kyle Trask, as a team who wants to contend should ideally have a more secure backup if things go wrong with its starting signal caller.

"What happens if Baker Mayfield goes down for a month while the 7-4 Buccaneers are in the thick of the NFC South race?" Solak wrote. "Do they really trust Trask to go 2-2 and keep them on a playoff pace?"

Mayfield is tough as nails and has played through just about every injury he has suffered, but that could end up being a good point if something were to happen. Regardless, Tampa Bay's offense looks primed and ready for another run, and general manager Jason Licht's stellar free agency is a big reason for that.

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