2024 NFL Season Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Year: 9-8)



Season Summary:
The Buccaneers were projected as a bottom-five team entering the 2023 season. They were able to win nine games, though many of their victories were very fluky. It’s highly unlikely that Tampa Bay has the same success next year unless it makes lots of upgrades.



2024 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
G Sua Opeta, C Ben Bredeson, DE/OLB Randy Gregory, CB Bryce Hall, CB Tavierre Thomas, S Jordan Whitehead.
Early Draft Picks:
C Graham Barton, DE/OLB Chris Braswell, S/CB Tykee Smith, WR Jalen McMillan, RB Bucky Irving. Buccaneers Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
OT Greg Gaines, G Matt Feiler, DE William Gholston, DE/OLB Shaq Barrett, LB Devin White, CB Carlton Davis, S Ryan Neal.

2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense:
It seemed as though the Buccaneers would lose Mike Evans this offseason. Evans told the media he wanted to go to a team with a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Yet, he re-signed with the Buccaneers soon after he made that statement. Baker Mayfield was then retained shortly later. Evans either changed his mind or is crazy enough to believe that Mayfield can win a Super Bowl.

Mayfield performed relatively well last year, throwing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, all while leading the Buccaneers to the second round of the playoffs. Mayfield, however, was able to benefit from Dave Canales’ excellent coaching, as was Geno Smith the prior year. Smith regressed without Canales, and Mayfield is likely to do the same while navigating through a tougher schedule than he had last year.

There are two silver linings for Mayfield. One is that he gets to keep both of his receivers. As mentioned earlier, Evans will be back. The same can be said of Chris Godwin. Evans is 31 now, however, so he could begin regressing. Godwin’s production declined last year as well. The Buccaneers don’t have much of an insurance policy for the two wideouts unless third-round rookie Jalen McMillan performs well immediately.

The second silver lining for Mayfield is that his front office used its opening-round selection on an offensive lineman. That would be Graham Barton, who is capable of playing center or guard. Barton, who is likely to start at the former position, will be a big upgrade for a team that had poor interior blocking last year. The surrounding guards are Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch. Both were among the worst starting guards in the NFL last year, but Mauch is a recent second-round pick, so he has some potential.

The tackle play will be much better, and not only by default. Tristan Wirfs is one of the top edge protectors in the NFL. His bookend is Luke Goedeke, another recent second-round pick. Goedeke was one of the most improved players in the NFL last year.

The improved blocking from Barton will help Rachaad White as well. White isn’t a great runner by any means, but he’s decent enough to be a starter. His strength is catching the ball out of the backfield.



2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense:
Tom Brady was obviously a major component during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl winning season in 2020, but the defense was a major factor as well. Tampa Bay was sixth in yards allowed that year. It had maintained a ranking of 13th or better in that regard ever since – until last year. The Buccaneers were 23rd in that department in 2023.

There are a couple of reasons for Tampa Bay’s sudden defensive decline. The first is a diminished pass rush. The Buccaneers placed tons of pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2020, but that wasn’t the case last year, as the team ranked near the bottom 10 in pressure rate. No player logged more than 7.5 sacks. That figure came from Yaya Diaby, a 25-year-old with some potential. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a former first-round pick, was supposed to have even more upside, but he hasn’t lived up to it. He wasn’t incompetent this past season – he notched five sacks – but he was far from the difference-maker the Buccaneers thought they were getting. Tampa spent a second-round pick on Chris Braswell to challenge Tryon-Shoyinka for snaps.

The other reason for the defensive decline was the inability to stop the pass. Tampa Bay’s secondary was atrocious, as Carlton Davis was constantly torched, while Jamel Dean missed four games. The absence of former slot corner Sean Murphy-Bunting hurt as well, with Christian Izien serving as a mediocre replacement. Davis is gone, so as far as cornerbacks on the outside, it’ll be Dean and Zyon McCollum, who struggled mightily last year. The only draft choice spent on a cornerback was a third-round pick that was used to secure Tykee Smith. The Georgia prospect will take over for Izien.

Tampa Bay at least has strong safety play. Antonie Winfield and Jordan Whitehead are a terrific tandem. Winfield is arguably the best safety in the NFL, while Whitehead was acquired in free agency. Whitehead had a mediocre season for the Jets, but he thrived in Todd Bowles’ system in the past. He was part of the Super Bowl-winning defense, so he’ll be welcomed back.

While the Buccaneers struggled against the pass, they were at least average when it came to stopping the run. A big reason for that is Vita Vea, a Pro Bowl nose tackle. Vea played alongside two young defensive linemen, Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey. Both were recent early-round picks, but Hall, a second-rounder, and Kancey, a 2023 first-round choice, both struggled last year. Kancey was especially poor, but he and Hall have the potential to make a big leap in 2024.

The Buccaneers will need their defensive linemen to perform better because they’ll miss a key cog in their defense. Devin White, a blazing fast linebacker, is no longer on the team after signing with the Eagles. That leaves Lavonte David and K.J. Britt as the starters. David has been a mainstay in Tampa Bay’s defense for what seems like an eternity, but age (34) has to catch up to him eventually. Britt, a former fifth-round pick, doesn’t have much pro experience.



2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule and Intangibles:
Prior to the 2009 season, the Buccaneers were 68-36 as hosts. However, they’ve maintained one of the worst home-field advantages in the NFL since. They’re 38-65-1 at the New Sombrero dating back to 2009. They were 6-3 and 8-2 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, which includes their Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. They were 5-4 as hosts in 2023.

New kicker Chase McLaughlin enjoyed a great season last year. He was 29-of-31, including 7-of-8 from 50-plus.

The Buccaneers used a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on punter Jake Camarda. This doesn’t seem like a wise decision, as Camarda was 18th in net punting in his second season. Instead of Camarda, the Buccaneers could have taken Tariq Woolen, who was chosen about a dozen selections later.

The Buccaneers have a much tougher schedule this year. They have to battle first-place opponents, and they’ll be asked to take on the AFC West instead of the 2023 AFC South.



2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookies:
Go here for the Buccaneers Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching