While the summer season brings much enjoyment to the average person, for an NFL fan, it represents a desolate wasteland where Sundays just aren't quite as vibrant as in the autumn months. However, with each passing day, we inch closer to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which officially kicks off on September 7 this year. Whether you've had your favorite team's tweet notifications turned on all summer or if you've decided to tune out all football news entirely, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about your team going into the 2023-24 season right here. In today's article, I'll be discussing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I wrote a guidebook for every team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. To check out an article for another team, click the link below: https://www.bucketsquadsportsreports.com/nfl 2022 Season Recap It definitely wasn’t the season Buccaneers fans were expecting when Tom Brady decided to unretire and come back for one more year in the offseason, but despite a losing record, they still managed to win the NFC South and reach the playoffs. However, their postseason lasted just about as long as Brady’s initial retirement as they were bounced 14-31 by the Cowboys in the opening round. Tampa dropped from the 2nd best scoring team in football to the 25th year over year. While they still threw for a lot of yards, they were the league’s worst rushing team. Their defense wasn’t amazing, but did help them win several games where their offense couldn’t get much going. Significant Roster Moves The Bucs lost a plethora of guys from last season’s team, most notably Tom Brady, who has stuck to his retirement this time around (for now at least). They also lost Leonard Fournette, Cameron Brate, and Julio Jones along with a few offensive linemen. The defense will be without several guys from the secondary and a couple defensive linemen. Ryan Succop also departed after spending three seasons as Tampa’s kicker. The Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield in the offseason to compete for the starting job after he finished last season with the Rams. The only other real notable free agency additions are offensive lineman Matt Feiler and safety Ryan Neal, who will both start immediately. Chase McLaughlin will fill Ryan Succop’s spot at kicker after winning the job in preseason. 2023 Draft Class The Bucs had eight draft picks this year and spent five of them on defensive players, four of which on the front seven. 1st rounder Calijah Kancey and 2nd rounder Cody Mauch will start instantly at defensive end and right guard, respectively. Payne Durham and Trey Palmer should see a decent amount of action as pass catchers, and all eight guys should contribute to some degree this season. Season Schedule The Buccaneers will take on the NFC North and the AFC South in 2023 to go along with their six divisional games. Their other three opponents are the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers. With an opponent prior season win percentage of .483, Tampa Bay has the 11th easiest schedule in the NFL. Tampa Bay’s primetime games include one Thursday night game at Buffalo and one Monday night game at Philadelphia. Depth Charts Offense Defense Special Teams The Buccaneers return 14 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from last year. The defense will be healthy again and maintain a good amount of star power, especially at linebacker. But Tampa will have to rebuild around Baker Mayfield offensively and may rely on their defense more than they would like again in 2023. Mayfield has some weapons around him, but the offensive line could pose some issues in both the run and pass game. Coaching Staff Todd Bowles returns for his 2nd season as head coach of the Buccaneers. Three coordinators return from last season’s staff: Run Game Coordinator Kacy Rodgers (2nd season), Pass Game Coordinator Larry Foote (2nd season), and Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong (5th season). Tampa Bay hired Dave Canales to take over as Offensive Coordinator after Byron Leftwich’s departure. Betting Odds Oddsmakers have set the regular season win total for Tampa Bay at 6.5 games. As of right now, the Bucs are the least likely team to win the NFC South and the 2nd to last team to win the NFC as a whole. At +10000 to win Super Bowl LVIII, they are 29th among all teams in the league. Bucket Squad Predictions Bucket Squad Sports Reports predicts the Buccaneers to finish 5-12 in 2023 and win a tiebreaker with the Panthers for 3rd in the NFC South. With a 13th place finish in the NFC, they will miss out on the playoffs in their first season with Tom Brady.
What do you think? Will Tampa Bay be better or worse than I'm projecting? What offseason moves made by the Buccaneers surprised you the most? Leave a comment down below and be sure to check the "NFL" section of the website for more NFL team guidebooks as I finish them. Written by Nick Swatson
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorExpert Nick Swatson discusses all the news, predictions, and outcomes surrounding the NFL. Archives
August 2024
Categories |