Buccaneers' Last-Minute Guide to 2023 NFL Free Agency

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a few weeks to prepare for a transformative offseason.

Tom Brady's retirement opened up a large hole at quarterback that, at the moment, is filled by Kyle Trask.

Tampa Bay sits in a weird position in the quarterback market because it is too low in the NFL draft order at No. 19 to chase one of the premier prospects, unless one of them falls further than expected.

The free-agent market has a steep drop-off from Lamar Jackson, and it seems unlikely the Bucs would bring in Aaron Rodgers.

The franchise has to consider if it will go ahead with Trask or sign a veteran, like Jimmy Garoppolo, to compete in training camp.

That is far from the only significant decision to be made in free agency. The Bucs are set to lose a ton of key contributors from the last two seasons, and that should lead to a roster overhaul.

What's the Move at Quarterback?

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 04: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Bucs probably will not go into training camp with Trask as the starter on the depth chart.

They need to explore all options in their attempt to replace the impact of the retired Brady.

Trask could turn out to be a solid NFL quarterback, but he is too much of an unknown quantity right now to put blind trust behind.

Tampa Bay does not seem like it will swing big in a last-minute hijacking of the New York Jets' plans for Rodgers, and it is probably not willing to commit so much money to Jackson with a ton of other roster holes.

That leaves the free-agent quarterback tier with Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Andy Dalton and Taylor Heinicke to work with.

There are plenty of serviceable NFL quarterbacks in that group. All of them expect Garoppolo may be used as a bridge-year player to get Trask comfortable in the offense or to set a clean slate in 2024.

Tampa Bay needs to do something at quarterback. Garoppolo would come in as the favorite to start, while any of the others would be in a competition with Trask and serve as valuable depth in case the former Florida standout fails to find his footing.

Defensive Overhaul Will Take Place

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ATLANTA, GA JANUARY 08: Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean (35) warms up prior to the start of the NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons on January 8th, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay defense will look much different than it did in 2022.

Lavonte David, Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting headline the list of defensive free agents from last season's roster.

The Bucs have four cornerbacks and seven defensive linemen set to become free agents. Some of those players were depth pieces at best, but the sheer total of losses speaks to the potential massive rebuild that could take place on defense.

Tampa Bay can't go after the high-profile names on defense to replace those players because it has one of the worst salary-cap situations in the NFL. The Bucs enter Sunday a few million dollars over the cap, per Spotrac.

A handful of value signings could be made to fill some holes, and then the NFL draft must be utilized to bring in some impact players on inexpensive contracts.

Most of the offseason attention should be paid to the defensive line and secondary since Shaquil Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Devin White are all under contract at linebacker.

Tampa Bay is not losing every key defensive contributor, but it could let enough key pieces walk to bring in some concern about the unit's production in 2023.

Help Needed at Offensive Tackle

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 27: Tristan Wirfs #78 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

The Bucs cut Donovan Smith to get more salary cap compliant before the start of the new NFL year.

Tampa Bay has a hole on the left side of the offensive line that it might try to fill in free agency.

The Bucs need a strong partner to Tristan Wirfs on the right, and they can't afford to make the wrong decision since protection for the new quarterback is imperative.

The importance of protecting Trask, or another signal-caller, could convince the Bucs front office to go after an experienced offensive tackle in free agency instead of using the No. 19 overall pick on the position.

The draft position puts the Bucs in a difficult spot because the top offensive linemen may be long gone by the time they are on the clock.

The NFC South side needs to prioritize an offensive line upgrade regardless of the mechanism used to sign a player. A large drop-off at left tackle could be a huge detriment to the success with a new quarterback in place in 2023.