Buccaneers' Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to look a lot different in 2023.

That is an expected feature of a roster that lost the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, to retirement.

Brady's retirement was just the first of many big changes to happen with the NFC South side since it needs to get younger and shed some contracts.

Tampa Bay made it clear in the first week of free agency which free agents it preferred, as it brought back Jamel Dean and Lavonte David.

Other free agents, like Donovan Smith and Leonard Fournette, will probably find homes elsewhere as the Bucs try to get younger and prepare for their new era.

Kyle Trask was the top candidate to replace Brady going into the offseason, but the Bucs made a shrewd move by signing Baker Mayfield to a one-year contract.

Tampa Bay should have one of the few quarterback competitions in training camp. The franchise deserves to go through that process to find the best possible Brady replacement.

Jamel Dean

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Jamel Dean #35 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defends against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Grade: A

The Buccaneers opted to keep their starting secondary together by handing out a four-year, $52 million contract to Dean.

Tampa Bay heads into the 2023 season with Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Carlton Davis patrolling the deep part of the field from cornerback and safety.

The only worry on the back end of defense now should be adding a bit of depth in the coming weeks through free agency or the 2023 NFL draft.

Dean, 26, is younger than some of the other defensive free agents from last season's roster, and it made sense for the Bucs to do everything to keep the cornerback in his prime.

Easier decisions were made to let go of older players on both sides of the ball, like Fournette, Akiem Hicks, Julio Jones and Logan Ryan.

The team's core needs to be younger so that it can have some consistency in the first few years of the new era without Brady.

With Dean and others in place, the Bucs can at least ensure they will be competitive on defense to give the new quarterback plenty of time to succeed on the field.

Lavonte David

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TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 01: Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recovered a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Grade: B

Tampa Bay was smart to keep the heart and soul of its defense for another year.

David has been a part of the franchise since he was drafted in 2012, and he deserved a one-year deal to come back and usher in the new era of Buccaneers football.

David's case was more unique to the other older free agents since he has been with the franchise for over a decade. He was not a player brought in to amplify the roster when Brady took over.

The one-year, $7 million deal was a smart contract from the team's perspective because it did not take up a ton of salary-cap space in the case that David's production drops off in any capacity in 2023.

There are not many signs of that happening, though, as David is coming off a 124-tackle season. He had over 100 tackles in nine of his 11 seasons.

David's return gives the Bucs a strong unit in the middle of defense, led by himself and Devin White, and it allows the team to go after defensive linemen in the draft.

Tampa Bay does not have to worry about linebacker or cornerback because of the David and Dean deals. That means it will have clear goals going into the draft as to which positions must be targeted.

Baker Mayfield

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TAMPA, FL - MARCH 20: Tampa Bay Buccaneers newly signed Quarterback Baker Mayfield addresses the media on March 20, 2023 at AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa,FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Grade: B-

The Bucs made a smart decision to bring in Mayfield on a one-year contract.

Trask has been with the franchise for the last two seasons, but he has rarely seen the field, so he is still an unknown quantity as an NFL starter.

Mayfield will push Trask every day in training camp to give the Bucs a true quarterback competition.

Mayfield earned himself another potential starting spot because of his late 2022 stint with the Los Angeles Rams.

The former No. 1 overall pick had a decent five-game stretch in which he quickly took over for a franchise that dealt with plenty of quarterback injuries.

Mayfield's stats do not pop off the page. He had a pair of 200-yard performances and threw for four touchdown passes.

However, you do have to consider the situation he was in. He did not get to work with Cooper Kupp, and he guided the Rams to the finish line without any embarrassment.

There is no guarantee that the 3,000-yard passer from three years ago re-emerges in Tampa Bay, but it is better for the Bucs to take a chance on Mayfield than go into training camp with Trask as the lone guy at quarterback.