5 Biggest Questions Facing the Buccaneers This Offseason

The Buccaneers' loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday made it official: Tampa Bay is now playing for next season.

With their loss in Detroit, the Bucs were eliminated from playoff contention according to NFL.com. Naturally, losing out on the playoffs also means the Bucs own the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, per NBC Sports' Darin Gantt.

The top pick won't turn the Bucs into a contender overnight—not with the uncertainty and questions plaguing the team.

The Bucs could use their top pick on a quarterback like Oregon's Marcus Mariota, but it would likely be a waste if the Bucs aren't successful in once again rebooting the offensive line or hiring an offensive coordinator who will actually be around to coach.

Tough decisions will be made regarding the fates of Doug Martin and some of the Bucs' pricier free agents like safety Dashon Goldson. Will they have a place on the team next year? Do they deserve spots on the roster?

Here are the biggest questions the Bucs must answer this offseason.

Which High-Priced Players Get Cut?

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Any NFL team that finishes the season at the bottom of the standings is due to cut a little fat. The only question is where the Bucs will start.

An obvious candidate for release is free safety Dashon Goldson. The eight-year veteran signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Bucs in 2013 but has failed to live up to the hype or value of his contract.

When a team pays a player $9 million a year, it expects him to be a game-changer. Goldson is anything but, posting only one interception while missing 29 tackles since joining the Bucs, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Cutting Goldson before June 1 next year won't save the Bucs any money, as Goldson is still guaranteed half his $8 million 2015 salary according to Over the Cap. Even with Goldson as a salary-cap wash, the Bucs can focus on developing other options at safety like emerging second-year safety Bradley McDougald.

Other cut candidates include punter Michael Koenen and left guard Logan Mankins.

Koenen is due $3.25 million next season, none of which is guaranteed, per Over the Cap. The 10-year veteran has only averaged 40.1 yards per punt this season, his worst year in Tampa Bay. He recently revealed that he battled mono for most of the season, but his paycheck mandates that he give the Bucs more value than he's provided this season.

The Bucs traded for Logan Mankins out of desperation to fill their void at guard. The former New England Patriots guard ended up being little more than a kickstand who folds under pressure from pass-rushers and doesn't get much push as a run-blocker.

Mankins is due $7 million next year,per Over the Cap, an outrageous salary for a player in obvious decline. Depending on where the Bucs offense goes with a new coordinator, Mankins may be off the books next season.

Who Will Be Running the Offense?

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The Buccaneers offense couldn't be much worse than it's been this season, thanks in large part to the absence of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. With the Bucs announcing Tedford's departure from the team last week, the offense is on track for a new direction.

The big question is: Who will be leading the Bucs offense into the future?

Playing without the offense's architect, the Bucs struggled to put points on the board, scoring an average of 18.2 points per game, 28th in the league. The offensive line can't block, the run game is nonexistent and neither Josh McCown nor Mike Glennon show much promise in the short- or long-term future at quarterback.

Though not all of the offense's problems fell to Tedford, it was clear after he left for the season that the offense would be incapable of operating at optimum capacity. His departure may even have sealed his fate in Tampa Bay, according to Sports Talk Florida's Jenna Laine:

"

Jeff Tedford's departure was not unexpected. More a matter of "when" vs "if."

— JennaLaineBucs (@JennaLaineBucs) December 5, 2014"

Lovie Smith will have to search high and low to find an offensive coordinator capable of turning this train wreck of an offense around. His list of candidates won't be finalized until well after the season ends, when all the doomed coaching staffs are fired and offensive assistants on playoff teams become available.

Smith does have some options to consider, playoffs or not. One offensive coach he ought to pursue is Steelers quarterback coach Randy Fichtner. After coaching wide receivers in Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2009 including Santonio Holmes' best years with the Steelers, Fichtner was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2010.

Fichtner's tenure spanned the offenses of Bruce Arians and Todd Haley, giving him insight as to how high-powered offenses are meant to operate and how to make the most out of a less talented offensive line.

The Bucs might also consider two former Bucs coaches, Alex Van Pelt and Clyde Christensen. Van Pelt was the quarterbacks coach under Raheem Morris and now holds the same job with the Green Bay Packers. Mike McCarthy's faith in Van Pelt to work with Aaron Rodgers could be taken as a sign that he can run a strong pass offense.

Christensen was an offensive coach with the Bucs under Tony Dungy and even served as the Bucs' offensive coordinator in 2001. He followed Dungy to the Colts and has been on the staff ever since, currently serving as quarterbacks coach to Andrew Luck.

As unremarkable as the Bucs offenses were under Van Pelt and Christensen, both developed their pedigrees with great offenses and great offensive coaches like McCarthy, Arians and Jim Caldwell. Christensen has been in Indy so long he may be content staying, but Van Pelt could make for an interesting return for a former Bucs coach.

Who Is the Bucs' Quarterback Next Season?

STEVE NESIUS/Associated Press

Every year it seems the Bucs are plagued with some sort of quarterback problem. 2014 was no exception, with veteran Josh McCown looking like a vintage "Yuckaneer" and Mike Glennon doing little to prove that he is actually the future of the franchise.

As expected, McCown was terrible last Sunday against the Detroit Lions, completing only 20 of his 39 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble, bringing his season turnover total to 13.

McCown's struggles aren't totally his fault. As with pretty much every other problem with the offense, it really starts with the offensive line, which allowed six sacks and 14 hits on McCown by the Detroit defense.

"

Just looking at the stat sheet. Lions were credited with 6 sacks & 14 hits on Josh McCown. Couple guys said they felt bad for him after game

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) December 7, 2014"

Nevertheless, McCown definitely doesn't have the skill set to lift this offense up on his own, raising the question, "Why isn't Mike Glennon starting?" According to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, Lovie Smith may be considering a switch back to Glennon.

Glennon does deserve some consideration. He's thrown 29 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in 19 games with the Bucs. However, he's not very accurate, completing just 58.8 percent of his passes, and generally doesn't bring much of a spark to the offense.

With his ability to take care of the ball, Glennon could be a high-quality backup, but the Bucs shouldn't settle for just an adequate passer. As it stands, the Bucs have the top pick in the 2015 draft and may use it on a quarterback.

The obvious choice would be Oregon QB and Heisman Trophy nominee Marcus Mariota. He dominated opposing defenses this year, completing 68.3 percent of his passes and throwing for 3,783 yards, 38 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also ran for another 669 yards and 14 scores.

The Bucs haven't had a shot at such a dynamic and athletically gifted quarterback since they had Steve Young, a memory the Bucs would be wise to recall. Young failed in Tampa Bay because the team around him was an unmitigated calamity, not unlike the 2014 Bucs.

Drafting Mariota isn't a cure-all solution. Lovie Smith needs to account for weaknesses across the board if he hopes for any Bucs quarterback to succeed.

What Will the Bucs Do with Doug Martin?

Steve Nesius/Associated Press

No aspect of the Bucs offense has been more disappointing than the run game. Much of the blame, fair or not, has fallen on starting running back Doug Martin. His future in Tampa Bay is very much in doubt.

Martin displayed remarkable promise as a rookie in 2012, tallying 1,926 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Since then, he has only run for 719 yards and three scores in two injury-shortened seasons.

His numbers indicate Martin is little more than a one-year wonder, but the numbers don't paint a clear picture of the real problem.

Since 2012, the Bucs offensive line has been utterly ineffective. It was bad enough last year that Lovie Smith felt it necessary to completely dismantle the line. It looks as though the Bucs will have to do the same thing again this year.

Martin's struggles are shared by the entire offense, from the quarterback to the other running backs. Bobby Rainey is faring better than Martin this year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and totaling 406 rush yards, but over half those yards came against a bad early-season Rams team and the poor rush defense of the Cleveland Browns.

Rookie running back Charles Sims is worse than either Martin or Rainey, running for only 83 yards and averaging a measly 2.2 yards per carry. There isn't much heat on Sims, understandably, as the rookie missed most of the season with a broken ankle.

No Bucs running back has been able to move the ball well this season, but high expectations made a target out of Doug Martin. Rumors swirled that he was on the trading block, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

"

While WR Vincent Jackson’s name has been focus of trade speculation, the Buccaneer more likely to be dealt is RB Doug Martin. Teams calling.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 26, 2014"

Though no move materialized before the trade deadline, Schefter still believes the Bucs will look to ship Martin out this offseason.

Trading Martin could be yet another personnel misstep by the Bucs' front office. Martin looked explosive in the first half against Cincinnati in Week 13 before the offensive line collapsed in the second. Martin could return to his rookie production if placed in an offense that understood the basic notions of execution.

Should the Bucs Attempt Another O-Line Overhaul?

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There may be no question for the Bucs entering this offseason with a more obvious answer: Lovie Smith and Jason Licht have no choice but to rectify the colossal mistakes they committed in retooling the offensive line this spring by blowing it up and trying again.

Whereas the loss of Jeff Tedford was an unforeseeable obstacle, the Bucs' assembly of the offensive line this offseason was a self-inflicted wound that festered and poisoned the entire offense. Every change the Bucs made to the line proved to be a terrible mistake.

With the 2014 season down the drain, the Bucs are right back where they started. Demar Dotson remains a solid option at right tackle, but the rest of the starting unit should be evaluated for pink slips.

Center Evan Dietrich-Smith is probably safe, as he was adequate in pass protection and will only cost the Bucs $3.75 million in 2015 according to Over the Cap. The only caveat is that none of his salary is guaranteed, so the Bucs could cut Dietrich-Smith with no impact to the cap.

Left tackle Anthony Collins is a train wreck. He's terrible in pass protection and commits false-start and offensive-holding penalties in bunches; he was flagged for 10 total penalties this season, according to NFL Penalties Stats Tracker.

The less said about the guards, the better. Patrick Omameh, Garrett Gilkey and Oniel Cousins are liabilities in virtually every phase of the game. None should be in starting roles next year.

The jury is still out on 2014 draftees Kevin Pamphile and Kadeem Edwards. Pamphile has seen limited action, while Edwards was lost for the season with a foot injury.

Smith and Licht's failure to put together a halfway decent offensive line last offseason doesn't inspire much faith in their 2015 efforts. Considering how poorly they evaluated free agents, they ought to focus their efforts on drafting the best possible talent.

If the Bucs prioritize their offensive line over a possible franchise quarterback, their primary options will be Texas A&M's Cedric Ogbuehi, Iowa's Brandon Scherff and Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley if he opts to declare early.

Guards aren't worth considering until the second round at the very earliest, with South Carolina's A.J. Cann leading the pack. Rolling the dice in free agency could be hazardous, but the Bucs should consider Bengals guard Clint Boling and Denver guard Orlando Franklin. Both are relatively young and played well this year.

The real key is finding an offensive coordinator who will actually be with the team through the season. There's no telling what this offensive line would look like if Jeff Tedford had been around to teach and make adjustments to a system he developed.