Identifying Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses After Draft
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all smiles after grabbing a new franchise quarterback in this year's NFL draft, but while their excitement is understandable, they still have plenty of holes to fill.
As should be expected of a 2-14 team, Tampa Bay still has plenty of weaknesses across their depth chart, and there are still multiple starting spots that have yet to be considerably improved this offseason. There are positives as well, but it's still a long road for the Bucs from NFL obscurity to playoff contention.
Some of those needs were addressed in the following rounds of the draft, but others remain in need of serious help. What will drive Tampa Bay's outcome in 2015, their strengths or weaknesses?
Let's take a a look at what should encourage Bucs fans this season and what should still give them pause.
Strength: Defensive Tackle
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Even though they didn't make any additions to this group in the draft, perhaps Tampa Bay's greatest strength on the depth chart lies at defensive tackle, where there is both top talent and quality depth across the board.
Though injuries have held him back throughout his career, Gerald McCoy is easily one of the best interior defensive lineman in the league, notching 18 sacks over the past two seasons. A team captain and the unquestioned vocal leader in the locker room, McCoy is a disruptive force on the field and a valuable leader.
The rest of the unit is strong as well. Clinton McDonald and Akeem Spence helped provide a solid rotation last season, and the addition of free agent Henry Melton brings even more depth to the position this season.
Injuries are inevitable in the NFL, but this group is built to withstand those difficulties, and their success will drive the success of the defense in 2015.
Weakness: Defensive End
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Heading into this year's draft, one of the most glaring needs for the Bucs was at defensive end, where the team lacked both top talent and depth with regard to pass-rushers.
But despite a deep class of edge players, Tampa Bay made all seven of their selections without taking a single one of them. It looks like a couple will be added as undrafted free agents, but Tampa Bay is currently looking at Jacquies Smith and George Johnson as their starters.
Smith had an impressive stretch over the final eight games of last season, racking up 6.5 sacks, but the jury is still out on whether he can be an effective full-time starter. Johnson is a similar case, tallying the first six sacks of his NFL career last season with the Lions and having never been counted on as a full-time starter, either.
It's understandable that the Bucs used their early picks to address the offensive line after drafting Jameis Winston No. 1 overall, but they've left the cupboard pretty bare at one of their most important positions, barring a preseason trade.
Strength: Huge Improvement at Quarterback
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In today's NFL, teams go as their quarterback goes, which is a big reason why the Bucs haven't sniffed a playoff victory since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after the 2002 season.
But Tampa Bay fans hope that's all about to change with the selection of Florida State's Jameis Winston, who will get the keys to the franchise as their starter under center from Day 1. Winston hasn't been without his distractions off the field, but his talent on the field and his knack for making his biggest plays at the most opportune times is a valuable trait at the position, and something the Bucs have lacked for some time.
Nothing is a game-changer quite like making a huge improvement at the game's most important position, and this year's draft could easily turn that spot from a huge weakness to a place of strength in 2015.
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Weakness: Safety
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The Bucs shuffled things around at safety this offseason, but there are still just as many questions about this group heading into 2015 as there were last season.
Gone is Dashon Goldson after a trade with Washington, replaced by free agent Chris Conte. Major Wright was re-signed after a solid season was cut short by an injury, and Keith Tandy is best suited for special teams work.
The unit's most promising player is Bradley McDougald, a young talent who proved to be a playmaker against both the run and the pass last year. He'll likely hold down one starting spot, but the other one is up for grabs, with no candidate who will move the needle much.
Conte, Wright and Tandy are all solid depth pieces, but none should be expected to be a productive starter. The Bucs met with plenty of safety prospects leading up to the draft but didn't end up spending a pick on one.
One undrafted free-agent addition to keep an eye on is TCU's Chris Hackett, who was expected by most to be drafted and should be given every opportunity to compete for a roster spot and serious playing time.
Strength: Receiving Weapons
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Not only do the Bucs have a new playmaker under center, he'll have plenty of dynamic weapons to throw to in his first NFL season.
Jameis Winston has to be thrilled looking at the vast array of talented pass-catchers on the Bucs roster. Mike Evans was uncoverable through the second half of last season, while Vincent Jackson is still very effective at moving the chains and taking advantage of teams who roll their coverage to Evans.
One player primed for a huge year in 2015 is tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who was held back by multiple injuries in his rookie season. He'll give Winston a third target who stands at least 6'5", which will be difficult for opposing defenses to handle, especially in the red zone.
Throw in the addition of Kenny Bell in the fifth round of this year's draft—a player with the skills to contribute from the slot immediately, as well as potentially develop into Jackson's eventual replacement—and Winston should be one happy camper this season and beyond.
Weakness: No Sure Thing in the Backfield
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Thought to be one of their deepest positions just a year ago, the Bucs head into 2015 without much improvement at running back and without a clear favorite to handle the bulk of the work.
Charles Sims and Doug Martin both showed flashes of ability last season, but injuries slowed both considerably, with Sims missing the first half of his rookie season following ankle surgery. Martin has struggled to regain his rookie-season form, when he racked up nearly 2,000 total yards and was named to the Pro Bowl.
Bobby Rainey and Mike James will get the scraps in terms of touches, with seventh-round pick Joey Iosefa hoping to challenge James in training camp for the short-yardage role.
A rookie quarterback's best friend is a strong running game, so you'll have to forgive Jameis Winston if he isn't particularly thrilled by what the Bucs currently have lining up behind him.
Strength: Stability in Offensive Scheme
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There was plenty of blame to go around last season regarding the Bucs' offensive woes, from the offensive line's ineffectiveness to Josh McCown's poor decision-making.
But a vastly underrated reason for the team's ineptitude on that side of the ball was the abrupt and season-long absence of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, who left the team in the preseason to deal with a medical issue and never returned to the sidelines.
This year, the Bucs have a new man calling the shots on offense in Dirk Koetter, who has engineered some impressive numbers over the past few years for one of Tampa Bay's division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. His presence as both an offensive mind and a constant throughout the season—hopefully—will do just as much to improve the Bucs' offensive numbers in 2015 as any roster move.
Weakness: Still Too Many Questions Up Front
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Some may scratch their heads at this one, considering the Bucs just spent two of their first three 2015 draft picks on offensive linemen, but there are still plenty of issues with this group for any fan to feel too confident.
Logan Mankins and Evan Dietrich-Smith were expected to provide stability last season with their veteran experience, but neither played particularly well, and both will be another year older in 2015. Demar Dotson returns as the team's most reliable blocker, but that's about where the comfort ends.
Second-round pick Donovan Smith will get his shot to start at left tackle, but it's a dangerous business expecting a rookie to protect the blind side of your new franchise quarterback. Third-round pick Ali Marpet is one of my favorite additions the team made in this draft, but coming from a Division III school, it's likely he'll take some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL game before being counted on as a productive starter at guard.
Both players are fairly raw and will take time to develop, and if they do it on the fly as starters, there are likely to be plenty of growing pains. Depth is still an issue with this group, so injuries will be an issue again this year.
There's some promise to this group, but it may take a while to manifest.
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