Envisioning Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Starting Lineup for 2015 Season
Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster saw more turnover than a local bakery, as more than half of the roster was shuffled under the new management of general manager Jason Licht and head coach Lovie Smith.
Heading into the 2015 season, there should be a bit more stability for the Bucs, but after going 2-14 last year, there will still be a decent number of new faces in the Pewter and Red this fall. The overhaul of the offensive line continues, while players who were acquired under the old regime will continue to fight for their lives against guys that have been brought in by the new decision-makers.
The dust has settled in free agency and the draft is in the books, which should give Bucs fans a much clearer picture of what their starting lineup should be in 2015. Here's my current projection of who those starters should be.
Quarterback
1 of 10
In today's NFL, head coaches and general managers don't have the luxury of letting a highly drafted quarterback ride the pine for very long, if at all. The Bucs should be no different this season, as top overall draft pick Jameis Winston is likely to be handed the starting job from Day 1.
Mike Glennon returns for his third season, but despite having plenty of starting experience and a fair amount of success over the past two years, he's more suited for a backup role.
Winston's on-field talent is undeniable, and his leadership qualities and ability to perform in clutch situations instantly make him one of the most exciting players on the Bucs roster. For better or worse, I expect the Bucs to ride with their rookie quarterback.
Running Back
2 of 10
Tampa Bay isn't likely to have a "featured" back who will command most of the touches, as both Doug Martin and Charles Sims figure to shoulder a balanced load, with Bobby Rainey and Mike James returning to fight over the leftovers again this year.
Martin has yet to regain his rookie season form, when he racked up nearly 2,000 total yards, struggling through multiple injuries over the past two seasons. The team has already decided not to pick up his fifth-year option for next season, which leads me to believe they're ready to move in a different direction.
Sims was a surprise pick in the third round last year, and though an ankle injury kept him from getting any action until the second half of the season, he flashed the skills as both a runner and receiver that made the team select him on Day 2 despite more pressing needs.
Martin and Sims will get their fair share of action, but look for Sims to get first crack.
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
If drafts are judged most by their first-round picks, last year was a grand slam for Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who saw Mike Evans dominate opposing defensive backs in his rookie season. After a bit of a slow start, Evans caught fire during the second half of the season, despite inconsistent quarterback play.
Evans is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver in Tampa Bay now, but veteran Vincent Jackson will still be an integral part of their passing game in 2015. Jackson can still move the chains effectively, create matchup problems for opponents in the red zone and stretch the field with big plays on occasion.
The slot receiver role is likely to come down to a competition between veteran Louis Murphy and rookie fifth-round pick Kenny Bell. Murphy is obviously more experienced, but Bell has a great combination of size and speed and is a tenacious blocker, which is an underrated part of his game. Don't be surprised if the newcomer ends up winning the job in training camp.
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Tight End
4 of 10
Tampa Bay has a star in the making in Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and he's primed for a breakout season in 2015.
After missing rookie minicamp due to school responsibilities, the Washington product dealt with nagging injuries that held him back considerably last season. His impressive combination of size and athleticism should present serious matchup problem for opposing defenses, and with a full offseason and a clean bill of health, ASJ should see a huge jump in production in 2015.
Veterans Brandon Myers and Luke Stocker should see plenty of action in multiple-tight end sets, but Seferian-Jenkins will be the prime target in the passing game among the group.
Offensive Line
5 of 10
The most maligned group on the entire team last year, Tampa Bay's offensive line will likely have a couple of new faces in the starting lineup this year, but that might not translate to immediate improvement.
Three veteran starters will return—Demar Dotson at right tackle, Logan Mankins at left guard and Evan Smith at center—which will give the unit some consistency. But at the other two spots, the Bucs will likely be relying on rookies who still have plenty of developing to do.
Rookie second-round pick Donovan Smith will be the front-runner to protect Jameis Winston's blind side at left tackle, while fellow second-rounder Ali Marpet should end up starting from Day 1 at right guard. Both have plenty of talent but are fairly raw players who could take a while to adjust to the speed of the NFL game.
In any event, the Bucs obviously aimed to improve this group early in the draft, and the new additions should help them play at a much higher level than last year.
Defensive Line
6 of 10
It's night and day along the defensive line for the Bucs, who have fantastic depth and talent on the interior, but lack both on the edge.
Three-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy leads a deep group at defensive tackle, where he'll be joined by Clinton McDonald again this year in the starting lineup. Look for Akeem Spence and the newly acquired Henry Melton to get plenty of action on a rotational basis as well.
At defensive end, things are quite the opposite for Tampa Bay. Despite being high on their list of needs, the Bucs didn't spend a single draft pick at the position and failed to bring in any top pass-rushers in free agency. Their most significant addition was George Johnson, who was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
Johnson notched the first six sacks of his NFL career as a situational player for the Lions last year, and he'll be the front-runner to start across from Jacquies Smith, a waiver-wire wonder who posted 6.5 sacks over the final eight games last season.
Linebacker
7 of 10
Tampa Bay may lack depth and proven commodities across the board at linebacker, but it also has one of the league's best at the position who is ready to bounce back from a season without many big plays.
Lavonte David was expected to provide plenty of splash plays in his first year in the Tampa 2 defense, but the learning curve of a new defense likely contributed to pedestrian numbers for the All-Pro in terms of sacks and interceptions. Still, he's arguably the best 4-3 outside linebacker in the league, and I expect him to make plenty of big plays this year following a full offseason to digest the scheme.
Bruce Carter was signed in free agency to replace Mason Foster in the middle, and his athleticism should be a much better fit for the Tampa 2. Danny Lansanah will have to hold off rookie fourth-round pick Kwon Alexander in training camp to retain the starting spot on the strong side, but he should hold on to the job for the immediate future.
Secondary
8 of 10
Tampa Bay's secondary struggled mightily for the first half of last season but slowly started to come together and play with more consistency as the season wore on. They became more comfortable and confident in the Tampa 2 scheme.
Johnthan Banks has become the team's most reliable cover man, while Alterraun Verner will start across from him after failing to play up to high expectations last season as one of their bigger free-agent signings. The newly acquired Sterling Moore is the front-runner to start in the nickel corner role, as both Leonard Johnson and Isaiah Frey were unimpressive last year.
At safety, Bradley McDougald is young and promising, and he should hold down the strong safety job. Dashon Goldson was traded away for peanuts after being a huge disappointment, while Major Wright was re-signed and should start at free safety, where his experience playing for Lovie Smith will be helpful.
Kicker
9 of 10
Many questioned the Bucs' decision last year to hand the kicking duties to an unproven rookie in Patrick Murray over an effective, experienced veteran in Connor Barth, but Murray repaid their confidence with an impressive performance in 2014.
Murray connected on 20 of his 24 field-goal attempts and converted all 31 of his extra-point attempts in his first NFL season.
Murray made multiple kicks of over 50 yards, proving he's got both the power and accuracy to be a reliable kicker for a long time to come. He's got a strong hold on the placekicking duties heading into the 2015 season.
Punter
10 of 10
Conventional wisdom says that an aging player who carries a fairly high cap number for a punter is a prime candidate to be cut, but Michael Koenen just keeps sticking around.
Koenen had another up-and-down season in 2014, finishing strong over the last few games after a lackluster rest of the year. He'll be 33 by the time training camp begins, and he's scheduled to make $3.25 million this year, according to Spotrac.
But despite those same details, Koenen was kept last season in favor of any younger, cheaper options. It doesn't look like that's going to change this year, as the Bucs haven't really brought in any threatening competition. Koenen's the favorite to punt for Tampa Bay again this season.
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