Who Is Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Most Underrated Playmaker?

With a team full of dynamic offensive weapons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty of names likely to come to mind when the term “playmaker” is brought up.

But if you’re looking for a name flying under the radar who has already shown flashes of the ability to make splash plays at key moments, you’ll have to look to the defensive side of the ball, despite the unit’s struggles last season. That’s where you’ll find waiver-wire wonder Bradley McDougald, one of the most pleasant surprises to come out of an otherwise forgettable 2014 season for the Bucs.

An undrafted free agent out of Kansas, McDougald entered the league in 2013, signing with the Kansas City Chiefs. An impressive natural athlete who spent time on both sides of the ball for the Jayhawks, McDougald started at receiver and safety during his college career, as well as returning kicks. The Bucs claimed McDougald off waivers from the Chiefs in November of his rookie season, no doubt recognizing the athleticism and instincts he brought to the table.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The Bucs spent a decent portion of the 2014 season with a pair of starting safeties who didn’t possess the skill set to be a natural fit in the Tampa 2 defense. New general manager Jason Licht realized the holdovers from the previous regime, Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron, were more valuable on the trade market than on the field. He dealt Barron at the in-season trade deadline before moving Goldson for peanuts after the season ended.

Letting go of Barron, a former top-10 pick who never developed into the playmaker the Bucs expected, could have been expedited by the coaching staff wanting to see more of McDougald, who seemed to have impressed the coaching staff all season long, as ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas pointed out back in October.

McDougald was inserted into the starting lineup for the final five games of the 2014 season, and he wasted no time making the most of his opportunity. He ended the year with 50 total tackles and seven pass defenses, racking up a team-high 15 stops in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers. His lone interception of the year came against a future Hall of Fame quarterback, as he picked off a Drew Brees pass in the end zone intended for Kenny Stills.

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Still just 24 years old, the youngster proved last season that he not only has the raw talent to be successful at the NFL level, but his particular skill set is a perfect fit for what the Bucs require at his position.

Balance is an extremely important trait for safeties to possess in order to succeed in the Tampa 2 defense, and Tampa Bay’s coaching staff knew McDougald had the skills they coveted. As Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com pointed out in February, head coach Lovie Smith made it clear how much potential he sees in the former undrafted free agent:

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McDougald became one of Smith’s favorites in the month of December as the Bucs’ head coach was often praising him in press conferences.

"At the safety position we had a guy who really stepped up this year in Bradley McDougald that I like an awful lot,” Smith would regularly say. “You’ve heard me talk about him quite a bit and I think most guys know that I think he can play and I think that he’s going to be a pretty good football player and he has a good future ahead of him. He hasn’t done anything to make me alter that statement – the last couple of weeks, yes [he has performed well]. The part of the game he hasn’t been able to show people so far, is that he has good hands. He can cover. I think when you’re looking for a safety: he can cover, he has good hands and he’ll tackle, that’s a good starting spot.”

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Reynolds also noted the thoughts of Bucs cornerback Alterraun Verner, who pointed out more valuable traits in McDougald:

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The guy makes plays when he’s able to get on the field. The one thing about him is that his confidence is never lacking. He’s not arrogant. He’s just very sure about himself as a football player.

He’s very competitive. He wants to get the most interceptions. In everything he does he wants to have the most of. You see that in the way he prepares. With him having a full offseason he’ll be ready for this year. Last year we had Mark Barron, who was a first-round selection, and we had Dashon Goldson. He had to wait for his opportunity, but he made the most of it. This year with the job being there for the taking, he’ll take it.

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Being able to get your hands dirty and mix it up in the box against the run is important at the safety position, but while Tampa Bay had a pair of starters last year who could get the job done in that department, their lack of proficiency in coverage was a crippling liability for the entire defense. McDougald flashed the instincts and athleticism necessary to succeed in coverage on multiple occasions, such as this takeaway he caused against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9.

The Browns had run the exact same play on the previous snap, and McDougald wasn’t fooled one bit. He immediately diagnosed the play-action fake, closing down on his receiver with perfect timing to not only break up the pass, but create the opportunity for teammate Clinton McDonald to come up with a clutch takeaway in the fourth quarter.

Heading into 2015, McDougald knows the team will have much higher expectations for him compared to last season, per Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com:

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Coming into this offseason, I just know I’m going to be called on a lot. I have to show up and be more accountable. Starting the last seven games, I definitely have a role on the team as opposed to, ‘Will I be on the team,’ or coming in fighting for a spot. Not that I’m not fighting for a spot anymore, but just knowing that the coaches are counting on me and really want me to show up.

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Tampa Bay added a pair of safeties this offseason, as well as re-signing Major Wright. But Chris Conte’s concussion history isn’t encouraging, and D.J. Swearinger has a skill set far too similar to Barron’s for Bucs fans to get too excited. Despite the new additions, McDougald should lock down one of the starting spots without too much trouble.

Big names like Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David will likely steal most of the headlines on defense for the Bucs this season, and with good reason. But don’t be surprised if McDougald makes his mark on 2015 with his fair share of big plays against both the run and pass. He’s a young, explosive player with a nose for the ball who has barely scratched the surface of his potential, and he should give Bucs fans plenty of reasons to cheer this year.

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL Draft for Bleacher Report. He is also a Senior NFL Draft Analyst for Draft Breakdown. Follow him on Twitter @LukeEasterling.