Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp: 5 Early Storylines to Watch

The wait is nearly over, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans.

There's not much of an offseason anymore in the NFL, but there's still a painful seven-month stretch without any actual games, making the start of training camp a beacon of hope for every fan who who hasn't had their thirst quenched by combines, drafts, minicamps and free agency.

For the Bucs, a new season brings renewed hope for a turnaround many expected last year in Lovie Smith's first season as head coach. There are a million reasons why those hopes were dashed by a 2-14 season, but there are a million more that already have Tampa Bay fans highly expectant about their 2015 crew.

With training camp just around the corner, let's take a look at some of the top storylines to follow at One Buc Place.

O-Line Overhaul, Take Two

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Last season, the Bucs replaced four of their five starters on the offensive line from the previous year, hoping to improve one of the more lackluster units in the league.

But despite paying big money to Anthony Collins, trading for six-time Pro Bowler Logan Mankins and signing veteran center Evan Smith, the Bucs arguably played worse up front in 2014, failing to perform consistently in either the run or the pass game and plaguing the offense with a plethora of penalties and mental errors.

This offseason, Tampa Bay has attempted to rebuild the offensive line yet again, hoping this time to build through the draft. They spent the 34th overall pick on Penn State's Donovan Smith—who should be the front-runner to start at left tackle—then traded back into the second round to take small-school standout Ali Marpet from Hobart College, who projects as a guard for the Bucs after playing left tackle in college.

But spending two high picks on new blockers won't necessarily transform this unit overnight. Marpet is likely to have a tough time transitioning to the speed of the NFL game, and according to JoeBucsFan.com, the Bucs don't expect him to start right away, despite a huge need at right guard.

Smith is expected to start at left tackle, but he's a raw player who will surely take his lumps protecting Jameis Winston's blind side as a rookie.

That said, the veterans could have a bounce-back year and help anchor the unit the way they were expected to last year. Mankins has impressed the team by being in the best shape of his career during offseason workouts, vowing to make amends for a disappointing 2014 season, according to Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com.

With a rookie quarterback starting from day one, the development of his group will be one of the deciding factors in the overall success of the Tampa Bay offense in 2015.

Who Will Get After the Quarterback?

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

For yet another offseason, the need for an impact pass-rushing presence at defensive end was high on the priority list for Tampa Bay.

But despite a deep class of talented edge players in the draft and plenty of options in free agency who would have been clear upgrades over what they currently had on the roster, the Bucs let the position go largely unaddressed yet again this year.

This biggest addition the Bucs made at the position this offseason was trading for George Johnson, a former Buc who tallied the first six sacks of his NFL career while playing in a rotational role for the Detroit Lions last season.

Johnson is likely to start across from Jacquies Smith, a waiver-wire pickup who flashed the ability to get after the quarterback over the second half of the season, bagging 6.5 sacks over the final eight games of 2015. Neither has been a full-time starter at any point in their career, giving some fans pause about their ability to sustain the production they showed at times last season.

The lack of stability on the edge means Tampa Bay's pass rush will again be driven by the push they get up the middle, where Gerald McCoy leads an extremely deep group at defensive tackle. McCoy led the team with 8.5 sacks last season despite dealing with multiple injuries and will lead the defense yet again in 2015.

Clinton McDonald, Akeem Spence and free-agent addition Henry Melton will give the Bucs a strong rotation in the middle.

A successful Tampa 2 defense simply must get consistent pressure with their front four, which means the Bucs will have to get an increase in disruption and production from their defensive ends in that department this season. If forced to rely on McCoy and the rest of the defensive tackles, it could be another long year for the Tampa Bay defense.

Another New Offense, Plenty of Weapons

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Last year, the Bucs offense was crippled by the abrupt departure of new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, who left the team just before the start of the regular season due to medical issues, permanently parting ways with the team after the season.

This year, there is renewed hope for an offense full of explosive weapons in the passing game, as Dirk Koetter takes over as the new offensive coordinator. With a proven track record of success running offenses for the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, Koetter is expected to provide stability to a unit that ran amok without a compass for the entire 2014 regular season.

Koetter will have the personnel to take advantage of his vertical passing attack, with the likes of Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson stretching the field on the outside, while Austin Seferian-Jenkins hopes to enjoy the type of production Tony Gonzalez achieved under Koetter. Talented rookies like Kenny Bell and Kaelin Clay will give Koetter even more firepower to play with.

It's impossible to overstate how big of an impact Tedford's absence had on the Tampa Bay offense last year. Veteran center Evan Smith likened last year's offense to building a toy with no instructions, according to ProFootballTalk.com, and it's hard to argue with that assessment if you watched any Buccaneers football in 2014.

This time around, with plenty of talent at the skill positions, another rebuild on the offensive line and a gun-slinging rookie quarterback under center, Tampa Bay fans should have a lot more fun watching this group in 2015.

Familiarity with Tampa 2, Increased Depth Should Improve Defense

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Many expected the Tampa Bay defense to improve considerably in their return to the Tampa 2 scheme, but the Bucs experienced plenty of growing pains as they transitioned to the new playbook last season.

The entire unit took their lumps as they tried to get familiar with their new responsibilities, and the on-field product showed them to be quite the work in progress, especially over the first half of the season. They seemed to turn a corner over the final eight games of the year, showing improvement in nearly every area, despite the team's poor record.

With another offseason under their belt, this year's group should be set up for much more success. Players who were poor fits in the new scheme have been cast off, replaced by some quality free-agent signings who came at a decent price and fit what the Tampa 2 needs in certain roles.

The Bucs got deeper and more explosive at nearly every level of the defense this offseason, and they should show a marked improvement in their second season in the defense they originally made famous back in the early 2000s.

The Jameis Watch Continues

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Long before they made him the top overall selection in the 2015 draft, Tampa Bay's decision-makers knew they'd have to convince their fanbase that Jameis Winston wouldn't be a distraction with his off-field behavior.

The Bucs made it clear they were comfortable making Winston their pick, but his off-field issues while at Florida State left many fans concerned about the rookie quarterback being the new face of the franchise.

But so far, Winston has said and done all the right things, both on and off the field. He's impressed new teammates with his work ethic and leadership skills. He's made multiple visits to hospitals, from Tampa to Birmingham to Miami. And despite his various missteps while at Florida State, he's welcomed the scrutiny from fans and the media regarding his character.

Few will argue the fact that this Tampa Bay regime will live or die by Winston, for better or worse. So far, it looks like the rookie signal-caller is taking that pressure seriously. Only time will tell if that translates to on-field success, or if his success or failure at the NFL level will lead to any more poor decisions.