Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Biggest Storylines Ahead of Training Camp

The time has finally arrived. Training camp begins this week, and soon the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be back on the field.

This year's training camp could be the most important camp for the Bucs in a long time. Coming off a 2-14 season, the Bucs now have a potential franchise quarterback in Jameis Winston. His development and growing leadership role on the team hinges on his work over the next month.

Winston joins a team reeling from countless setbacks and lingering personnel issues. The offensive line remains a concern despite the arrival of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and draft picks Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet.

Whereas Winston, Smith and Marpet are just beginning their opportunity in the NFL, running back Doug Martin could be reaching the end of his. He will have to hang on to a starting job during camp and the preseason to fulfill the promise of his draft position.

On defense, the players enter a year wiser and more familiar with head coach Lovie Smith's designs. Questions remain about whether the Bucs did enough in the offseason to clear away ineffective players and add better fitting pieces at the defensive end and safety positions.

These are the five storylines to watch heading into Tampa Bay's training camp.

Jameis Winston, Starting Quarterback

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Months of speculation march toward a moment of truth for Jameis Winston and the Bucs: Will he be ready to start opening day?

Ready or not, Winston will start sooner than later. He wasn't drafted first overall to sit on the bench.

How well Winston will play is the question. Training camp will provide a small preview of what to expect from the former Florida State quarterback.

Practice reps will be a key factor in Winston's progress. Quarterback Mike Glennon took most of the first-team reps during OTAs and could begin training camp in the same position.

The Bucs can't wait too long to move Winston to the starting offense. He has precious little time to mesh with wide receivers Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, his running backs and the offensive line.

Will the Offensive Line Be Any Better?

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The Bucs offensive line can begin to put their harrowing 2014 ordeal behind them this week. With the benefit of a seasoned offensive coordinator and a year in the trenches, they have an opportunity to prove last season was an unfortunate aberration.

The Bucs proved they are willing to move on from bad personnel moves by cutting tackle Anthony Collins just one year into his contract. In turn, they reinvested in the offensive line with draft picks Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet.

Smith and Marpet's progress will be the most important development to follow. Smith is in line to inherit the vacated left tackle position, while Marpet has a long road ahead of him coming out of D-III football at Hobart.

Veterans Logan Mankins, Evan Smith and Demar Dotson return to redeem the line under the new direction of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Of all the changes the Bucs made this offseason, Koetter's addition may be the most significant.

The Bucs offense was hamstrung last year by the absence of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. Reserve Bucs guard Garrett Gilkey explained to Pewter Report's Mark Cook this week the chaos wrought by their offensive coordinator woes:

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It was just another painted picture of what could go wrong, did go wrong. You look at the stress and anxiety of being a coach or coordinator, and the pressure can’t be any higher, and then you throw in the element of, ‘Oh, we don’t have anyone to call plays.’ I mean you almost can’t even fathom it.

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While his presence alone promises improvement for both the offensive line and the offense as a whole, Koetter has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL for eight years, designing some of the NFL's most potent pass attacks in Atlanta. His work with the line should help both the unit and individual players operate better.

Last Chance for Doug Martin

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Three years ago, Doug Martin was a promising offensive playmaker and a steal in the first round of the 2012 draft. Now, he fights to salvage his career and regain the confidence lost over two disappointing seasons.

In his first NFL season, Martin ran for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 472 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Over the following two seasons, he ran for a total 950 yards and three touchdowns with only 130 receiving yards.

Injuries and poor offensive line play were major contributors to Martin's decline, but as a former first-rounder, there is an expectation for him to transcend and elevate his team on his own.

For the first time since his rookie year, Martin has no lingering injury issues. It's vital for him to finish camp and the preseason that way. He should also benefit from having an actual offensive coordinator on the sidelines and improved offensive line play.

The Bucs chose not to exercise Martin's fifth-year option, which makes him a free agent next year, but general manager Jason Licht thinks that should be "a good thing," according to USA Today's Tom Pelissero. Martin now has a real incentive to be the player he was drafted to be.

Who Starts at Safety?

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After a series of disastrous investments at the safety position, the Bucs assembled a crew of journeymen defensive backs. Training camp will become their battleground as they fight for starting roles in Lovie Smith's defense.

The Bucs drafted Mark Barron with the seventh-overall pick in the 2012 draft. The following year, they signed Dashon Goldson to a five-year, $41.25 million contract. Both were traded to other teams over the past year.

Neither player was a good fit for Smith's Tampa 2 defense. They can lay big hits but are liabilities in coverage.

This offseason, the Bucs sought out inexpensive replacements, signing former Bears safety Chris Conte and picking up former Texans safety D.J. Swearinger off the waiver wire. Neither played particularly well in 2014 but have starting experience, although less than most other starting safeties.

Returning from last year are Bradley McDougald, Major Wright and Keith Tandy. McDougald is a big reason why Barron was deemed expendable, proving he was more adept in coverage from the strong safety spot.

Wright, as well as Conte, were drafted by the Bears while Smith was head coach there. Their familiarity with his system should provide controls on the Bucs' experiments at safety.

Tandy is an outlier as he is the sole remaining safety drafted by the Bucs. His lack of starting experience poses an uphill battle for him to make the final roster.

Expect all five safeties to rotate across the first-, second- and third-team defenses. The Bucs may not choose who makes the team—much less starters—until late into the preseason.

Defensive End Reset for Success?

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The Bucs' designs for the defensive end position last year proved to be an utter failure. Resetting the group yet again, Tampa Bay must sort out which players can contribute not just this season but beyond.

Signing former (and now current) Bengal Michael Johnson was a tremendous miscalculation. That became clear when Johnson's agent, John Thornton, admitted to ESPN Radio in Cincinnati after the Bucs released Johnson that his client "missed the Bengals" and "wasn't a great pass rusher" before signing with Tampa Bay.

The Bucs replaced one Johnson with another, trading for former Bucs and Lions defensive end George Johnson, who collected 6.5 sacks last season. He joins last year's breakout defensive end Jacquies Smith as the likely starting ends.

Experience is elusive for the Bucs defensive ends. Larry English and Lawrence Sidbury are the Bucs' most seasoned edge-rushers. The Bucs also re-signed Da'Quan Bowers, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, but none of them has much history of success.

The uncertainty at defensive end will lend some excitement to training camp as some of the lesser known pass-rushers like T.J. Fatinikun could rise to become major contributors. However, the Bucs should feel more anxiety than enthusiasm knowing so little of what's to come from the defensive end position this season.