Buccaneers' Last-Minute Guide to 2022 NFL Free Agency

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 1 roster could look much different in 2022 than it did in 2021. 

The obvious new part of the roster will be the quarterback who takes over for Tom Brady, but a handful of other key players from the Super Bowl-winning squad could depart. 

Tampa Bay's most important decision comes on the offensive line. Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa are free agents, and their returns are more important after Ali Marpet announced his retirement. 

Bruce Arians and his staff likely will not find its next quarterback in the current free-agent market. Jameis Winston already played for this coaching staff and was let go, and Teddy Bridgewater will not meet the high standard that Brady set. 

The Bucs may be better off trusting Kyle Trask, trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, or landing a quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL draft. 

The supporting cast around the new quarterback needs to be figured out in the coming weeks. Chris Godwin is back on the franchise tag, but there may be new faces at running back and tight end. 

Tampa Bay's biggest defensive decision comes in the secondary. Carlton Davis was a candidate to be franchise tagged, but now he is one of the top defensive free agents. 

The Bucs should try to bring back Davis and Jordan Whitehead in order to provide enough support for the neq quarterback from the other side of the ball. 

Offensive Line Needs to Be Top Priority

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Tampa Bay could lose three offensive line starters in one offseason. 

Ali Marpet recently retired, and Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa are set to hit the free-agent market. 

Reworking an offensive line while introducing a new quarterback is the worst-case scenario for the Buccaneers' staff. 

The Bucs need to bring back at least one of Jensen and Cappa to provide some stability at the position as they transition from Brady to a new signal-caller. 

Jensen is listed as the No. 7 overall free agent by Pro Football Focus and he could be a better candidate to depart because of the needs for a good center across the league. 

Cappa will not be as coveted as Jensen on the free-agent market because there are a handful of other top guards, like Laken Tomlinson, Brandon Scherff and Connor Williams available. Cappa should still have a few suitors, especially after the top guards go off the market.

Tampa Bay needs as much stability as possible on the offensive line since some turnover is expected at running back and tight end.

It is hard enough for a new quarterback to build chemistry with new targets and his job will only be made harder if a new offensive line has to be installed as well. 

Buccaneers Should Try to Re-Sign Carlton Davis, Jordan Whitehead

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The problem with constructing a Super Bowl-winning roster is that so many of the players are coveted when they become free agents. 

Carlton Davis and Jordan Whitehead were key pieces of the Buccaneers' championship squad and they could both be rewarded in free agency. 

Davis should have a large market for his signature once free agency begins. He is one of three top cornerbacks on the market. J.C. Jackson and Stephon Gilmore are the others. 

If the Patriots re-sign Jackson, the teams in need of secondary help could make a full sprint to their phones to call Davis. 

Whitehead may not be in the same position right away since Quandre Diggs, Marcus Maye, Tyrann Mathieu, Jessie Bates and Marcus Williams are also free agents. 

One of Tampa Bay's first calls in the legal tampering period should be to Davis to work out a deal and the next one could be to Whitehead's phone. 

Tampa Bay still has a solid defense in place, and there could be more importance on that unit in 2022 as the offense transitions to a new quarterback. 

Having Davis, Whitehead or both back in the fold would help the Buccaneers keep their strengths on the defensive side of the ball. 

Tampa Bay is not doomed if it can't re-sign either player, but it will make its mini rebuild tougher, especially if it wants to target a quarterback in the first round of the draft.

Offensive Skill Position Depth Needs to Be Rebuilt

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Tampa Bay could lose three of its four running backs and Rob Gronkowski from the 2021 roster. 

Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard and Ronald Jones II are set to become free agents, which leaves Ke'Shawn Vaughn as the only key contributor on the roster at running back. 

Gronkowski's playing fate has always been attached to Tom Brady. He may be willing to play one more year in a different destination to chase another Super Bowl title. 

Tampa Bay might welcome a Gronkowski departure so it can save some money at tight end and distribute it to other parts of the roster. 

The Buccaneers should try to bring in a veteran player at running back and tight end to provide some depth, but they should not go overboard with their spending. 

Someone like Marlon Mack or Rashaad Penny would be useful at running back to complement Vaughn and a potential draft pick.

Evan Engram, C.J. Uzomah or Mo Alie-Cox would be inexpensive options to add at tight end, and one of them could also partner a younger draft pick. 

The Buccaneers do not have enough room to bring back every offensive skill position player. Over $40 million is committed to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and they still need to re-sign players on the offensive line and secondary.