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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Report: Life Without Brady

· Jul 13 - 5 minutes read

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs last year with an 8-9 record. They did so by winning a weak NFC South, and while the division is still not great, NFL lines are not favoring the Buccaneers to repeat.

Tom Brady rode off into the sunset after the season, officially retiring from football – for now. That has put the Buccaneers in a difficult position regarding the starting quarterback for 2023. On top of that, Tampa Bay never got a foothold during the 2022 season, which was a big reason for its losing record. The team is getting older after winning the Super Bowl in 2021 and has a worsening cap space station.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Report: Life Without Brady — Tom Brady previous Quarterback #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before the Bucs game/Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP

Most NFL predictions have this season being challenging for the Buccaneers based on how things played out last season and questions about the starting quarterback.

Training Camp Info

Coach: Todd Bowles (Second season)
Training Camp Reporting Dates: July 24 (Rookies); July 25 (Veterans)
First Preseason Game: Aug. 11, Pittsburgh
Week 1: Sept. 10 at Minnesota
Bye: Week 5

Top Training Camp Storyline

With Brady now gone, the starting quarterback job is the biggest question for the Buccaneers heading into training camp. Despite being near retirement and 45 years old, it’s hard not to look at Tampa Bay’s 2022 season and not think a big reason for the team’s success was due to Brady. He threw for the third-most yards in the league (4,694) and 25 touchdowns.

Not having Brady in 2023 is one of the biggest reasons why the Buccaneers NFL odds favor them to miss the playoffs. On top of that, training camp will feature a position battle between Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield. Tampa Bay selected Trask in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but there are concerns about his upside.

Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask throwing DIMES in practice
pic.twitter.com/35SI7JtIqR

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 30, 2023

The Buccaneers signed Mayfield in free agency to compete for the starting job. However, the former No. 1 overall pick has struggled over the last two seasons. If he wins the job, which seems the most likely scenario, it will help the Buccaneers for weekly NFL picks and keep the team competitive, but won’t answer questions about the future.

Impact Rookies

NFL betting odds seem to be leaning toward the Buccaneers having a difficult season and inching closer to a rebuild. That made the draft crucial for the team, getting impact players on the cheap.

They managed to do that with their first two selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. In the first round, Tampa Bay drafted interior defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, a great pass rusher up the middle while at Pittsburgh. However, he is smaller than most defensive tackles and that could be a problem at the next level. The good thing is that Kancey will be lined up next to a massive Vita Vea, allowing him more freedom.

In the second round, the Buccaneers drafted offensive tackle Cody Mauch. The offensive line was a big issue last season due to injuries and poor play. There is a chance that Mauch could end up being a Week 1 starter, but if not, he will definitely see the field.

Offseason Moves that Turned Heads

While the retirement of Brady and the signing of Mayfield might have had the biggest impact on the Buccaneers’ regular season, the team’s ability to retain talent was surprising. Most NFL betting lines have Tampa Bay missing the playoffs, with analysts thinking this season will be a grind.

Buccaneers are giving CB Jamel Dean a four-year, $52 million deal, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2023

However, the Buccaneers were able to re-sign two critical members of their defense in cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Lavonte David at linebacker. If the team wants to surprise the NFL and outperform their predictions, it will start on the defensive side of the ball. That is where a lot of the team’s talent is, including the ones that the Buccaneers were able to retain. On top of that, they have a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles, which could make things interesting.

The Weakest Link

Despite the addition of Mauch, the offensive line will still be the most significant issue heading into the 2023 season. While the defense should at least be reliable, there are many more questions about the offense, starting with the line.

Last season, the Buccaneers offensive line was hit by injuries, which led to their struggles, but even when it was healthy, Brady was still under a lot of pressure. Now that an inexperienced or questionable decision-maker will be the starting quarterback, the offensive line issues will only be more noticeable.

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen are still the anchors of the offensive line, but every other position is a question mark. Furthermore, the Buccaneers could not run the ball at all last season, a sign of a bad offensive line, and not much has changed.

Final Analysis

With Brady retiring, there is not much holding the Buccaneers together, especially on offense. While some of the skilled players on offense are still on the team, including wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, there is still uncertainty about who will be the starting quarterback or if he will have enough time to make a pass. On top of that, there is not much to fall back on without any improvements to the worst running game in the NFL.

At least on defense, there is some promise for the Buccaneers. Re-signing key players and drafting more talent could make Tampa Bay’s defense a problem for opponents. However, with so many questions on the offensive end, there might not be many wins for the Buccaneers, even in a mediocre NFC South.