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About the Author: Jon Ledyard

Avatar Of Jon Ledyard
Jon Ledyard is PewterReport.com's newest Bucs beat writer and has experience covering the Pittsburgh Steelers as a beat writer and analyzing the NFL Draft for several draft websites, including The Draft Network. Follow Ledyard on Twitter at @LedyardNFLDraft

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At 6-2, the Bucs are one of the NFL’s top teams once again this season. But last year, that wasn’t reflected in many player accolades. Jason Pierre-Paul was the team’s lone Pro Bowl representative, which looks pretty humorous in hindsight. Tampa Bay is much more likely to have a few players honored this year, at least according to Pro Football Focus.

In the website’s 2021 NFL All-Midseason Team, four Bucs players were honored. Tom Brady was the only first team representative, as PFF named him the best quarterback in the NFL this season. Brady has thrown for 2,650 yards and 25 touchdowns through eight games, leading the league in both categories. He also has the lowest rate of turnover-worthy throws amongst all quarterbacks.

Three additional Bucs were named to the All-Midseason second team, including left guard Ali Marpet, cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Marpet’s inclusion on the list isn’t a surprise. He’s been lights out through eight games, allowing 11 pressures and zero sacks. Marpet is also the biggest reason why the Bucs run game has turned a corner. He’s been a dominant force in the trenches.

As for Dean, I made the case in today’s Bucs Briefing that he should maintain his starting spot when Sean Murphy-Bunting returns. According to Pro Football Focus, Dean is allowing the lowest catch percentage of any cornerback in the league this season (43 percent). He’s also broken up six passes and intercepted two others. Yes, he hasn’t faced many elite quarterbacks or wide receivers over the past month. But Dean has stepped up in a big way with Carlton Davis and Murphy-Bunting on injured reserve.

Winfield’s presence on the All-Midseason second team is a little surprising. He’s played well, but also missed two games with a concussion. However, Winfield has had some really strong performances, including a great game against the Saints on Sunday. His two forced turnovers against the Patriots were a major reason the Bucs emerged victorious. In six games, Winfield has one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

Some surprise snubs from the PFF All-Midseason Team include right tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen. Wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans could have been recognized as second team honorees as well. Linebacker Lavonte David, wide receiver Antonio Brown and cornerback Carlton Davis have missed too much time to be included on the midseason team despite their fine play.

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