For this weekend’s Pewter Report Roundtable, the crew tackles another tough question. This week’s prompt: Who will be Bucs’ bounce back player this year?

Scott Reynolds: Brate Has A Chance To Have A Better Year Without Gronk

The Bucs might sign another veteran tight end to replace Rob Gronkowski. Or Gronkowski might end up returning at some point this season, as his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, predicts. But one player who stands to benefit from Gronk’s retirement is veteran tight end Cam Brate. Yes, Brate turns 31 on July 3. He’s not the young, up-and-coming tight end that caught 57 passes for 660 yards and and eight touchdowns like he did in 2016. But as the only experienced tight end on the roster (for now), Brate should get more targets now that Gronkowski is gone.

Bucs TE Cam Brate – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not that the Bucs and QB Tom Brady are going to feed Brate (or another veteran) the way they did with Gronk over the last two years. Brate was targeted 57 times last year and caught 30 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns. The 245 yards was the fewest yards he produced since his 2014 rookie season. But Brate seemed to be moving around really well during the OTAs and mini-camp, a couple of years removed from hip surgery. I think there’s the potential for him 300 yards or more for the first time since Brate had 311 yards in 2019. Could he hit 400 yards without Gronk (or another veteran)? It’s possible as long as he stays healthy.

Gronkowski had 89 targets last year and caught 55 passes for 802 yards yards and six scores. There’s no way Brate will get anywhere close to that amount of targets in 2022 – even if he’s the only veteran tight end on the roster. Brady will target receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage more than he will target Brate. At the same time, Brate is a reliable red zone weapon for Brady. I could see Brate getting 60 targets this year and winding up with 40 catches for 370 yards and six touchdowns as a result. That would be his best season in five years.

Matt Matera: INTs Is The Name Of The Game For Davis

I want it first and foremost known that I don’t think cornerback Carlton Davis III had a bad season. I am looking at this through the lense of going from a really good corner to a great corner. Davis has said that he’s an All-Pro caliber worthy corner. He can get there, he’ll just need to provide a little more this year. There’s a reason Davis earned his new contract when negotiations went on this offseason with the Bucs. He’s without question their top corner and has fared very well against the best wide receivers that their opponents have to offer.

Bucs CB Carlton Davis III – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Part of being the best is being available, and Davis missed seven games last year due to a quad injury in Week 4. Injuries are part of the game and sometimes can’t be avoided, so I’m not entirely knocking Davis. He’s yet to play every game in a full season, though, and that should be a goal for him. More importantly, Davis has been very honest and upfront about recording more interceptions this season.

He has seven interceptions in his career and four of them came in 2020. In 10 games last season he came up with one pick and dropped several more. Davis and his cornerback coach Kevin Ross have talked about the fact that he’s just a couple more interceptions from reaching that elite level of cornerbacks. Well, this is the year to do it. Many, including myself, hold Davis in high regard already. Taking that next step with the interceptions will make the rest view him as a great player at his position among the rest in the league. Davis has shown he has the potential to get four or more in a season. If he can stay healthy and catch some of the ones he dropped Davis will bounce back in a big way in 2022.

J.C. Allen: Consistency Is The Key For “Get Live 45”

There is no doubting the skill set and attributes Bucs linebacker Devin White possessess. There are however, question marks regarding his consistency. After an up-and-down rookie year that saw time lost due to injury, White burst onto the scene in 2020 with a 140 total tackles and nine sacks. He also capped off the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win with a big end zone interception, keeping Kansas City out of the end zone.

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Heading into the 2021 season some pundits were calling him one of the best inside linebackers in the game. Fast forward to the actual season and White had plenty of struggles. His sack numbers dropped from nine to 3.5. He struggled with shedding blocks in run defense and was often out of place in coverage. His speed, which is the strongest part of his game, often misguided him. White often over-ran the quarterback on blitzes or over-pursued on running plays. But White knows where he needs to improve and spoke about it length during a 2021 exit interview.

It wasn’t a terrible season for the former LSU Tiger. He made his first Pro Bowl last year and still racked up 128 tackles and 18 quarterback hits. Though, if White is going to transcend into one of the league’s best, he’ll need to rely on more than just his speed. White will need to be more disciplined, while holding onto that aggressiveness that makes him so dangerous. To White’s credit, he said this offseason he was going to utilize more film study in order to get better. Working with new inside linebackers coach Larry Foote has also been a great learning experience for White. If he can put it all together, White has the ability to be one of the more dominant linebackers in the league and produce more like he did in 2020.

Bailey Adams: Time To Take A Scooter Back To The Top

The Scotty Miller we saw in 2021 was not the Scotty Miller we came to know in 2020. He landed on injured reserve early in the season with a bad case of turf toe. Eventually returning in late November, he was resigned to more of a special teams role, which he accepted and exceled in. He came through with a key fumble recovery in a dramatic road win over Indianapolis in November as a gunner. Then, in the Bucs’ Wild Card win over the Eagles, he forced a fumble by drilling Jalen Reagor on a punt. But as impressive as it was to see Miller make the most of his special teams spot, that’s not what he was drafted to do. And that’s not his ceiling.

Bucs WR Scotty Miller – Photo by: USA Today

Behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage, WR4 and WR5 jobs are up for grabs. It’s “open season,” as wide receivers coach Kevin Garver said last month. Miller is competing with the likes of Cyril Grayson Jr., Breshad Perriman, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden and undrafted free agents, such as Deven Thompkins, Jerreth Sterns and Kaylon Geiger. And with Godwin potentially unavailable early this season, those No. 4 and No. 5 receiver spots are even more important. So, Miller has a chance to carve out a bigger role for himself in Tampa Bay’s offense this year. And I think he will. The key for Miller is to stay healthy. He looked good in OTAs, but then missed mini-camp with an injury. That’s something he needs to bounce back from when training camp opens later this month. If he does, he’ll be a major bounce-back candidate for Tampa Bay.

It feels like a while ago, but Miller was a major factor in the early stages of the Brady era in Tampa Bay. He had 400 yards and two touchdowns in seven games to start 2020, but then Antonio Brown came to town and cost him snaps. Miller can still climb back to where he was. Speed is his No. 1 tool. Everyone remembers his heroics late in the first half of the Bucs’ NFC Championship win over Green Bay two seasons ago. Those are the types of plays he can make as a deep threat. But he has plenty more to offer the offense, as long as it can get the ball in his hands. This is Scooter’s year to prove that he’s an all-around playmaker who deserves a role in the Bucs’ prolific offense.