With training camp getting underway this week, “rankings season” is finally wrapping up. But just before the end, Pro Football Focus dropped its “PFF50,” a list ranking the 50 best players in the NFL today. Unsurprisingly, the Bucs were well-represented on the list, with three players making it.

Brady Leads The Way For The Bucs

Tom Brady, as expected, was Tampa Bay’s highest-ranked player. He came in at No. 8, falling behind fellow quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (No. 3), Patrick Mahomes (No. 5) and Josh Allen (No. 6). Here’s what PFF’s Sam Monson wrote about Brady:

Last season, at 44 years old, Brady finished the regular season with a 92.0 PFF grade — the best among NFL quarterbacks. And it was only Joe Burrow’s Super Bowl run that leapfrogged him ahead when including the playoffs. Brady recorded the second-lowest turnover-worthy play rate and tossed 43 touchdown passes. Now at almost 45 years old, there’s no reason to expect anything less than spectacular again this season.

Brady is coming off of an age-44 season in which he threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns. He briefly retired this offseason before deciding to come back for his age-45 season – his 23rd in the NFL.

First-Time Pro Bowl Selections Make The Top 40

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After Brady, the next Buc on the list doesn’t appear until No. 36. Vita Vea is Tampa Bay’s second player in the Top 50, coming in as the No. 4 interior defensive lineman. Here’s what Monson wrote about Vea:

Vea is a walking embodiment of Bill Parcells’ “Planet Theory” — there are only so many human beings that are that big and capable of moving the way he does walking around on Earth. In a league of rare athletes, he is a rare athlete, and when he finds his groove, he can make good NFL players look overwhelmed. He generated 48 pressures and 27 defensive stops last season.

Vea notched a career-high four sacks and made his first Pro Bowl in 2021. He was rewarded well for it, signing a four-year contract extension in January that runs through 2026.

Just two spots behind Vea is another Buc who made his first Pro Bowl in 2021. That, of course, is right tackle Tristan Wirfs, who was also an All-Pro in his second NFL season. Here’s what Monson wrote about Wirfs, who ranked No. 38 on the list:

Wirfs was one of the league’s best right tackles the moment he stepped foot on an NFL field, and he only backed that up in Year 2. He was the NFL’s highest-graded right tackle and allowed just 15 pressures across 18 games (including the playoffs).

Wirfs, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in 2020, has been a major part of the team’s success the last two years. He has allowed pressures on just 2.5% of his 1,419 pass-blocking snaps over the last two regular seasons. That ties him for the second-best mark in the league. The crazy part is, the former Iowa Hawkeye may only be scratching the surface. He can be even better in year three. 

One Buc ‘Just Missed’ Top 50

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On Monday, PFF released a list of 10 players who “just missed” the PFF50. And the Bucs had yet another player on that list — third-year safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Three safeties — Tennessee’s Kevin Byard, Green Bay’s Adrian Amos and Baltimore’s Marcus Williams — made the PFF50. Winfield clearly isn’t far off, though, and if he takes the next step in 2022, he may very well find himself on the top 50 list next year. Here’s what Monson wrote about the former University of Minnesota star:

Winfield has appeared experienced beyond his years since the moment he entered the NFL, playing like a savvy veteran and making a difference from Day 1 in Tampa Bay’s secondary. His overall PFF grade improve dramatically in his second season, and he added 10 additional defensive stops from his rookie season despite playing fewer playoff games. Winfield is an outstanding modern safety who has the versatility to line up all over Tampa Bay’s defense, and another year at this level will likely see him earn a spot on the PFF50.

There is a lot to love about what Winfield did during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. But, like Wirfs, he can be even better in 2022. Because of his versatility, Winfield can play anywhere in Bucs’ secondary. Wherever he is, he performs at a high level. He already made his first Pro Bowl last year. And if he can get his hands on the ball more often this year, he’ll reach the next level of notoriety. In any case, the fact that Winfield, Wirfs and Vea are all within the top 60 bodes well for Tampa Bay’s future. Mike Evans being left off the list, however, is a big miss.