SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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FAB 1. Bucs Need Their Best Draft In Licht Era

With Tampa Bay being as cap-strapped as it’s been in over a decade thanks to going “all-in” during the team’s three-year Super Bowl window from 2020-22, Bucs general manager Jason Licht and his staff need to produce their best-ever draft next month. With the Bucs likely to re-sign just half of the team’s 22 unrestricted free agents, there will be plenty of holes on the roster that Tampa Bay will need to fill with rookies come April.

No pressure, right?

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht has supplanted Rich McKay as the best general manager in franchise history. He’s shown that he’s equally adept at signing top free agents like Tom Brady and finding diamonds in the rough like Shaq Barrett. Licht has made big trades for the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul and Rob Gronkowski. And he’s drafted 10 players who have been to at least one Pro Bowl.

Wide receiver Mike Evans, Licht’s first ever draft pick, is the best offensive weapon in Tampa Bay history. Right tackle Tristan Wirfs is already the best lineman in franchise history. Both appear to be future Hall of Famers.

Licht is going to have to find another one of those future Bucs legends somewhere in this year’s draft. It’s easier when the Bucs picked seventh overall, as they did in 2014 with Evans, and 13th overall like they did in 2020 when Licht traded up one spot to get Wirfs.

Most think Licht’s 2020 draft when he landed Wirfs, a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, in the first round and Antoine Winfield Jr, a Pro Bowl safety, in the second was his best. But in 2018, Licht came away with four incredibly good starters in that draft class.

Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea, who led the team with 6.5 sacks last year, was Tampa Bay’s first-round pick. Although running back Ronald Jones II and cornerback M.J. Stewart were drafted ahead of cornerback Carlton Davis III in the second round, Davis was clearly the best choice. He just signed a lucrative three-year deal worth just under $45 million last year.

In the third round of the 2018 draft, Licht selected small-school offensive tackle Alex Cappa out of Humboldt State and moved him to guard. By year three, Cappa was a solid starter who helped the Bucs make a Super Bowl run before he fractured his ankle in the first round of the playoffs. In his final year, Cappa played so well he earned a four-year, $35 million deal with Cincinnati in 2022.

It was a similar story for fourth-round pick Jordan Whitehead, who became a big starter for the Bucs in his final two seasons, helping Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV. Whitehead signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Jets last offseason.

That’s four high-quality starters in Tampa Bay out of the 2018 draft, which is quite a haul. That collective output matches the star power of Wirfs and Winfield from the 2020 draft.

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The goal for Licht and the Bucs scouting department this year is to marry the two drafts. Find four high-quality starters – but have two of them be instant impact rookies with Pro Bowl potential like Wirfs and Winfield.

Tampa Bay has nine draft picks to work with and will have to address the offensive and defensive lines first and foremost. The Bucs released starting left tackle Donovan Smith and traded right guard Shaq Mason to the Texans. Tampa Bay is counting on former draft picks like Robert Hainsey and Luke Goedeke to step up, but will need to spend a premium pick on a tackle and/or guard to add more talent and competition to the mix.

The Bucs have Vea and Logan Hall, last year’s second-round pick, returning at defensive tackle. But Will Gholston, Akiem Hicks, Deadrin Senat and Pat O’Connor are all free agents and some won’t be back. This is not a great year for defensive tackles in free agency or the draft, so Licht will have to choose wisely and restock the position. After quarterback, defensive tackle might be the hardest position for rookies to play, which makes finding an impact defensive tackle in the draft a real challenge.

The Bucs could also use another starting-caliber tight end to pair with Cade Otton. Tampa Bay needs a starting nickel cornerback with Winfield no longer playing in the slot this year. And the team needs another starting safety, as Mike Edwards, Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal are all free agents right now – although one or two could re-sign with the Bucs.

While reserve outside linebacker Anthony Nelson re-signed, the Bucs could use another talented edge rusher. It’s unknown how Barrett will recover from a torn Achilles at age 30, and the jury is still out on whether Joe Tryon-Shoyinka can be anything more than a four-sack pass rusher.

If the Bucs want to compete for another NFC South title – and more importantly another Super Bowl championship – this upcoming draft will have to play a major role.

No pressure, Jason.

FAB 2. Former Bucs Draft Picks Must Step Up

The Bucs need to really hit a home run – perhaps a grand slam – in the 2023 NFL Draft. With limited resources due to an extremely tight salary cap situation, the Bucs may need to find as many as five rookie starters this year.

But what the Bucs really need is for some of their previous draft picks to step up and live up to their potential and draft billing. Here’s a look at eight of Tampa Bay’s prior draft picks who could greatly improve the team with better play in 2023.

2020 – RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Bucs RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Only three players remain from the Bucs’ 2020 draft, but that’s okay. The first two – first round tackle Tristan Wirfs and second-round safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – were absolute dynamite picks. Wirfs is a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro and is already the best and most talented offensive lineman in franchise history. Winfield is a Pro Bowl safety and one of the top three players on defense.

The remaining player from the 2020 draft is third-round running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who has had a modest career in Tampa Bay thus far. He’s totaled 79 carries for 342 yards (4.3 avg.) and two touchdowns in three seasons. He’s also caught 12 passes for 79 yards (6.6 avg. and one TD. Vaughn has also totaled 74 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries (3.4 avg.) in four playoff games, including one start in 2021.

His most productive season came in the 2021 season when he ran for 180 yards and two TDs while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Vaughn also caught four passes for 26 yards that year playing behind Leonard Fournette. His touches decreased last year with the arrival of Rachaad White, another third-round running back.

Vaughn will get the chance to compete with newly signed veteran Chase Edmonds for the right to back up White, who will get the first crack at the starting running back duties. He’s entering a contract year and needs to become an angry runner for offensive coordinator Dave Canales to earn more than the 60 or so touches he’s been relegated to in years past.

2021 – OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, QB Kyle Trask and LB K.J. Britt

Bucs DT Logan Hall and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Just four players remain from the Bucs’ 2021 draft. Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who was drafted in the first round, second-round quarterback Kyle Trask, third-round offensive lineman Robert Hainsey and fifth-round linebacker K.J. Britt. Hainsey has been the best of the bunch so far, starting 17 games at center for Ryan Jensen last year and playing reasonably well in his second season in Tampa Bay.

Hainsey is not the one who needs to step up out of this draft class, though. He already has shown he can play in the interior offensive line and be a competent starter. It’s the other three who have to step up.

The Bucs had high hopes that Tryon-Shoyinka, the team’s first-round pick in 2021, would have a breakthrough season in 2022 replacing Jason Pierre-Paul. While he did get more pressures, that was basically a function of more snaps in his second year in Tampa Bay. But he stalled out at four sacks, which is what he produced as a rookie, and missed as many sacks as he got.

There are some within the organization who feel he might be more of an athlete than a football player. He needs to step up in a big way and approach double-digit sacks in 2022. The Bucs hope new outside linebackers coach George Edwards can be a difference-maker for Tryon-Shoyinka.

Trask will get the chance to start after being the team’s third-string QB the last two years. The Florida product was buried on the depth chart behind veterans Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert. Now, he’ll have to beat out journeyman Baker Mayfield, who is on his fourth team in the last two years.

There is no built-in advantage for Trask as the Bucs will have a new system and playbook this year under Dave Canales. Trask has put in the work behind the scenes. The time is now for him to show he’s more than just a backup quarterback in the NFL, and thus a wasted second-round pick.

As for Britt, he gets rave reviews from head coach Todd Bowles about his intelligence. Obviously, that carries a lot of weight. But in the preseason and the limited defensive snaps he’s played in the regular season, Britt has been far from spectacular.

Britt looks stiff and slow compared to starters Devin White and Lavonte David. Somehow, he’ll have to find a second gear and show he’s more than a special teams ace this August. Don’t be surprised to see the Bucs draft another linebacker because Britt doesn’t look like he’s David’s heir apparent.

2022 – DT Logan Hall, OL Luke Goedeke, CB Zyon McCollum

Bucs LG Luke Goedeke and Falcons DT Grady Jarrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The 2022 draft was a pretty productive draft for the Bucs. Seven of the team’s eight picks made the final roster and saw significant action as a part-time starter or reserve.

Third-round pick Rachaad White and fourth-round tight end Cade Otton have shown the most promise so far, in addition to fourth-round punter and kickoff specialist Jake Camarda. He was actually Tampa Bay’s best rookie last year. For what he is – a blocking tight end – Ko Kieft, the team’s sixth-round pick, was solid and a nice contributor on special teams.

Hall, who was the first pick in the second round, was a reserve defensive tackle who notched 2.5 sacks as a rookie. Next to quarterback, defensive tackle might be the most difficult position to play as a rookie in the NFL.

Hall took his lumps and needs to add about 15-20 pounds this offseason and get up 300 pounds to hold up against double teams. The Bucs are counting on Hall to step up and be a competent starter this year. Tampa Bay can’t afford to miss on Tryon-Shoyinka and Hall in the trenches in back-to-back years.

Speaking of taking lumps, no Bucs player took more than Goedeke, who started at left guard and faced a murderer’s row of talented defensive tackles right out of the gate. Goedeke struggled mightily and lost some confidence along the way. Being benched for Nick Leverett was probably the best thing for Goedeke’s career long-term.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

When he re-emerged in the starting lineup for the last two weeks of the season, he played his best football. In Week 18, he played the best game of his regular season at right tackle, which is where he played at Central Michigan, filling in for Tristan Wirfs. And he played even better the next week in the playoffs against Dallas back at left guard. Wherever Goedeke plays next year, he’ll need to be consistently good to justify that second-round pick.

The Bucs traded this year’s fourth-round pick to move up into the fifth round and select McCollum last year. At Sam Houston, McCollum was an aggressive ballhawk, recording 13 interceptions in five years. But as a rookie in Tampa Bay, McCollum was gun-shy and tentative on defense, especially as a tackler.

McCollum shined as a gunner on special teams, but as one of the most athletic cornerbacks ever at the Combine, he has a chance to be so much more. With his size and length, McCollum has the physical tools to develop into an NFL starter one day. But he needs to be more aggressive at breaking on the ball and as a tackler this year to make the necessary strides in that direction.

FAB 3. Bucs Are Already Winning – Without Tom Brady

You heard the exasperation in Todd Bowles’ voice last year at times when he repeatedly told the media that the Bucs were more than just one player – even though that one player was Tom Brady, the greatest QB of all-time. Both Bowles and general manager Jason Licht were incredibly grateful that Brady picked Tampa Bay when he was a free agent in 2020 and came out of retirement last March to play one more year with the Bucs.

But football is not a one-man sport.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s a team sport, and the Bucs were not just Tom Brady. Over the last several years, the Bucs have been a collection of very talented players who have played to their potential (2020, 2021) and sometimes underachieved (2022) in winning a Super Bowl and two division championships.

While Brady has retired, the Bucs still have plenty of talent. Nine players have been to at least one Pro Bowl in tackle Tristan Wirfs, center Ryan Jensen, receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, defensive tackle Vita Vea, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, inside linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

And that’s not counting a pair of cornerbacks making at least $13 million apiece in the newly re-signed Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III.

Licht built a roster that attracted Brady in the first place. And what he, the Bucs and the rest of the NFL community has found out this offseason is that Tampa Bay is still an attractive place to play, and Bowles is still a popular coach to play for.

Dean gushed about playing for Bowles at his press conference on Thursday. He wanted to stay in Tampa Bay, as did outside linebacker Anthony Nelson. David, the 33-year old Bucs legend, wanted to stay in Tampa Bay and retire in red and pewter.

“These guys wanted to come back,” Licht said. “They believe in the vision we all have here with our coaches, with our front office. That’s going to continue.”

New free agents like quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Chase Edmonds also wanted to play for the post-Brady Bucs. And there will be others throughout the spring and summer who feel the same way.

Edmonds actually pursued Tampa Bay in free agency, and signed a one-year deal for the veteran league-minimum to play with the Bucs. Mayfield embraced the opportunity to replace Brady, which would be a daunting challenge for some quarterbacks with Mayfield’s cocksure approach.

After going “all-in” during the team’s three-year Super Bowl window with Brady, the Bucs and the players they wanted to sign and re-sign knew that resources would be scarce in Tampa Bay this year. But they decided to sign with the Bucs anyway – many taking less money in free agency to do so.

“I could talk all day about how proud I am of the team we have,” Licht said. “Mike Greenberg, Jackie [Davidson], the whole front office – John [Spytek], everybody. We’ve been working on this plan for a long time. There were really tough decisions, but I have a lot of confidence in these people. There were a lot of challenges and we were able to get through it. Kind of, sort of coming through the back end of it now. Never once did we ever think that we’re not going to be a good team this year.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht, CB Jamel Dean, and OLB Anthony Nelson. – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

Despite the lack of salary cap room, Licht and Bowles remain confident that they will field a winner this year and compete for a third straight NFC South title.

“We have a lot of good players,” Licht said. “Players entering their prime. Players in their prime. Players that haven’t even scratched the surface of their prime. It’s the same situation that drew Tom Brady to want to come sign here. It’s a very similar team.

“And we’re not done. We’re going to have some more [signings]. We have to do a little – we have to make some more reasonable signings right now because of where we’re at. But sometimes you get your best deals and you get your best players – contributors – from that.”

Licht and the Bucs found that out in 2019 when they signed Barrett to a one-year, prove-it deal worth $4 million. Barrett led the league in sacks that year with 19.5 and made his first Pro Bowl. The next year, Barrett played a huge role in Tampa Bay winning Super Bowl LV.

We’ll see if Licht can find another bargain free agent who provides a lot of bang for the buck this year. And we’ll see how many games this Bucs team can win this year without Brady under center.

But so far in free agency, Tampa Bay appears to be winning when it comes to attracting players in the post-Brady era.

“I don’t want to say that I was 100% confident because you never know,” Licht said of Dean and Anthony re-signing. “I knew that everybody here is going to have some opportunities along with coming back here. But I was confident that we would be able to put our best foot forward. And I was confident that they wanted to be here. I knew that because of the coaching staff that we have, the front office that we have, and the players that we have.

“If I could go back in time, I would do it all again. We pushed, we borrowed about $100 million against this year’s cap and future caps to do what we did. Came close a second time. If anybody wants to criticize what we did, they can come to our homes and look at our rings. We’re happy about that and we’re going to pursue another one, too.”

FAB 4. Bucs Did The Right Thing With Russell Gage

The Bucs were experiencing some buyer’s remorse last year regarding the production of wide receiver Russell Gage. Tampa Bay signed the former Atlanta Falcon to a three-year deal worth $30 million to help give Tom Brady another weapon to replace Antonio Brown.

Bucs WR Russell Gage – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Gage’s quickness and ability to separate were coveted by the Bucs, and during the first week of training camp, he looked like the best receiver on the field. It was hard to cover Gage – until he injured his hamstring in the first joint practice with the Dolphins.

Gage, who had never been hurt before in his four years in the NFL, battled that hamstring injury all season. The Bucs felt he could have gone about his rehab differently, which irked the team. But he finished the season strong with a career-high five touchdowns, including four in the last five games.

The hamstring injury robbed Gage of his number one trait – quickness. And the Bucs are willing to give him another chance to prove his worth as the No. 3 receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The Bucs were tempted to release him this offseason. Gage has not proven he’s worth $10 million per year after catching just 51 passes for 426 yards and averaging a career-low 8.4 yards per catch, which is dismal. But this year’s draft class and free agent crop is light on talented receivers.

So, the Bucs did the right thing. Instead of cutting him, Tampa Bay asked Gage to take a $3 million pay cut because he’s not worth $10 million per year – at least not yet. And after last year, Gage would be hard-pressed to find any takers for even $7 million per year. So it’s a win-win for both sides.

Cutting Gage would have saved the Bucs just over $2 million in cap space. Instead, Tampa Bay decided to keep him and wound up saving $3 million in cap room. Gage has incentives to earn the $3 million back with improved play – another fair move by the Bucs.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• TAMPA BAKE! Get used to saying it. It’s going to be a thing this year with Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay.

• CANALES IS ALL ABOUT TEAM WORK: New Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales had an inspiring tweet about teamwork this week. Can’t wait to see how this new Tampa Bay offense shapes up.

• DON’T MAKE A SCENE, IT’S JUST JAMEL DEAN: How could you not love Jamel Dean’s enthusiasm to be a Buccaneer?

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. We’re in the offseason now, so PR Podcasts will typically

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On Monday, Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds previewed Bucs free agency and talked about Baker Mayfield coming to Tampa Bay.

The Bucs re-signed Jamel Dean as free agency began, and Matera, Reynolds and Bailey Adams chimed in with their analysis.

As expected, Baker Mayfield became a Buccaneer on Wednesday and Matera, Reynolds and J.C. Allen discussed that and Lavonte David’s return to Tampa.

What’s next for the Bucs after signing RB Chase Edmonds? Matera and Adam Slivon discuss the free agent possibilities on Thursday.

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