Managing your family’s wealth means more to Amuni Financial than simply allocating your assets. It means legacy planning, brokerage & advisory services, retirement accounts, college savings accounts and insurance services. With 40 years of experience, let Amuni Financial help you plan ahead and stay ahead.

Call Amuni Financial at (800) 868-6864 or visit Amuni.com.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Hi, Scott. With Bucs’ record being 3-1 and having the opportunity to go to playoffs and win the division, do you think we will be looking for a player to get through a trade? Which position and player do you think Bucs would get through a trade if they are looking?

ANSWER: I don’t think the Bucs are exploring any trades right now, although Bucs general manager Jason Licht and assistant general managers John Spytek and Mike Greenberg are always on the look out to acquire new talent by any means necessary. I think the obvious trade that most Bucs fans were thinking about right now was trading for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who returns to action this week. The Colts did not receive any trade requests for Taylor after the Pro Bowl back wanted out of Indianapolis over stalled contract talks.

The Bucs really liked Taylor coming out of Wisconsin in the draft a few years ago, and he’s proven to be an elite running back in the NFL so far. Tampa Bay’s running back room is a big question mark with Rachaad White’s uneven performances, the disappearance of Sean Tucker, the injury to Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn being … well … Ke’Shawn Vaughn. But the problem is that not only would Tampa Bay have to part ways with a premium pick in next year’s draft, but also pay Taylor the king’s ransom he was looking for in his next contract. Taylor cashed in on a three-year, $42 million contract extension over the weekend.

Would the Bucs want to invest that much in a running back with so many of the team’s own free agents, including Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr., Baker Mayfield and Devin White – not to mention Tristan Wirfs – needing contract extensions soon? Probably not. But if there is a running back out there that comes available that could help the Bucs I’m sure they’ll do some digging.

QUESTION: With the Bucs having the record they have and potentially making a playoff push should they consider trading for someone? I for one would like to see a veteran center or another OLB.

Bucs brass: Jason Licht, John Spytek and Mike Greenberg – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I don’t think the Bucs are openly looking to acquire any one player or targeting any position as of right now. Tampa Bay is 3-1 with the roster it has, and the only loss so far was to arguably the best team in the NFL right now, the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Bucs have a catastrophic injury in the next couple of weeks where they lose an impact starter I could see general manager Jason Licht perhaps looking for a replacement via trade in that scenario, especially if Tampa Bay is 5-2 or 6-1 and really making a playoff push. But right now it seems premature.

You mentioned center and outside linebacker, so let’s talk about those positions. Center Robert Hainsey certainly needs to play well and I’m not sure how high his ceiling is. I think it’s a position Tampa Bay might look at upgrading next year with a draft pick or in free agency, as Ryan Jensen’s knee injury will likely cause him to retire at age 33 next year. I’m not sure if there is a center better than Hainsey that is available via a trade right now, and how much time would it take for a newly acquired center to learn the offense and be able to call out the proper protections like Hainsey can?

As for the outside linebacker position, the Bucs love the talent that they have there. Shaq Barrett is the seasoned veteran and the team has a ton of young players in Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, Cam Gill, YaYa Diaby and Markees Watts. Plus the Bucs also have Jose Ramirez on the practice squad. That’s seven edge rushers in Tampa Bay. I don’t think there’s a need for any more. Barrett and Tryon-Shoyinka have only combined for three sacks on the season, but I think that changes after the bye week. When it’s all said and done I think Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers end up being a team strength this season.

QUESTION: How likely are the Bucs to retain Mike Evans if the young receivers continue to play at a high level like they did against the Saints? He is still a fan favorite and very important leader for the team. Also still making a big impact on the field.

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ANSWER: I don’t think Mike Evans’ future in Tampa Bay has anything to do with the team’s younger receivers. Now it would certainly help ease the loss of Evans if he’s not re-signed in 2024 if either Trey Palmer or Deven Thompkins becomes a starting-caliber receiver this season. But Evans will be 31 next year and the Bucs will have to decide whether or not they want to invest around $25 million per season in an aging star, especially with Chris Godwin already making $20 million per season and entering a contract year in 2024.

The good news for Evans is that it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down this year outside of a hamstring tweak in New Orleans. He has 20 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, and is averaging a career-best 16.9 yards per catch in 2023. Evans didn’t practice on Monday, but it’s looking like he might return to action against the Lions on Sunday thanks in part to last week’s bye, which allowed him to rest his sore hamstring.

The big question for Tampa Bay regarding Evans is – do they want to keep him or Godwin? Because they probably won’t be able to keep both past the 2024 season. If Evans does get a lucrative contract extension in Tampa Bay at around $25 million, it’s a safe bet that Godwin would command a raise after the 2024 campaign. Would the Bucs have the cap room to pay a pair of receivers a combined $25 million per season? That’s doubtful. Godwin is three years younger than Evans and might be the longer-term option for Tampa Bay. We’ll see.

QUESTION: Do you expect any RB snap count changes or will Rachaad White remain king of the backfield? I hope they keep feeding him.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: The Bucs’ running back room is thin on experience and perhaps just as thin on talent. The offensive line has been somewhat inconsistent in run blocking through the first four games of the season, so it’s hard to pass judgment right now on the backs as a group. Rachaad White appears to be the most talented runner and will likely get the lion’s share of the carries against the Lions and for the rest of the season barring injury.

White’s biggest weakness is a lack of explosion and acceleration at the line of scrimmage. That’s something Chase Edmonds possesses, but he’s hurt right now. When Edmonds gets back from a knee injury in a few weeks he could cut into White’s workload if White is faltering. It was interesting to see Sean Tucker not get any carries in New Orleans while Ke’Shawn Vaughn got nine carries – albeit for just 16 yards. Not sure how it will shake out this season for the RB3 role once Edmonds returns.

So you’ll likely get your wish. White will continue to get the most carries, touches and snaps this season. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs let Vaughn and Edmonds go in free agency and then add another running back or two in the draft and free agency next year.

QUESTION: Once Calijah Kancey starts playing, who do you predict will have the biggest impact on the D-line?

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ANSWER: Well, the Bucs are hoping that Calijah Kancey makes a big impact himself, especially as a pass rusher. He recorded 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons at Pittsburgh. That unique quickness and ability to penetrate is what caused Kancey to be picked in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. I would pencil in Kancey for at least three sacks during his rookie season. That seems to be on par for what Tampa Bay’s first-round pick defensive tackles have produced in the past, including Warren Sapp, Gerald McCoy and Vita Vea.

All three of those defensive tackles had three sacks as rookies and each wound up becoming Pro Bowlers. Logan Hall even had 2.5 sacks last year as the top pick in the second round in the 2022 NFL Draft. Only Booger McFarland, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in 1999, failed to get three sacks as a rookie. He only had one, but also never made a Pro Bowl.

The Bucs also expect Kancey’s immediate penetration ability to benefit other players. Perhaps it’s a clean up sack by Vita Vea once he powers through a strong rush in the B gap from Kancey. But I think he’ll really boost the sack totals for the outside linebackers by flushing the quarterback out of the pocket in their direction – either left or right.

It will be interesting to see how Kancey holds up against the run when he returns. That’s the one thing we’ve yet to see – how his 6-foot, 286-pound frame can take on double-team blocks or gap runs right at him. Kancey missed the entire preseason, so we really don’t know. The hope is that we find out on Sunday should Kancey return to action – and it seems like that will be the case as he practiced on Monday, which is a good sign.