A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Make A Bold Bucs Prediction.

Scott Reynolds: Markees Watts Will Emerge As A Starter

Bucs OLB Markees Watts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I’ve had this funny feeling since the end of last year that somehow Markees Watts is going to emerge as a starter opposite Yaya Diaby in Tampa Bay this year. It’s something I’ve brought up to Watts before in the Bucs locker room just to get his reaction and he wasn’t fazed by it. He told me, “Yeah, I’ve thought that, too.”

This truly is a bold prediction because right now Watts is the fifth outside linebacker on the depth chart behind Diaby, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson and second-round pick Chris Braswell. Who knows where Randy Gregory will end up on the depth chart – or if he shows up to camp and makes the team at all.

But there is just something about Watts that is intriguing. He’s short and compact, but muscular, quick and agile. I view Watts as a more chiseled and cut Shaq Barrett. Heck, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound Watts even looks like him in Barrett’s old No. 58 jersey.

Watts reminds me a bit of former Steelers great James Harrison, an undrafted free agent out of Kent State. Harrison was initially cut by Pittsburgh in 2003 and then was released by the Ravens before spending time in NFL Europe with the Rhein Fire before the Steelers re-signed him. Harrison was only 6-foot, 240 pounds, but he was a dynamite player who played with an edge. That’s the one thing Watts needs – some nasty in his game.

Tryon-Shoyinka is the most experienced edge rusher on the team and he and Nelson are heading into pivotal contract years. That should give those two all the motivation they need to earn as much playing time as possible. And Braswell comes to Tampa Bay with a second-round pedigree and loads of potential. He’s also a lengthier outside linebacker at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. But I just have a feeling that Watts’ brand of speed-to-power will ultimately win out and he’ll climb the depth chart as the season progresses.

Matt Matera: Chris Godwin Leads The NFL In Receiving Yards

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R

Chris Godwin is no stranger to leading the Bucs in receiving yards. Yes, Mike Evans rightfully gets the spotlight for his consecutive 1,000-yard season streak, but there have been times where Evans and Godwin went over 1,000 yards and Godwin led the way, such as the 2019 and 2021 seasons. Godwin had his best season in 2019, the first year with Bruce Arians as head coach, recording 1,333 receiving yards. In 2021 he still led Tampa Bay with 1,103 yards despite playing in 14 out of 17 possible regular season games.

There’s a possibility Godwin could’ve broken his own personal record had it not been for a season-ending injury. Now it’s one thing to lead a team in production and another to lead an entire league in said category. Godwin did come close in 2019, coming in third in the NFL. The reason for his success in those two particular seasons? He was playing in the slot, which is where he’ll return to for the 2024 season. Everyone on the Bucs is onboard with Godwin moving back to the slot, as it’s where he’s most successful.

It’s going to be a steep competition to lead the league in receiving yards, but Godwin will get plenty of targets and receptions under the new offensive system with Liam Coen. The important stance for Coen is that he values players over plays. Coen has used the Rams’ offensive system which knows how to get the best out of their receivers.

Rams receiver Cooper Kupp led the league in receiving yards with 1,947 yards in 2021 and Rams rookie Puka Nacua had 1,486 yards last year – both while playing a lot in the slot. If we’re going to see vintage Godwin again, it’s going to be this season where Coen is using him in the slot and involving him as much as possible.

Bailey Adams: Lavonte David Finally Returns To The Pro Bowl… Then Retires

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

It’s not necessarily a bold prediction to say that Lavonte David will play at a Pro Bowl level in 2024. But considering he still just has the one Pro Bowl to his name and it came all the way back in 2015, I’d say predicting that David will actually crack the Pro Bowl roster this season qualifies as bold. The legendary Bucs linebacker has often fallen victim to the numbers game, both in terms of the limited number of inside linebackers who are picked for the Pro Bowl and in terms of his actual numbers themselves.

David needs more takeaways to really make his stat line jump off the page and rival some of the other top inside linebackers in the game. I think he gets a few more of those takeaways in his age-34 season, adding them to another season with well over 120 combined tackles (and perhaps bordering closer to 100 solo stops). Another four or five sacks to round out his stat line and I think the well-respected veteran will garner enough attention to make it to the Pro Bowl games in Orlando. That will leave him with two Pro Bowls, one All-Pro and a Super Bowl ring in his illustrious Tampa Bay career.

And then there’s the other part of this bold prediction – the sadder part of it for Bucs fans. I think that after finally getting that elusive second Pro Bowl nod (one that he’s truthfully deserved on multiple occasions since his first selection in 2015), David decides to call it a career. Why would he step away after a Pro Bowl season in which he proved that he is still one of the league’s best linebackers? Because it would really be a fitting end to what has been a phenomenal and underrated career.

David could walk away on top, in a sense, and go out on his own terms. He’s been signing one-year deals for a couple of years now and has been taking things year-to-year, so what better season to end on than a Pro Bowl season at age 34? Up next: an induction into the Bucs Ring of Honor.

Josh Queipo: Zyon McCollum Emerges As An Above-Average NFL Corner

The Bucs are showing a lot of faith in a former fifth-round pick who looked absolutely lost during his rookie year. They traded away a still very good cornerback in Carlton Davis III and only back-filled with a solid complimentary piece in Bryce Hall. All signs point to the starting left corner job being McCollum’s to lose. He proved during the pre-draft process in 2022 that he had the physical gifts to be a talented defensive back, scoring one of the highest Relative Athletic Scores in the history of the measurement.

Zyon McCollum is a CB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.99 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 3 out of 1843 CB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/VQ0qXsv0ub #RAS pic.twitter.com/6W3QCVUOgW

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 18, 2022

McCollum was pressed into extended service in 2023 after injuries derailed the Bucs’ plans to keep both Davis and Jamel Dean on the field simultaneously. Zyon ended up playing more snaps than either of the intended starters. And the improvement from year one to year two was stark.

Zyon and Jamel both above average on preventing separation. Carlton was #1 for the team though. https://t.co/AfIktSQlYr

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) June 24, 2024

McCollum’s 1.04 yards allowed per coverage rep was right near league average and his feel for zone coverage was noticeably improved. With another full offseason to dedicate to his craft at the NFL level, I am expecting him to take yet another massive leap forward and become an above-average cornerback in the NFL.

Adam Slivon: Payne Durham Finishes Second On Bucs In Touchdown Receptions

Bucs TE Payne Durham – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The end zone eluded rookie tight end Payne Durham last season, although he came awfully close a couple of times. Heading into 2024, though, the Bucs’ 2023 fifth-round pick looks likely to have more of a role on offense in his second season. Throughout this offseason, he has looked noticeably faster and looks to have the inside track to be the team’s No. 2 tight end behind Cade Otton. Based on what he has seen so far, general manager Jason Licht looks forward to seeing him out there in pads come training camp.

“Payne has looked like he’s gained some quickness and some speed and some strength,” Licht said on the Pewter Report Podcast earlier this offseason. “So I’m really excited to see him this year. And as you know, he made some phenomenal catches last year. I think he’s going to [step up].”

With the team’s leading personnel decision-maker this high on him, it’s easy to envision Durham having more opportunities. Although he had just five receptions for 58 yards last season, he looks primed for a bigger role within Liam Coen’s offense, where Otton won’t be counted on to play as much as he did last season. Durham’s greatest value will be making the most of his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame in the red zone.

Over his last two seasons at Purdue, he hauled in 14 touchdowns, and the Bucs offense lacks a big target close to the goal line outside of Mike Evans. While Evans had an impressive 13 TDs last season, Otton finished second on the team with just four. That could change, and if anyone is likely to do it, Durham might have the best chance to make his mark and provide some big moments this season. While this is not necessarily the boldest prediction, I predict that with the young tight end being more involved he will haul in five to seven touchdowns, finishing second to Evans in that category.