A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week's prompt: Where do the Bucs need to improve after their first four games?
Scott Reynolds: Hey, How About Some Interceptions?
Do you remember when Bucs head coach Todd Bowles repeatedly said he wanted more ballhawks this season? The team went out and drafted a pair of sticky-fingered cornerbacks on Day 2 in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish – neither one of them has an interception through four games, though. Do you remember when Bowles emphasized how his defense needed to come away with more interceptions this season after recording a woeful seven picks last year, including six from the secondary?
Bucs CBs Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today
Do you remember how we thought the Buccaneers were going to be better in this department this season after recording six interceptions in three preseason games? Well, only one starter – cornerback Zyon McCollum – recorded a pick in the preseason, so maybe all those picks were just smoke and mirrors. Tampa Bay has played four games this season and only has one interception heading into Week 5.
And that lone pick came from cornerback Jamel Dean – JAMEL DEAN! – who struggles to hold on to the ball when it hits him in the hands. Thankfully Dean made the most of it and that interception went for a pick-six.
Tampa Bay's defense has played much better this year, despite some early season injuries, including the season-ending loss of defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. The Bucs have the league's fourth-best defense, allowing 272.8 yards per game, and have excelled on third down defense (ranked third with 32.6%) and run defense (ranked fifth with 85 yards per game allowed).
Getting more interceptions – and even fumble recoveries – would really make Bowles' unit elite this year. Tampa Bay only has one fumble recovery, too. Just two takeaways in four games isn't good enough. The Bucs had five takeaways in the first four games a year ago.
Matt Matera: Stop Getting Punts Blocked
I'm not sure how more direct I can be. It's been nothing short of egregious with what's been going on with the Bucs and punting the football. Tampa Bay has had two punts blocked in four games, plus a blocked field goal against the Jets. That means that in three of four games there's been a block of some kind. The lone game where the Bucs didn't get blocked was the season opener at Atlanta, and there were even some close calls in that one.
Bucs P Riley Dixon – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
It's more than one issue when it comes to the miscues. Punter Riley Dixon deserves some of the blame, as he has slow mechanics when it comes to kicking the ball, giving the opponents more time to get to him. He needs to speed up his delivery, or the team needs to have him stand back further.
The blocking up front has been awful, too, as they allow rushers right up the middle. Teams have faked stunting with their rushers and Tampa Bay can't seem to figure it out. Special teams coach Thomas McGaughey also deserves blame for a lack of adjustments.
The Bucs immediately went down 7-0 on Sunday after Dixon's punt was blocked on the opening drive of the game and returned for a score by the Eagles. It quickly brought down the vibes and took the wind out of the Bucs' sails. Great teams don't make these mistakes but Tampa Bay is doing it constantly. It could very well cost the Bucs another game if they don't fix it.
Everything else has gone well for special teams. Chase McLaughlin has regained his form and returner Kameron Johnson consistently is a threat to take it to the house. But each and every time the team punts the ball, fans will be on a high alert that the punt is even accomplished.
Bailey Adams: Bucs Need To Start Faster
There have been a lot of positives over the first month of the season for the Bucs, but one common thread in each of their first four games has been their inability to come out of the gates hot. They quickly fell behind 7-0 in Atlanta, trailed 10-7 at halftime in Houston and only led a bad New York Jets team 13-6 before halftime until a Jamel Dean pick-six pushed the lead to 14. Then came a disastrous start against Philadelphia, one that saw Tampa Bay fall behind 24-3 before Chase McLaughlin booted a record-setting 65-yard field goal to make it a 24-6 deficit at halftime.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today
Slow starts against the Falcons, Texans and Jets ultimately didn't cost them as they came back to win, but they fell behind an elite Eagles team 24-3 and while they made a valiant effort to come back, it wasn't to be. You can't expect to start like that against teams like the Eagles and still have success. That's a lesson Tampa Bay needs to learn from and fix quickly, as the next three games come against 3-1 teams: Seattle, San Francisco and Detroit.
Continuing the trend of slow starts out of the gate could see another October slump erase a strong September. That's what happened in both 2023 and 2024, and it can't happen again.
The prevailing attitude after Sunday's loss to the Eagles was that this team is too talented to start this slow and that it's unacceptable to be a group that waits to take the first punch before giving one back. The Bucs need to come out swinging, and that's maybe the biggest point of improvement this team needs to show as the calendar flips to October.
Adam Slivon: Baker Mayfield, Bucs Passing Game Need To Be More Efficient
When it comes to Baker Mayfield, there is no questioning the fact that he is a Top 10 quarterback. Without Mayfield's clutch play to begin the season, the Bucs might very well be sitting 0-4 and in a very different position than they find themselves in now at 3-1. Still, when assessing what needs to improve going forward, Tampa Bay's passing game must be more efficient.
Mayfield has an outstanding 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but he has also averted a lot of disaster. He has nine turnover-worthy plays through the team's first four games, and that is a product of throwing into harm's way and having some good luck with defenders dropping interceptions. As a gunslinging quarterback, relying more on efficient passes, as Liam Coen drew up in 2024, is the best recipe for success.
Bucs OC Josh Grizzard and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Completing just 83-of-139 passes this year, Baker Mayfield's 59.7% completion percentage is on track to be the second-lowest mark of his career. Mayfield's lowest mark was 59.4% in 2019, a season when he threw a career-high 21 interceptions. When asked to get the ball in his playmaker's hands quickly, there are few better quarterbacks in the league.
That is the type of player Josh Grizzard has to tap into. It has not helped the offense's cause that the injuries have hit them hard. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. have yet to play together, and outside of Emeka Egbuka, the wide receiver room lacks a high-end playmaker until Evans returns and Godwin rounds into form.
For the time being, generating high percentage looks with Egbuka and Godwin is a great place to start. From there, more emphasis should be on getting Rachaad White and Bucky Irving involved in the passing game. Each is a valuable check-down option, who can also run sophisticated route trees for their position. There have been glimpses of efficiency in the passing game, but there have also been stretches where Mayfield has gotten off to slow starts and has been unable to get into a rhythm.
Getting off to faster offensive starts begins with having a balanced offense, one that is predicated on the offensive scheme completing a high percentage of passes on easier looks and relying less on playing out of structure. The latter makes for fun, high-octane action, but as seen in Week 4 against the Eagles, it is also unsustainable.
Josh Queipo: Finding More Protection For Baker Mayfield
The offensive line issues are self-evident. And this past week against the Eagles they put forth the closest semblance to their expected normal as left tackle Tristan Wirfs returned to the lineup. That allowed Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson to move to their natural positions of center and left guard, respectively. Having 60% of their line stretching across the left side was helpful. All three performed well in their one-on-ones. But Mayfield was still pressured on at least 40% of his dropbacks.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today
Two main issues led to that pressure rate. For one, Barton struggled in his move back to center. Specifically, he was late to recognize loops and layered rushers all game long. Mayfield had to maneuver laterally over and over and break the pocket altogether on several occasions. That I expect to improve over time. Barton hasn't played next to Haggard before. The two of them have to work better to communicate so they can pick up those games.
But the bigger issue is the right side of the line. Haggard's lack of strength makes him susceptible to bull rushes. He's also been slow to catch speed penetrating gaps. And next to him Charlie Heck has been putrid. He gave up a staggering eight pressures against the Eagles. He struggled to anchor, letting Eagles rushers to go straight through his chest. But it wasn't just power that beat him. He set soft edges that got cornered and gave up his inside shoulder often leading to easy counters.
If the offense is going to improve their efficiency it has to start up front. And that might mean some personnel changes at the right tackle and guard spots.
