The 2023 NFL trade deadline, which is Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 4:00 p.m. ET, is rapidly approaching. The Bucs will have one more game this week on Thursday at Buffalo on Amazon Prime and will have a few extra days to evaluate their roster after playing the Bills with next weekend off.

At best, Tampa Bay will be 4-3 after losing their lead in the NFC South due to a gut-wrenching, 16-13 loss to the Falcons. At worst, the Bucs will be 3-4, should the team falter on the road at Buffalo, and be under .500 for the first time this year with three straight losses.

Would Bucs general manager Jason Licht consider making a trade to add some firepower to Tampa Bay’s woeful offense to increase the team’s chances of regaining the lead in the division? And perhaps more importantly, would Licht consider adding a key contributor who could help the Bucs put more points on the scoreboard in the postseason?

Bucs Have Needs At Running Back And Tight End

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

By parting ways with veteran running back Leonard Fournette and veteran tight ends Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph, Tampa Bay entered the season with a lot of youth and inexperience at both positions. The Bucs have the youngest tight end room in the NFL with a pair of second-year players in Cade Otton and Ko Kieft leading the way, along with rookie Payne Durham and former practice squad player David Wells. It’s also the league’s least productive unit.

Otton leads the way, coming into Sunday’s game against the the Falcons with 13 catches for 104 yards and one touchdown. He finished with five catches, but for only 43 yards, as Otton has little yards after catch ability. His paltry 8.2-yard average is lower than last year’s 9.3-yard average.

Wells has two catches for minus-10 yards and Durham just had his first NFL reception for eight yards last week. With just 21 catches for 149 yards and one TD, no other NFL team has gotten less out of the tight end position.

Bucs RB Rachaad White and Falcons S Jessie Bates III – Photo by: USA Today

At running back, the Bucs had high hopes for second-year player Rachaad White, but with just a 3.2-yard average on 83 carries, he’s underwhelmed and his longest carry is only 13 yards. White has been hesitant as a runner and has not shown enough acceleration or burst through the hole, nor has he shown much tackle-breaking ability.

Tampa Bay’s quickest runner, Chase Edmonds, is always hurt. He missed time in OTAs and in training camp after being nicked up, and then will miss four games after being placed on injured reserve following a knee injury in Week 2. Edmonds has 20 yards on four carries, including a 14-yard carry, which is the Bucs’ longest of the year.

Wide receiver Deven Thompkins is nearly out-rushing both reserve running backs Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Sean Tucker. Thompkins has 27 yards on three carries, while Vaughn has 19 carries for 32 yards (1.7 avg.) and Tucker has 15 carries for 23 yards (1.5 avg). Embarrassing.

3 Players The Bucs Could Target In A Trade

There are three players who could be available for a trade that could help the Bucs during the second half of the season – two at running back and one at tight end.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams

Broncos RB Javonte Williams – Photo by: USA Today

Williams is a runner the Bucs liked coming out of the draft in 2021. Denver’s second-round pick has had an up-and-down career in his three years with the Broncos, dealing with some injuries that have hindered his production. After rushing for 903 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry as a rookie, Williams suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of the year last season, rushing for 204 yards and a 4.3 average before landing on injured reserve.

Williams, 23, has rebounded this year, but is splitting carries in Sean Payton’s offense. He’s rushed for 272 yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry in Denver this year. Williams is also an accomplished receiver, catching 73 passes for 457 yards and three touchdowns in his 27 career games. He wins with an aggressive running style and by being a tackle-breaker who can create on his own without perfect blocking up front. Williams ran for 82 yards on 15 carries in a win over Green Bay on Sunday (5.5 avg.).

Payton didn’t draft Williams, so there’s no strong allegiance there. But the Broncos would likely want at least a third-round pick for Williams, who would be entering a contract year in 2024. Bucs general manager Jason Licht isn’t keen on trading away mid-round picks and values third- and fourth-rounders. But Williams is a more talented runner than anyone on Tampa Bay’s roster and he might be worth the investment – especially with him still having one more year on his rookie deal.

Licht has third-round draft picks invested in Ke’Shawn Vaughn (2020) and Rachaad White (2022) already, but spending another third-rounder on a proven back like Williams would be his best investment yet.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny

Former Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny – Photo by: USA Today

Penny was Seattle’s first-round draft pick in 2018 and he has five years worth of experience in the Seahawks offense, which offensive coordinator Dave Canales brought to Tampa Bay this offseason. Penny has dealt with injuries over the last couple of years, but when he’s healthy, he’s been very productive. Penny averaged 6.3 yards per carry while rushing for 749 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. Last year before breaking his leg, Penny averaged 6.1 yards while rushing for 346 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

He signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia this offseason, but has been buried on the Eagles’ depth chart behind D’Andre Swift, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. Penny didn’t have a great preseason and his injury concerns might give the Bucs some pause. He’s not the accomplished receiver Williams is, as he has just 28 catches for 227 yards and one score in his six-year NFL career. Penny has three carries for nine yards and one catch for five yards this year after being used sparingly.

Penny signed a one-year deal worth $1.35 million, so he’s affordable. But at age 27, there is not much upside worth investing a middle-round pick in, especially since he’s destined to be a free agent again. Renting Penny for half a year would strictly be a short-term investment unless he stayed healthy and became an RB1-caliber player.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry

Patriots TE Hunter Henry – Photo by: USA Today

Henry signed a three-year deal worth $37.5 million with the Patriots and he’s in a contract year. With just more than half of the year remaining, Henry is still owed over $5 million, so the Bucs couldn’t even acquire him without extending his contract and lowering his remaining 2023 cap value. At age 29, it’s doubtful the Bucs would want to make a long-term investment in Henry, especially since they parted ways with a pair of thirty-something tight ends from last year in Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph.

But Henry might have some more miles left on his tires, and at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds he’s bigger than Otton. Henry isn’t an upper-echelon tight end, but does have five straight seasons with over 500 yards receiving, and he’s a reliable red zone target with 34 career touchdowns, including a career-high nine TDs two years ago. Henry isn’t lighting it up this year, as he just has 20 catches for 210 yards (10.1 avg.) and two touchdowns on the season. Yet with his experience, he would be a significant upgrade over what the Bucs have to work with at the position this year.

At 2-5, the Patriots are going nowhere fast and will likely be having a fire sale to build for next year. Trying to get something for Henry before he hits free agency could be in Bill Belichick’s plans, and perhaps he could be had for a late Day 3 pick. Flipping a pick for Henry and then trying to sign him to a more reasonable extension now that he’s in the latter stages of his career could be worthwhile, and it would help the Bucs down the stretch this year. The 2024 draft class is not robust at tight end either, and that must be taken into consideration.