The Bucs are bound to be an interesting team in 2023. As undeniably fun as the team was during 2020 and 2021 (less so in 2022), much of the narrative was about Tom Brady. There’s nothing wrong with that — he’s Tom Brady — but with him retired for good this time, Tampa Bay is set to usher in a new era. And it’ll be a new era with tons of plot lines.

There’s intrigue all over the roster — and in different ways. Who wins the starting quarterback job — Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask? Will Mike Evans post a 10th consecutive 1,000-yard season to begin his career? Can Russell Gage bounce back from an injury-plagued 2022 season?

Can Tristan Wirfs maintain his elite level of play while moving to the left side of the line? What will Devin White’s season look like after an offseason that saw him request a trade? Who will be the Bucs’ big breakout star?

Who’s The Bucs’ Best Breakout Candidate In 2023?

Bucs S Ryan Neal – Photo By: Matt Matera P/R

That last question has a lot of potential answers, including second-year players like running back Rachaad White, tight end Cade Otton and defensive lineman Logan Hall, as well as any of the team’s rookies. Calijah Kancey, YaYa Diaby and Trey Palmer stand out from that group. Even Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a hot breakout player pick ahead of the 2022 season, could warrant consideration. Trask, should he win the quarterback job over Mayfield, would be another interesting twist.

What brings this topic up? A recent Pro Football Focus article from Zoltán Buday took a stab at deciding on one breakout player from each team in the NFC. For the Bucs, it was none of the aforementioned players. Rather, it was new free agent signee Ryan Neal. Here’s what Buday had to say about the 27-year-old safety:

“Neal started the 2022 season as a backup for the Seahawks but became a starter due to Jamal Adams’s injury and poor performances from Josh Jones. He was PFF’s highest-graded safety (91.1) between Week 7 and 15, and he finished as the seventh highest-graded safety in the league over the whole campaign.

“Projected to start from Week 1 in the Bucs’ defense, Neal has a chance to be among the league’s top safeties by the end of the season.”

Given the season he just had in Seattle and the role he’ll get to play in Todd Bowles’ defense, Neal may very well be a great pick when it comes to the topic of Tampa Bay’s breakout candidates in 2023. There’s a reason why he’s so excited to play for Bowles, who likes to creatively deploy his safeties in addition to being a former safety himself.

“One thing about [Todd Bowles] is he’s a mastermind,” Neal said in his introductory press conference in April. “He never ran the same thing so it was kind of hard trying to figure out what was going on. It was like, who’s doing what? You don’t know who’s doing what, who’s going where. I think it’ll be really cool for me.

“I’ve done a lot of different things in our defense for the past four years – been in multiple positions. It’ll be cool to see how [versatile] I can be. I’m looking forward to the challenge, man. I’m always looking to see if I can affect the game anywhere – that’s always been a goal of mine. I’m excited to play for Coach [Bowles] – it’ll definitely be exciting.”

Ryan Neal Could Be Bucs’ Best Offseason Signing

Bucs S Ryan Neal Photo By: USA Today

Because he was signed after the initial wave of free agency and only signed a one-year deal with the Bucs, Ryan Neal may feel like somewhat of an under-the-radar signing. But he’s set to fill a big vacancy in the back end of Tampa Bay’s defense, and he could soon prove to be the team’s signing of the offseason.

Neal became available after Seattle added Julian Love to a safety group that already included Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. The Seahawks had originally tendered an offer to Neal, who was a restricted free agent, earlier in the offseason. But after the addition of Love, the team withdrew the tender, making Neal a free agent.

That move served as a massive opportunity for the Bucs, one that they may not have seen coming too long before it happened. The team needed someone to play alongside Antoine Winfield Jr., who moves back to a full-time safety role this year after spending a lot of time at nickel cornerback last year.

Logan Ryan became a free agent after last season, while Mike Edwards signed with Kansas City and Keanu Neal signed with Pittsburgh in March. Now, Ryan Neal gets his chance to be a full-time starter.

After years as a depth guy with little chance to prove himself, Neal became a regular starter last year for a Seahawks team that surprised a lot of people by making a run to the playoffs. An injury to Jamal Adams and poor play by Josh Jones opened the door for Neal, and he finished the season as PFF’s highest-graded safety.

He graded out with an 85.6 and posted career highs career highs in tackles (66), tackles for loss (four) and passes defensed (eight). He added an interception, a sack and a forced fumble to that stat line, plus he didn’t allow a touchdown after Week 5 and gave up just a 54.3% completion percentage as the primary coverage player on 35 targets.

With A Big Role In The Bucs Defense, Ryan Neal Could Be A Star

Bucs S Ryan Neal – Photo by: USA Today

Despite all of that, the Seahawks cut Neal loose. And now, he gets an opportunity to start for the Bucs alongside Winfield.

“It’s everything you’ve been working for,” Neal said. “My first three years were, ‘Okay, can I scratch a roster?’ I’m trying to make a roster, I’m trying to make a team. You finally make a team then you get your role on special teams and it was like, ‘Alright, let me just do my role here, ball out here, make noise, affect the game.’

“When push comes to shove, you start getting little opportunities. It’s definitely great to finally get a chance to try and put it all together – all the things that I’ve learned and all the things that I’ve been through: grinding it out, undrafted, all of that. I’ve been through kind of the roughest way to get here to this point. It makes you grateful, but it also sets you apart and I understand that. I wear that with a badge of pride. Just being able to come here and finally get the chance, it’s an opportunity – it’s what I was looking for and I found it. It’s time to take advantage of it.”

It’s hard not to love Ryan Neal’s chances of being the Bucs’ big breakout star of 2023. If he is, it’ll bode well for Tampa Bay — and he’ll earn himself a nice new contract next offseason.