IOL Depth Concerns, No More

Later this week I’ll be writing about five areas of concern I still have for the Bucs entering the 2020 season, and I’m happy to report that the interior offensive line depth is no longer one of them. I believe the under-the-radar signing of A.Q. Shipley will make the Bucs offensive line better – not just in the case of an injury, but also in terms of their preparation as a unit.

Bucs C AQ Shipley and Bruce Arians – Photo by: Getty Images

Shipley is one of the hardest workers in the entire league. A seventh round pick in 2009, Shipley didn’t see his first action in the NFL until 2012, after being cut several times. The Bucs will be his sixth NFL team, but Shipley’s longest tenure and most experience came with the Arizona Cardinals, where he started for four years and played quality football.

Before the 2018 season Shipley tore his ACL, which could have easily marked the end of his career. Instead, it just motivated the center to work harder to prove the doubters wrong.

“As soon as I got here, he was one of the first people I met,” Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said last year. “He was in that training room rehabbing every single day. I don’t think he took a vacation. He was up there every single day that I saw. So you could tell he was hungry. He came back more fit, in better shape than he’s ever been, and it’s been on display out here during camp.”

Last season, Shipley played 99 percent of the Cardinals’ offensive snaps, with very little drop-off to his play. At 6-foot-1, 304 pounds with sub-30 inch arms, Shipley is one of the smallest centers in the NFL, which presents clear physical challenges for him in certain matchups. Still, Shipley has gotten by with elite technique, grip strength, toughness and football I.Q. over the years, which has allowed him to be a strong pass protector and an adequate run blocker.

Simply put, he’s exactly what the Bucs need on their offensive line, a physical veteran who can spot start if needed, but can also help the team’s current front five develop excellent practice happens and sharp mental acuity for the game. Having coached him for years in Arizona, Bruce Arians knows exactly what he’s getting in Shipley – the perfect depth piece for an offensive line in desperate need of one.

Redshirt Year For Tyler Johnson

I was as optimistic as anyone for Tyler Johnson’s rookie season in Tampa Bay, but given how things have unfolded since the draft – no offseason program, abbreviated training camp, no preseason games and now a soft tissue injury – the reality is that Johnson could be headed for a redshirt year in 2020.

Bucs WR Tyler Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Wide receivers can already face a difficult transition to the NFL level, but to make that transition without an offseason program and while missing a plethora of training camp practices due to injury? That seems like a really tall task.

Will it cost Johnson, the team’s fifth-round pick a roster spot? That’s hard for me to imagine given how highly I (and the Bucs) thought of his talent level (third round grade) coming out of college. But it’s a unique offseason, and it’s going to hurt a lot of players that have the talent to play in the NFL. John Franklin’s injury opens up a possible spot for Johnson to earn if he can get back on the field, but receiver and punt returner Jaydon Mickens and undrafted free agent John Hurst appear to have the inside track for the WR5 role over the Minnesota rookie.

Bucs Secondary Still Sorting Itself Out

If everyone is healthy, we know the Bucs starting cornerbacks for Week 1 against New Orleans will be Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting, with SMB sliding to the slot and Jamel Dean playing outside in nickel looks. But we are in the dark about who the starting safeties will be, how many three safety looks we’ll see and what roles will be assigned to each individual in the safety room.

We know Mike Edwards has been working predominantly at free safety during camp, and although the Bucs safeties are all interchangeable to a degree, it seems like a safe bet that Edwards will start deep in single-high looks against New Orleans Week 1. He’s been a mixed bag in that spot during camp however, and seems better suited for a role closer to the line of scrimmage based on my scouting of his tape in college and last season in the NFL.

Bucs FS Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At strong safety, Jordan Whitehead could get the nod based on experience, but there is little question that second-round pick Antoine Winfield, Jr. has more upside, a higher propensity for splash plays and is a more versatile option if they need to rotate safeties at any point. I’d love to see Whitehead’s role cut down a bit, allowing him to focus on run defense and matching up with tight ends in certain defensive packages. I think that’s where he’d be at his best.

Two other things to note: Andrew Adams was the team’s most consistent safety last year, and although he has very little upside and isn’t a big play-maker, he could be a safer bet than Edwards to limit big plays down the field going up against a first-ballot Hall of Famer in Drew Brees in Week 1. Also, if something were to happen to Murphy-Bunting, I would play Winfield in the nickel and Whitehead at strong safety, but it’s not like that is a great option against a team that will likely play Saints Pro Bowler Michael Thomas out of the slot a heavy amount.

Welcome to the NFL, Winfield – here’s the safety position you’ve played the least in your career against arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. Have fun!

Suffice to say, we still have a lot to learn about the safety group and how they will be deployed this season. Let’s hope the Bucs are closer to discovering the answer than we are.