The Bucs are at the midway point of their 2023 schedule, having lost four straight games to fall to 3-5 as mid-November approaches. They’re running out of time to pull it together and make a run for the playoffs. If their current run of form continues, it’s safe to assume they’ll end up with a top-10 pick and a new coaching staff heading into 2024.

Speaking of which, the halfway point of the 2023 season feels like a good time to evaluate what the Bucs’ needs might be for the 2024 offseason. So, here’s a look at some of Tampa Bay’s positional needs as things stand right now.  After a look at the offense on Saturday, we’ll wrap up with the defense.

Outside Linebacker

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs’ pass rush is going to need some rebuilding going forward. Shaq Barrett is slowing down, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka doesn’t appear primed to have his fifth-year option picked up for 2025 and there aren’t any other edge rushers on the roster who have gotten the opportunity to prove that they’re starting-caliber players.

Perhaps Yaya Diaby gets more snaps down the stretch and proves to be a building block for the pass rush in the coming years. But Barrett may not be around in 2024, Tryon-Shoyinka is likely to be in a contract year and it’s fair to assume Anthony Nelson will continue to be a rotational piece who can contribute 4-6 sacks per year.

Tampa Bay could really use an elite pass rusher to carry the load for the foreseeable future. Using a premium pick on an edge rusher in the 2024 Draft shouldn’t be out of the question.

How This Can Change Down the Stretch: It may be a different picture by the end of the season if the Bucs’ starting duo of Barrett and Tryon-Shoyinka comes alive over the final nine games and Diaby takes on a larger role.

Barrett will be looking to do enough to stick around next year, while Tryon-Shoyinka will try to make a late case for the team to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. If both guys make the cases they want to make and both Diaby and Nelson remain solid rotational pieces, outside linebacker may not be as high on the list of needs come March and April.

The problem is, Barrett will be 31 this week and the team has been waiting on Tryon-Shoyinka to blossom into a consistent pass rushing threat for three years now. More than likely, the Bucs will need to bolster their pass rush with another new outside linebacker this offseason – likely a starting-caliber player.

Inside Linebacker

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This is one of the more intriguing needs for the Bucs because there are a few different scenarios that can play out. It ultimately starts with Lavonte David. If David wants to continue playing in 2024, he’s done enough this year to show Tampa Bay that he’s worth keeping around. He’s still playing at a high level even at the age of 33, and it’s a safe bet that he’ll keep that going at 34 next year if he wants to.

But if David retires, there’s one of Tampa Bay’s inside linebacker spots that will need to be filled. What happens with the other one is another story.

Devin White isn’t playing well enough to earn the type of contract he wants as a free agent in 2024. He won’t get the $18 million-$20 million he’s seeking in Tampa, nor will he get it elsewhere. But if he ends up playing his sixth NFL season in another uniform and David retires, that’s both inside linebacker spots that Tampa Bay would need to fill.

There’s likely not much of a reality where the Bucs retain both David and White for 2024, but that’s the only situation that would make this less of a need for the team this offseason. Then again, an eventual replacement for the soon-to-be-retired David would be necessary, unless the front office views 2023 fifth-round pick SirVocea Dennis as that guy.

How This Can Change Down the Stretch: There’s not much else David needs to do to prove that he still has enough left in the tank for another contract in 2024. He’s still got it, and if he remains healthy and wants to continue playing, one of the Bucs’ starting inside linebacker spots should have his name on it.

Even if White drastically improves his play the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine him jumping up the list of the Bucs’ pending free agent priorities. There’s virtually no chance that he finds that the market for him is as strong as he thinks it might be. Given the way he’s played in Tampa Bay this season it’s also very unlikely he’s back with the Bucs next year due to his soft, inconsistent play.

The other big “if” involves Dennis, as any extended playing time would give the Bucs a look at what they have in the rookie. If he does enough to earn at least a trial run as a starter in 2024, maybe inside linebacker isn’t as dire of a need in the offseason.

Safety

Bucs SS Ryan Neal – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Antoine Winfield Jr. is set to receive a big-money extension from the Bucs, and it’ll be a contract that the front office will be thrilled to offer him. Winfield has been a stud since his rookie year in 2020, and he’s taken his play to another level this year. He’s going to be one of the team’s starting safeties for years to come.

But safety is bound to be a need for the Bucs in the offseason, as 2023 free agent addition Ryan Neal has been a complete bust and none of the undrafted rookies Tampa Bay brought in to fill out the room have had a chance to see the field.

After a strong season with Seattle in 2022, Neal looked like an exciting partner for Winfield. In a perfect world, he would’ve come in and played at a high enough level to earn his own contract extension to serve as Winfield’s long-term partner in crime. But this isn’t a perfect world, and there’s going to be a big hole at the safety position alongside Winfield.

How This Can Change Down the Stretch: Neal would have to complete a 180-degree turnaround in the final nine games for the Bucs to even think about re-signing him in the offseason. It’s just not going to happen though due to his limited athleticism. The rest of the room outside of Winfield is bare, making this position group a priority for the front office this offseason.