Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Without grading on a curve, what’s the grade you give the Bucs for its offseason efforts so far? Better yet, why?

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I think a grade of B-plus or perhaps even an A-minus is warranted for the Bucs offseason. They re-signed three key starters in wide receiver Chris Godwin, inside linebacker Lavonte David and left guard Ben Bredeson and added another starter in former Jets outside linebacker Haason Reddick, who should help Tampa Bay’s pass rush off the edge.

Perhaps more importantly, the team didn’t lose any key starters in free agency, and that’s a testament to the team culture. The Bucs truly don’t have a lot of holes now outside of finding a nickel cornerback if Tykee Smith moves to strong safety to replace Jordan Whitehead, and perhaps finding an eventual replacement for Jamel Dean at outside cornerback opposite Zyon McCollum.

The Bucs bolstered their depth at cornerback with the addition of veteran Kindle Vildor and re-signing Bryce Hall, who suffered a broken leg in the season opener against Washington and was lost for the year in 2024. Tampa Bay also moved on from K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell at inside linebacker and got a bit more experienced and athletic by re-signing Deion Jones, who proved to be a good addition late last season, and importing Anthony Walker Jr. from Miami. Both Jones and Walker are expected to be reserves with David and SirVocea Dennis starting – for now.

Look for the Bucs to add another linebacker and cornerback in the draft, and address nickelback as well. Despite signing Reddick, he’s 30 and only on a one-year deal, so I could see Tampa Bay draft another outside linebacker, too. Finding another young, playmaking receiver should also be on the to-do list for the draft.

The bottom line is that this roster should be in contention for another NFC South division title in 2025 and another run at the Super Bowl. I believe Tampa Bay is a true contender for the Super Bowl, but not yet a favorite in the NFC. The Bucs have to prove that on the gridiron this year, but another stellar draft class from Jason Licht and Todd Bowles should help if that happens, especially if Tampa Bay finds two or three star-caliber players in late April.

QUESTION: Do you think the Bucs still need inside linebacker depth – even if they draft one? As good as Lavonte David is, he is not young and is ripe for missing games at any time.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: While I agree that Lavonte David did show some signs of his playing slipping last year, he’s still one of the league’s better linebackers – even at age 35. And he’s the best and most experienced linebacker on Tampa Bay’s roster. As of right now, David will start next to SirVocea Dennis, who is penciled in at Mike linebacker, replacing the duo of K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell.

Dennis is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery, but he’s been cleared to participate in the Bucs’ offseason program, which starts up soon. The Bucs really like him, and he was off to a great start in the first four games before his shoulder injury, which began in college, flared up. The problem is that he’s only played in 17 games in the past two seasons – and mostly on special teams.

With David at age 35, Deion Jones at 30 and newly added Anthony Walker Jr. turning 30 in July, the Bucs will definitely need to draft another inside linebacker this offseason. Not just to bolster the talent on the depth chart, but also add a potential future starter. Players generally don’t get healthier with age, and the Bucs were hit with the injury bug at the inside linebacker position last year with Dennis missing the last 13 games of the season, Britt missing three games and Russell missing one.

David has only missed two games in the past three seasons due to injury, and those came during the 2023 campaign. He started all 18 games last season. I would love to see the Bucs draft another stud linebacker and then put David in a platoon situation where he’s playing 80% of the snaps rather than 100% of the snaps in each game. I think that would extend David’s shelf-life in 2025 and make him more productive in each game and reduce his injury risk.

QUESTION: A fan since 1984, I remember the team having to overpay for less than premium/unproven/questionable free agents at times throughout the decades. Now they keep those premium players at what I would say is a discount. Is it all about culture?

Bucs WR Chris Godwin and GM Jason Licht, photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

ANSWER: Yes, there’s no doubt about it. It’s part culture, but it’s also the fact that the Bucs are a winner. They have won the last four NFC South championships and have made the playoffs five straight years. If Tampa Bay hadn’t been a playoff team in each of the last five years, I think it would be much harder to retain the team’s free agents – and the Bucs certainly wouldn’t be getting any hometown discounts.

Head coach Todd Bowles is very popular among the players and general manager Jason Licht has a great relationship with the team as well. Both men are well liked and well respected by the players. That goes a long way in terms of retention each year when free agency rolls around.

The other thing is team chemistry. Licht has done a much better job of avoiding turds in the draft and in free agency – guys who may be selfish or just lack the necessary chemistry to have true team cohesion. Licht and the scouts in his front office investigate the person as much as the player when it comes to draft prospects and potential free agents. The Bucs want to draft and sign players who will be good teammates and love the game of football as much or more as their paychecks.

We’ve seen Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin not break the bank when it comes to their contract extensions. And legendary Lavonte David has decided to really work with the team on his dollar amount in each one of his one-year deals over the past few offseasons because he knows how important it would be to him to retire as a true Buccaneer, having played every season in Tampa Bay.

I think Tom Brady signing with the Bucs for $25 million per year, which was a relative bargain, was key for the players to see. Brady could have gotten more in free agency elsewhere – or perhaps squeezed Licht and assistant general manager Mike Greenberg for more money – but he knows that the salary cap pie is only so big. The bigger the piece that he takes the less that remains for others. I think players like Evans and Godwin, especially, saw that in action and have carried on that mindset, which has – and will – rub off on younger Bucs players come contract extension time.

QUESTION: Hey Scott, I don’t know if this has been asked in a Bucs Mailbag before, but can you see a scenario where Jason Licht trades back in the first round, and how likely would you say that is right now?

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, DT Calijah Kancey and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I can definitely see a scenario where Jason Licht trades back this year. If there are several players left in the Bucs’ first-round pool and he can stockpile some draft picks later in this year’s draft or pick up a draft pick in 2026 I wouldn’t be surprised if Licht moves down a bit in the first round. We even saw Licht trade out of the first round in 2022 and draft defensive tackle Logan Hall with the first overall pick in the second round at No. 33, so he’s done it before.

Yet at No. 19, there could be a player there that the Bucs really like. And if that player is there, go ahead and pick him. The last time Tampa Bay had the No. 19 pick, it used it on defensive tackle Calijah Kancey back in 2023. The key will be determining if there is one player who is truly graded higher in the team’s first-round draft pool or if the remaining players left are all kind of grouped together.

While Pewter Report is the authority on the Bucs’ draft, I don’t know who Tampa Bay will draft, nor do I know who ranks where on the team’s draft board. I also don’t know if Licht will in fact pull the trigger on a trade or not, so I can’t really guess on how likely that scenario happens.

One thing I will say is that the Bucs don’t have a bunch of holes on their roster after free agency, so six draft picks might suffice in terms of stockpiling the team with depth. Remember, there are only 53 players on the season roster, so six more additions – actually, let’s say five draft picks make the team – would represent 10% of the team, which is significant.

QUESTION: What do you think is a higher priority draft-wise for the Bucs, a cornerback or an inside linebacker?

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I think both cornerback and inside linebacker are important – probably on the same scale. If the Bucs are looking to move on from the oft-injured Jamel Dean and find a healthier playmaker in the secondary, which is the case, then you could make an argument that cornerback is the top priority. Yet Dean is still on the team and the Bucs might hang on to him for the rest of 2025 to either serve as the temporary starter or as experienced, veteran depth.

While Lavonte David is back for another season at age 35, the 2025 campaign could very well be his last. So finding another future starter is also important. Drafting another linebacker this year is critical because then that player could learn from David in 2025, which would be extremely beneficial. And given SirVocea Dennis’ penchant for being injured, having another young, talent inside linebacker on the team for depth this year also has tremendous value.

The good news is that the team can address both needs in this year’s draft. The key is to finding the right player in the right round. Just because Tampa Bay drafts a cornerback ahead of inside linebacker – or vice versa – doesn’t necessarily mean one position has been prioritized over another.