Over the past several days ESPN has been publishing the results of their NFL-wide poll of executives, coaches, players and scouts to give fans an idea of who the league views as the top-10 players at each position. The Bucs have had players featured either within the top-10 or just outside of it at several positions including wide receiver, linebacker, edge rusher, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, and interior offensive line.

Tampa Bay has not been featured at every position though. And the position groups where they do not rank all seem to have one thing in common. I’ll let you figure it out.

Bucs Fall In QB Rankings Following Departure of Legend

Who would have thought losing the most accomplished quarterback in the history of the NFL would cause your team to fall a spot or two in quarterback rankings? Last year this poll found Brady to be the fourth-best quarterback in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Following his retirement, the Bucs have chosen to sail with the now journeyman Baker Mayfield and/or former second-round pick Kyle Trask. No matter what you thought of Brady’s play last year, that is quite the drop-off.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Neither of the Bucs’ potential 2023 signal-callers garnered a single vote in the poll. This makes sense as Mayfield was unceremoniously replaced in Cleveland last offseason by the Browns in a controversial move as they leveraged a king’s ransom of draft picks to acquire Deshaun Watson while trading Mayfield to the Panthers for a pittance. Once in Carolina, Mayfield won an open quarterback battle over Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Matt Corral.

The victory was short-lived as Mayfield lost the starting job by mid-season and was granted a release that he requested. The Rams, in desperate need of a quarterback following a back injury to starter Matt Stafford, claimed Mayfield off of waivers and through him into the fire.

Playing the majority of snaps less than 72 hours after joining the team, Mayfield orchestrated one of the most improbable performances seen in the NFL in recent history. But by the end of the season the reality of his circumstances (third playbook in less than 12 months, decimated offensive line, backup skill position players) caught up with him and his performance was a reflection of a less than ideal situation.

As for Trask, he has one NFL regular season half under his belt. And the results of that half would be better served in an argument that he is a career third-string quarterback than one of the ten-best quarterbacks in the league. The lack of sample size means the book of Trask has hardly been completed, but there is no person who expected Trask to on the ESPN list.

Bucs Young Players Miss List Due, In Part, To Limited Roles

As the Bucs transition to a post-Brady world, they are going to give some young players larger roles. Running back Rachaad White and tight end Cade Otton are both currently projected to be starters in 2023 following a year where both played second-fiddle to veteran players who were both released this offseason.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

White and Otton both pushed their veteran position-mates for playing time by the end of 2022. In many ways both outperformed the starters ahead of them (Leonard Fournette and Cam Brate) and both veterans are currently unsigned.

White earned 481 yards on 129 carries, creating 3.7 yards per carry to Fournette’s 3.5 on 189 carries. Otton more than doubled the production of Brate, who battled through injuries. Otton’s 42 catches, 391 yards and two touchdowns were all more than twice what Brate posted.

Each 2022 draft pick showed enough that the Bucs appear comfortable giving them starting opportunities this year. But with both serving backup roles in their only professional seasons, neither showed enough to warrant any consideration for any league-wide top-10 lists.

All-told with these three positions missing the top-tier players, the Bucs have just one Top 10 player on the offense (OT Tristan Wirfs). This makes one thing very clear. If the Bucs have a Top 10 offense in 2023 then new offensive coordinator Dave Canales is the real deal.