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

QUESTION: The last report I saw the Bucs had about $12 million in cap room. Are they saving it for Gronk? If so, when’s the best bet on when he signs? Before training camp or in the middle of it?

ANSWER: The Bucs are $10.67 million under the cap, according to OverTheCap.com. That includes Akiem Hicks’ $2.39 million cap hit for 2022 with his one-year deal. And yes, some of that cap space will being used for tight end Rob Gronkowski when he re-signs with the team.

There is an outside chance he could sign soon and take part in the Bucs’ three-day mandatory mini-camp. The guess here is that he doesn’t sign with the team until right before training camp starts the last week of July. At age 33, Gronkowski needs the offseason to recharge and gear up mentally for what could be his last season.

Because he is not under contract, there is no guarantee that Gronkowski will back this year. But one would have to think he would have given general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Tom Brady the heads up a while back if that wasn’t the case. The Bucs waited until the fourth round to draft a tight end in Cade Otton. If Gronk was going to retire, the team would have used a more premium pick on a tight end or signed one in free agency.

QUESTION: Assuming that Gronk resigns in the coming weeks, do you think that this roster is now better on paper than the one from last year? Changes noted below:

Bucs DT Akiem Hicks – Photo by: USA Today

So, a lot of this premise depends on how well Logan Hall, Luke Goedeke, Rachaad White and Cade Otton play this season. I think there might be a chance that the 2022 Bucs could be better. But given the difficulty of this year’s schedule and facing eight playoff teams from a year ago, winning 13 games again might be a stretch.

QUESTION: Give us one Buccaneer who will end up being a surprise starter after training camp has settled.

ANSWER: That’s a real tough question. I think the only four starting roles that are might even be up for grabs are nickel cornerback, strong safety, left guard and 3-technique defensive tackle. Sean Murphy-Bunting is entering a contract year and will get the first shot at keeping his slot cornerback role. If he falters, it could be Logan Ryan who steps in and gets the job.

The same scenario could happen at strong safety with Mike Edwards. He’s in a contract year and will be given the first chance to replace Jordan Whitehead. Keanu Neal is the safety net – literally – if Edwards can’t measure up.

Would it be a surprise if second-round pick Luke Goedeke wins the starting left guard job? Would it be a surprise if he didn’t? Aaron Stinnie knows the offense and has some NFL starting experience. I think Goedeke ultimately gets the job. But will it be in August – or later?

Logan Hall was drafted to be the 3-technique defensive tackle and replace Ndamukong Suh. It’s hard for rookie defensive tackles to come in and succeed right off the bat. The team wants Hall to start. If, for some reason, he struggles early on, the Bucs could turn to new addition Akiem Hicks to start and rotate Hall into the mix for some experience.

QUESTION: For us Bucs fans that don’t have time to watch kids play on Saturday or wade in draft-speak, what can we realistically expect early on from our top draft pick Logan Hall?

ANSWER: Fair question. Defensive tackle Logan Hall registered six of his seven sacks at the University of Houston last year as a junior. He burst onto the scene as one of the better interior pass rushing defensive linemen in 2021. At 6-foot-6, 290 pounds (he played at 270 last year), the Bucs have called Hall a prototype for a 3-4 defense. Here is what Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has had to say about Hall this offseason.

Bucs DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s very rare you can get a 6-foot-6 [defensive] lineman these days. They all move to the offensive line. If you can get a prototype, Calais Campbell-type, Will Gholston-type – a guy that can bat down balls and is still athletic enough to do all the things you need him to do – you want the length.”

Bowles went on to comment about Hall’s athleticism. He ran a 4.88 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, a 7.25 in the three-cone drill (90th percentile) and a 4.44 in the 20-yard shuttle (88th percentile).

“Well, we like his athleticism,” Bowles said. “He’s learning how to play with his pads lower – taking on double teams and understanding when to drop his knee and not just bouncing up and rushing the passer. But he’s a very good athlete. We haven’t had that kind of athlete inside in a while – since we’ve been here. We just look forward to him getting better scheme-wise and then taking advantage of his athleticism.”

While Bucs defensive end Will Gholston might have been a big extreme when saying that Hall is more athletic than J.J. Watt in his prime, he did forecast six sacks for the rookie. That seems more reasonable.

QUESTION: You noticed last week that Kyle Trask seemed to be taking more risks and Blaine Gabbert tended to be making safe throws. Was this coach’s directions to the players, and less an indication of the QBs tendencies?

ANSWER: That’s an interesting question because there could be multiple answers. Playing quarterback boils down to two things. First, make enough plays to win the game. Second, don’t make mistakes that will cost your team a chance to win. Veteran Blaine Gabbert has years of playing experience in the NFL and has made his share of plays and mistakes. I think both he and the coaching staff are looking for him to avoid making mistakes with the football in practice.

That’s why Gabbert seems to be locked in on tight end Cameron Brate, an experienced target with good hands, during the OTAs. Oftentimes, Brate is the right read for Gabbert because he’s open and will catch the ball. Keep in mind that the Bucs have been without receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski this offseason. That’s why Brate has gotten the lion’s share of targets from Gabbert in practice.

As for Trask, he needs to prove that he can do both – make plays and avoid mistakes. He’s entering his second year and has barely played. Practice is where interceptions can and should happen. It’s where quarterbacks can test their arm strength and velocity on certain throws to see if they can fit passes into tight windows. Trask has been able to do that and use OTAs like a lab for experiments. That’s what both the coaches – and Trask himself – want and need to see.

At the same time, Trask is battling for the No. 2 QB job with Gabbert. So, he has to be careful and calculated with just how many chances he takes during practice. If Trask is out there slinging 2-3 interceptions a day during the OTAs, the coaching staff is not going to have the confidence in him to be the backup quarterback. So, Trask has to walk a tightrope in this area – all while developing chemistry with receivers that Gabbert has been throwing to for years in practice. And also trying to develop chemistry with rookies that he’s never thrown the ball to before.