Welcome to SR’s Fab 5 – my weekly insider column on the Bucs that features five things that are on my mind. SR’s Fab 5 is now a quicker read, but still packs a punch. Enjoy!

I’m back from vacation, and in this week’s SR’s Fab 5 column I take a look at five overlooked Bucs storylines as the team heads into training camp and ultimately the 2024 season trying to defend its NFC South title.

FAB 1. Tom Brady’s Presence Is Still Felt In Tampa Bay

You may be looking at the lead photo of retired quarterback Tom Brady, a future Hall of Famer, and wondering what he has to do with the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Well, Bucs general manager Jason Licht signed Brady for three reasons back in 2020.

First, he wanted Brady’s championship DNA to rub off on the team. Signing a six-time Super Bowl champion and the greatest quarterback of all time would immediately raise the expectations and the standard in the locker room, the meeting room, on the practice field and on game days.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Second, Tampa Bay needed a better quarterback than turnover-prone Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. At age 42, Brady still had a live arm and the late-game magic that made him the winningest NFL player in history in both the regular season and in the postseason.

And finally, because Brady was in his 40s, the Bucs knew he wouldn’t play forever. But Licht wanted Brady’s presence to have a long-lasting effect on the franchise long after he was gone. That’s exactly what happened during Brady’s three-year stint in Tampa Bay.

“We knew the day would come where Tom wouldn’t be here,” Licht said in the spring of 2023 after Brady’s retirement. “We also knew when we signed him that he would have some lasting effects on this team for what he brought – his championship mentality and everything that he brought along with that. We see that lingering still in this locker room – he’s left a lasting effect on us. I know he still keeps in touch with a lot of the players.”

There are only 11 Bucs remaining from the Super Bowl LV team that won a championship with Brady.

ILB Lavonte David
CB Jamel Dean
WR Mike Evans
DT William Gholston
WR Chris Godwin
OLB Anthony Nelson
LS Zach Triner
DT Vita Vea
SS Jordan Whitehead
FS Antoine Winfield Jr.
LT Tristan Wirfs

And there are only 13 other players that were either on Tampa Bay’s active roster or the practice squad that played at least one season with Brady.

ILB K.J. Britt
P Jake Camarda
OT Luke Goedeke
C Robert Hainsey
DT Logan Hall
TE Ko Kieft
CB Zyon McCollum
TE Cade Otton
ILB JJ Russell
QB Kyle Trask
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
OT Brandon Walton
RB Rachaad White

Bucs WR Mike Evans and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Even more noteworthy, there are 67 players on Tampa Bay’s current roster that have never had Brady as a teammate. So it’s up to the 24 Buccaneers that have been to pass along that championship mindset to the newbies.

To young players like Calijah Kancey, SirVocea Dennis and Trey Palmer, when they look up to the likes of Will Gholston, Lavonte David and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin they are also getting the wisdom and experience that those players gained from playing alongside Brady.

Brady not only played until age 45, he played into his mid-40s at a very high level thanks to taking care of his body with the TB12 training and recovery methods. David is 34, Gholston is 32, Evans turns 31 in August and Godwin is 28, and there are several Bucs that continue to use the TB12 method post-Brady.

“We talked about it for three years straight,” Evans said of Brady’s almost maniacal training methods. “[Brady said,] ‘You’ve got to go to treatment.’ He harped on it and pushed on it. And then even when he left, he said, ‘Are you getting your treatment?’ He makes sure guys are staying in it.

“I just feel so good [this offseason]. After the year I felt great. This is probably the best – after year five and after this season is probably the best I’ve ever felt. Just running around – I feel fine.”

Bucs running back Rachaad White was fortunate enough to spend his rookie season in the locker room and in the huddle with Brady, who was the ultimate leader and teammate.

“I was raised well and raised to always be humble and appreciate the small things, the little things in life,” White said. “Taking that and then seeing guys – seeing how Mike works, how Chris works, how Tom worked – seeing how guys worked and how great of human beings they [were]. That was the biggest thing for me – I always pride myself on being who I was before I was here and just keep being a great human being.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and RB Rachaad White Photo By: USA Today

“At the end of the day, I just learned that and [learned] how can I make guys around me, like my teammates, better and have an impact on my teammates more than anything. If my teammates say, ‘Yeah, Rachaad is a great teammate,’ that’s what I want most over anything.”

If this group of Buccaneers can win another Super Bowl in the next season or two, the championship mindset from players like Evans, Godwin and David will have seeped into the likes of White, Kancey, Palmer, YaYa Diaby, Cody Mauch, Baker Mayfield, Graham Barton, Jalen McMillan and others. Then there will be even more Tampa Bay players with championship DNA, and the winning culture that Brady helped start in 2020 will truly continue to live on.

“He’s probably one of the more dedicated (and) focused athletes I’ve ever been around – not probably, he is,” Licht said of Brady. “For these guys to see what it takes for him to get to that level is extremely valuable. I think it can live on for a long time in our organization. He certainly didn’t get to where he is for being a great athlete and having great wheels or anything like that, it’s [because of] everything above the neck. So, these are things that everybody picks up on in the locker room.”

After all, it was that winning culture that Brady helped usher in that attracted his replacement, quarterback Baker Mayfield, to Tampa Bay.

FAB 2. Having A Veteran QB Is The Formula For Success In Tampa Bay

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden and QB Jeff Garcia – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Since its existence in 1976, the Bucs franchise has yet to draft a quarterback that has been re-signed by the team upon the expiration of that QB’s rookie contract. The crazy thing is that if backup quarterback Kyle Trask re-signs with Tampa Bay next year – even on a cheap, one-year deal – it will finally break that streak that has lasted for 48 years.

The Bucs have drafted five quarterbacks – Doug Williams, Vinny Testaverde, Trent Dilfer, Josh Freeman and Jameis Winston – in the first round in franchise history, but to no avail when it came to long-term success. Yes, Williams and Dilfer each led the team to a playoff win while in Tampa Bay, but that’s it.

Since Brad Johnson helped guide the Bucs to the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl victory in 2002, veteran quarterbacks have had the most success – really the only success – in Tampa Bay. Veteran Brian Griese began the 2005 season as the starter before an injury gave way to Chris Simms taking over. Griese and Simms helped the Bucs go 11-5 that year and won the NFC South before a stunning home playoff loss to the Redskins.

Veteran QB Jeff Garcia replaced Griese and helped the Bucs win another NFC South title in 2007. The Bucs drafted Freeman in 2009, followed by Mike Glennon in the third round in 2013 and then Winston with the first overall pick in 2015. All failed to get Tampa Bay to the playoffs until Tom Brady, the franchise’s greatest free agent signing, arrived in 2020.

Brady helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV that year and followed it up with a franchise-best 13-4 season and an NFC South championship and a playoff win over Philadelphia in 2021. In Brady’s last season, which was marred by his very public divorce, the Bucs still won the division title, but finished 8-9 and lost its home playoff game to Dallas.

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

Jason Licht and the team struck gold in free agency last year, signing yet another veteran quarterback in Baker Mayfield to a one-year, prove-it deal worth $4 million. Mayfield’s Pro Bowl season, which consisted of career highs with 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns along with just 10 interceptions – in addition to an NFC South championship and a playoff win – actually made most forget about Brady. As in the team didn’t necessarily miss Brady, who passed for 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his final season with Tampa Bay.

The only veteran starting quarterback that has been signed and didn’t deliver an NFC South title since Johnson arrived in 2001 was Josh McCown in 2014, but he only lasted one season in Tampa Bay. Every other veteran starting QB – Johnson, Griese, Garcia, Brady and Mayfield – has helped the Bucs win at least a division championship.

One day the Bucs will finally draft a franchise quarterback that will succeed and bring a stable, winning presence to Tampa Bay for a decade or more. But until then, the franchise’s proven track record with veteran quarterbacks continues on with Mayfield.

FAB 3. The Bucs Are Remarkably Healthy Heading In The 2024 Season

Former Bucs WR Russell Gage – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

One of the most remarkable, yet underreported aspects of Tampa Bay’s 2023 season was just how healthy the team was en route to winning 10 games, including a playoff victory over Philadelphia and another NFC South title. The only major injuries the team suffered in training camp were wide receiver Russell Gage, who tore his ACL in August, and center Ryan Jensen, who spent another season on injured reserve after a failed comeback from what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury from the 2022 training camp.

Gage, who remains unsigned, didn’t have much production for the Bucs in an injury-riddled 2022 season, so his loss probably wasn’t that big in the end. Tampa Bay was cautiously optimistic that Jensen might be able to return to action, but given the severity of his knee injury the team wasn’t necessarily planning on it. Those two were the only ones who were on Tampa Bay’s season-long injured reserve

During the season, the only other players to go on short-term injured reserve were reserve defensive tackle Mike Greene, backup running back Chase Edmonds and fifth-string wide receiver Rakim Jarrett. Left guard Matt Feiler was knocked out of the lineup with a knee injury in October, but he wasn’t playing well anyway and lost his starting job to Aaron Stinnie.

It was amazing that Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Robert Hainsey, Cody Mauch, Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Cade Otton and Rachaad White started all 19 games on offense last year. No wonder head athletic trainer Bobby Slater was promoted to vice president of sports medicine.

On defense, cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III missed a few games due to nagging minor injuries, but Zyon McCollum filled in admirably and actually wound up being the best cornerback out of the three.

Bucs TE Ko Kieft – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Linebacker Lavonte David missed a few games due to a groin injury, while Vita Vea was also out a few games due to a toe injury and a groin injury. The biggest injury on defense was Calijah Kancey’s calf strain, which sidelined him through training camp, the preseason and the first four weeks of the regular season. Outside of Greene, no other Bucs defender wound up on injured reserve last year.

As a result, the Bucs head into the 2024 season remarkably healthy. The only players sitting out the OTAs due to injury were reserve tight end Ko Kieft and fourth-string rookie quarterback Zack Annexstad. To Pewter Report’s knowledge there weren’t any offseason surgeries to recover from.

By comparison, Houston’s starting offensive tackles, Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, are both recovering from offseason knee surgeries and have missed the offseason workouts and OTAs as a result.

As the Bucs proved a year ago, a healthy Tampa Bay team is a dangerous one to contend with. Let’s see if the Bucs can continue to stay healthy heading into training camp and the 2024 regular season. They’re already off to a great start.

FAB 4. Plenty Of Motivated Bucs Heading Into 2024

Bucs C Robert Hainsey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs had several star players heading into a contract year in 2023, including the likes of quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White. All five were team captains last year.

This year there are plenty of Bucs that will also be playing in a contract year, headlined by David once again and wide receiver Chris Godwin, another team captain. Technically, Tristan Wirfs is entering a contract year, as his fifth-year option was picked up for 2024. But the team is working on a contract extension and Wirfs is expected to be signed long-term before the start of the regular season.

Here is the list of the players that will be highly motivated to have a big year to earn a new contract in Tampa Bay or elsewhere. Potential starters have an asterisk by their name.

LT Tristan Wirfs*
WR Chris Godwin*
ILB Lavonte David*
ILB K.J. Britt*
G Sua Opeta*
OLB Randy Gregory*
C Robert Hainsey
C-G Ben Bredeson
QB Kyle Trask
QB John Wolford
OT Justin Skule
RB Chase Edmonds
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
OLB Anthony Nelson
DT Greg Gaines
DT Will Gholston
CB Bryce Hall
CB Tavierre Thomas
LS Zach Triner

Bucs general manager Jason Licht loves signing veterans to one-year, prove-it deals, and 12 players, including David, Opeta, Bredeson, Gregory, Wolford, Skule, Edmonds, Gaines, Gholston, Hall, Thomas and Triner are all in that category this season.

FAB 5. This Could Be Todd Bowles’ Best Coaching Staff Yet

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and RBs coach Skip Peete – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Credit head coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs for not resting on their laurels from a year ago when the team wound up winning 10 games, including a playoff win versus the Eagles, and a third-straight division championship. Granted, offensive coordinator Dave Canales left to become the Panthers head coach after just one season, and he took receivers coach Brad Idzik and offensive line coaches Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert with him to Carolina.

But that has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

No offense to any of the departed coaches, but behind the scenes the team is absolutely thrilled with their replacements. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen has been drawing rave reviews for his brilliant mind and motivation. The offensive players are stoked about the new scheme and the ownership he is putting on Baker Mayfield to call audibles and make the proper checks at the line of scrimmage based on the pre-snap look the defense gives him.

New offensive line coaches Kevin Carberry and Brian Piccuci are technicians that have a complete grasp of the running game that Coen wants to implement. Carberry coached with Coen in Los Angeles and Piccuci coached with him at Kentucky. The organization loves the old school “kick ass” approach that Carberry has brought to Tampa Bay.

New wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon is a star in the making. Why he hasn’t been in the NFL yet is a mystery, but one that will benefit Tampa Bay this year. McClendon brings a lot of juice to the practice field the way that Canales did last year and former Bucs receivers coach and current University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck did in Tampa Bay during the 2012 season.

The 40-year old McClendon coached the likes of Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel  –all three were first-round picks – when he was Georgia’s running backs coach from 2009-14. When he went to South Carolina to coach receivers he recruited and tutored Xavier Legette, Carolina’s first-round pick this year. McClendon then moved on to Oregon to coach wide receivers and developed Troy Franklin, a fourth-round pick by Denver, before returning to Georgia to win a national championship in 2022 with Ladd McConkey as the Bulldogs receivers coach.

Bucs WRs coach Bryan McClendon and WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But Bowles didn’t stop there. Wanting better blocking from the tight ends to help the run game, he moved John Van Dam to a passing game assistant role and hired veteran tight ends coach Justin Peelle to replace him. Peelle, a former tight end, played 11 years in the NFL and he’s also coached the position for 11 years. So far Peelle has been very well received, and for a room that doesn’t have a veteran mentor, he’s expected to take the games of Cade Otton and Payne Durham to the next level due to his experience playing the position.

Did special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong retire or was he pushed into retirement because the team wanted to replace him? I think it was the latter, and his replacement, Thomas McGaughey, comes to Tampa Bay from New York where he had some success with the Giants special teams.

Outside of the kicking game, Tampa Bay’s special teams have been anything but special under Armstrong. So McGaughey should be a welcomed change – provided he can quickly figure the new NFL kick return and coverage rules.

The rest of Bowles’ staff returns for yet another year of continuity and cohesiveness. And the new coaches he’s hired should help make this Bowles’ best staff yet.