Pewter Report has been busy scouting the defense at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Alabama. The Bucs’ needs on the defensive side of the football are endless – but that is only one part of the equation. For as productive as the offense was last season, there will be some moving parts.

It begins with the coaching staff — as Tampa Bay has to determine who will be the next offensive coordinator — and it extends to the player personnel.

Many of the team’s offensive starters from 2024 will be back, but there are question marks surrounding one key starter spot, who the team will add in the quarterback room, and what additions general manager Jason Licht will make at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

Who Will Be The Bucs Backup Quarterback(s)?

Bucs QB Michael Pratt – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There is no position of greater importance in the NFL than quarterback. The Bucs have identified their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but beyond him looms a significant question not getting enough attention.

Who will Mayfield’s backup be?

Kyle Trask, who competed with him in 2023 in a starting quarterback battle, will be a free agent. Tampa Bay could choose to bring the 2021 second-round pick back as the top backup, with a new deal likely being around the $4 million range per year, per Pewter Report’s salary cap guru Josh Queipo.

Should the team look to allocate the money elsewhere, Michael Pratt spent the past year on the practice squad and is highly thought of within the organization. Whether the 2023 seventh-rounder Pratt is ready to take over the No. 2 role remains to be seen, but he would be a cheaper (and younger) alternative.

Thankfully, due to the lack of injuries at the position, Trask has thrown just 11 passes in the regular season sitting behind Tom Brady and Mayfield. If the Bucs want more experience to hedge the risk of their $100 million man ever being taken out of a game, plenty of veteran signal-callers are hitting the open market this offseason.

Never say never on an outside addition through free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft, either. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart could be one such dart throw in the middle rounds depending on how his stock during Senior Bowl Week fluctuates. Otherwise, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, among others, also come to mind, and there is logic in drafting and developing this position as Jason Licht has done elsewhere across the roster.

Figure Out LG Plans, Add Offensive Line Depth

Bucs G Elijah Klein – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Next up on this list is arguably the most dire hole to fill in the Bucs’ starting lineup.

Left guard Ben Bredeson is a pending free agent, and while he revealed that he would like to re-sign, Tampa Bay could look to get younger and raise the ceiling of the position here. It’s unlikely to happen early in the draft with so many defensive needs, but Jason Licht has an affinity for small-school offensive linemen that cannot be ignored.

Over the years, Licht has extracted plenty of value by acquiring Senior Bowl alumni, such as Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa, Robert Hainsey, Luke Goedeke, and Cody Mauch.

Mauch’s former North Dakota State teammate Grey Zabel has turned heads already, while other mid-round guards who could be of interest include Georgia’s Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild, Alabama’s Tyler Booker, and Jacksonville State’s Clay Webb.

There is a world where Bredeson is re-signed, one of the guards mentioned is drafted on Day 2 or 3, and 2023 sixth-round pick Elijah Klein all compete to be the starting left guard in 2025. It would not be bad to have increased competition and depth, especially as Hainsey and swing tackle Justin Skule will also be hitting free agency.

It is not the most pressing need as the Bucs have a top-five offensive line, but it would grow even stronger adding another name into the mix and/or allowing Bredeson to be a band-aid for another season.

Chris Godwin Back – And Add To The Wide Receiver Room

Bucs WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Looking at the wide receiver position, the top two spots are solidified going into 2025 – regardless of whether Chris Godwin is re-signed in free agency. The Bucs are likely to take care of Godwin as he heads to the open market off his dislocated ankle injury, but as it stands, the offense is in good hands with Mike Evans and 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan, who came on strong toward the end of the year. Having all three around is the ideal scenario, and if McMillan continues making strides, it is arguably one of the best trios of pass-catchers.

After them – who is next in line to contribute and add depth?

That is where the picture gets murkier.

Veteran Sterling Shepard filled in throughout the season after being elevated from the practice squad due to injury, but the almost 32-year-old disappointingly ended the year and is unlikely to return.

The rest of the ensemble behind Shepard is still young – but produced little within the offense. Kameron Johnson made the 53-man roster out of training camp but was injured and had just one target in the five games he played. In a wide receiver room that was open for the taking for a stretch when Evans and Godwin went down, Trey Palmer’s play regressed as he had just 12 receptions for 172 receiving yards and a touchdown and Rakim Jarrett had just nine receptions for 124 receiving yards.

Looking at things, it is clear the Bucs need another young, more promising wideout who can develop over the next couple of seasons to eventually take the reins alongside McMillan to close out the decade.

That will not happen in the first round in 2025, but do not close the door on another playmaker being added on Day 2 or 3. It will all depend on who the offensive coordinator is and what archetype the new hire wants with his weapons, but some names to watch include Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, Miami’s Xavier Restrepo, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris, and UNLV’s Ricky White, to name just a few options.

The talk of the town at the moment is hiring a new offensive coordinator, but the Bucs will have other offensive needs to address as well. They are not as pressing as the ones on the other side of the football, but talent will need to be added to fill out the cast on a ship that wants to make land ho in the playoffs next season.