NFC South projected starters
Sean Bunting
By Gregg Rosenthal
Around The NFL Editor NFL.com
May 15, 2019 at 01:49 p.m.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
QB: Jameis Winston
RB: Peyton Barber
WR: Mike Evans
WR: Chris Godwin
WR: Breshad Perriman
TE: O.J. Howard
LT: Donovan Smith
LG: Ali Marpet
C: Ryan Jensen
RG: Alex Cappa
RT: Demar Dotson
DE: Gerald McCoy
DT: Vita Vea
DE: Will Gholston
OLB: Carl Nassib
ILB: Devin White
ILB: Lavonte David
OLB: Shaq Barrett
CB: Vernon Hargreaves
CB: Sean Bunting
S: Justin Evans
S: Jordan Whitehead
» I'm less excited about the 2019 Bucs after performing this exercise. While Bruce Arians could be the perfect match for Jameis Winston, there are too many other potholes dotted throughout the roster to ignore.
» The offense is mostly intact from a year ago, although replacing Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson with Breshad Perriman isn't exactly a win. Despite a sub-standard running back room led by Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones, the depth of weapons here still isn't the problem. Winston has plenty of talented folks to throw to.
» It will be interesting to see how Arians uses his talented tight ends, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. The coach has primarily asked tight ends to block in the past, but it'd be foolish not to take advantage of the in-house talent.
» The huge contract for left tackle Donovan Smith is typical on an offensive line with four starters back despite poor overall play. The Bucs have finished in the bottom 10 teams in pass blocking for three straight seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
» The bigger questions for the Bucs come on defense. They are configured in a 3-4 lineup above because that's primarily what coordinator Todd Bowles has done in the past. Gerald McCoy could be traded because he's not quite a fit in Bowles' scheme despite his still-solid production.
» That said, the Bucs might not be able to afford dealing McCoy after Jason Pierre-Paul's recent neck injury. Where is the pass rush coming from? Free-agent pickup Shaq Barrett, 2018 waiver pickup Carl Nassib and 2016 second-rounder Noah Spence look like the best options.
» The strength of Tampa Bay's D will be pursuing linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David. It will be hard to beat this team to the outside.
» The Bucs are hoping quantity can turn into quality at cornerback. They have at least six cornerbacks fighting for their top three spots, with four of them drafted in the top three rounds of the last two drafts. None of Tampa's cornerbacks have proven to be standouts, hence embattled general manager Jason Licht continuing to draft them.
Biggest change from a year ago: The Bucs are banking on the new coaching staff turning the ship around, because the roster doesn't look much better.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
For all the NFC South starters..
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001030887/article/nfc-south-projected-starters-saints-appear-stout-on-defense
