QB: Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin
*Brady or bust. Obviously if we lose Brady the season is a waste, but I'm a bit apprehensive at the thought of Gabbert having to get us through a game or two. At least he knows the system and will be helpful for that reason. Griffin could get some competition from this UDFA we picked up out of San Diego. The QB of the future is likely going to have to come next season.
RB: Ronald Jones, Keyshawn Vaughn, Dare Ogunbawale, Raymond Calais, TJ Logan
*The Ron and Vaughn show will be heavily scrutinized given our decision to pass on certain other backs in the early rounds. I expect Jones to take another big leap forward, running behind some expectedly improved blocking. Keyshawn seems like a slightly better version of Peyton Barber. The jury is out on the kid until we see what he can do with solid blocking and without the box stacked/defenses keying in on him. He could be a breakout candidate given his tough style or of running and winning mentality. I like Calais being brought in as a challenger to TJ Logan. Hopefully he can win that final spot on the depth chart and add some more spark to our special teams unit.
TE: Roberto Gronkowski, OJ Howard, Cameron Brate, Antony Auclair
*Unquestionably the best TE group in football and that was BEFORE adding Gronk. I thought we would see an OJ trade but his value will show up this year in the red zone at the very least. I expect a lot of multiple TE sets much like the Gronk/Hernandez offense Tom had years ago. I think Howard will be much more motivated now than in years past given the additions of Brady and Gronkowski.
WR: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson, Justin Watson
*While we have the best duo in football, we needed to add depth and Tyler Johnson could be a big time steal. He plays similar to Godwin from what I've seen, just maybe doesn't have as sure of hands at this point. He joins speedster Scotty Miller (who showed flashes in his rookie year) and Justin Watson who has mostly been a good special teams to this point. I'd like to see someone come out of the blue like Adam Humphries did a few years ago and steal a roster spot from Watson, as his ceiling isn't very high. Great overall group.
OL: Donovan Smith, Tristan Wirfs, Joe Haeg, Ali Marpet, Ryan Jensen, Alex Cappa
*Solid on the surface but could use a bit more depth. Haeg will be valuable as he can backup any position on the line aside from maybe center. We need to find a decent guard via UDFA to push Cappa and at least provide good depth.
Offense: Is it the best in football? I'll have to defer to Kansas City there - but factoring in the defense, it isn't a stretch to argue that we may have the most complete roster in the league. I would be looking hard at RBs, WRs and interior OL that can come in on minimum salaries and compete for roster spots through camp, but for the most part, we should be ready to roll.
DL: Ndamakong Suh, Vita Vea, William Gholston, Nacho Rochez, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Khalil Davis, Potoa'e
*Unless I am forgetting someone, the depth is lacking here. The addition of Khalil Davis as well as Potoa'e in UDFA will help the competition but we need someone out of those guys and Ledbetter to step up and earn trust as a reserve. Could look to add a cheap vet after roster cuts in August.
OLB: Shaq Barrett, JPP, Anthony Nelson, Patrick Oconner
*Like several other positions on the roster, the surface looks good, but the depth is paper thin. Shaq and JPP are one of the best duos in football but Anthony Miller is unproven. I honestly don't even know off the top of my head if Oconner is listed as OLB or DE but either way we need someone to flash in training camp and give us some rotational potential. Perhaps our late round pick out of Temple can stay healthy and earn a spot.
ILB: Lavonte David, Devin White, Kevin Minter, Jack Cichy
*One of the strongest groups on the team, both at the top and and bottom of the depth chart. Devin will take a monster jump this year in pass coverage making him the best MLB in football. David will ball out as always and probably still miss the pro bowl just because. And the reserves will boost special teams play whole filling in as starters when and if their names are called.
CB: Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy Bunting, Ryan Smith, Mazzi Wilkins, MJ Stewart
*Solid young group. Carlton has impressed me through 2 seasons without strong safety play backing him up. He is out number 1 corner while Dean and SMB could develop into top #2 and slot CB players in their sophomore campaigns. The flashes they showed last year were very promising. Along with our front 7, this secondary just has to be solid to make our defense top 5. They should get a lot of help from our 2nd round pick this year.
S: Antoine Winfield, Jordan Whitehead, Justin Evans, Andrew Adams, Dacota Dixson, Mike Edwards
*Winfield will have some pressure coming in as he will be expected to start at safety and bring some of that big play ability he showed off at Minnestota. Winfield should be ready to handle that pressure given his pedigree and preparation throughout his young career. He will have many opportunities to capitalize on poor throws and tip balls with our front 7 wreaking havoc. Whitehead has been very solid and projects to be a valuable starter at the position. Edwards, Adams and Dixson should provide excellent depth and special teams ability.
Defense: Having resigned our main guys and drafted a FS and some depth, we should be ready to build on what we left off on in 2019. A young defense on the rise should only be better with another year together in Bowles system. Winfield should provide a major boost and some splash plays on the backend that were sorely missed last season.
2020 Outlook:
The sky is the ceiling for this team. We have the players. We have the coaches. Can we put it all together? Absolutely. I wouldn't expect anything less. I would like to see a RB, G, WR, CB, DE and OLB flash enough in camp to earn those final roster spots as depth contributors. But overall, there are no glaring holes on our roster (except kicker) but I expect that to be addressed eventually.
We got us a winner Tampa.
