5 Buccaneers in Line for Increased Roles in 2015 By Jason Kanno Mar 24, 2015 
Following a 2-14 season, changes are in order for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A year of costly lessons may still yield a crop of homegrown talent to get the Bucs back on track in 2015.After he was hired last year, Lovie Smith said the Bucs roster "wasn’t set up with our systems in mind," per The Tampa Tribune's Roy Cummings. This statement is curious given Smith's admitted unfamiliarity with the roster, per ESPN's Pat Yasinskas. What followed in free agency helped drag Tampa Bay into a nightmarish season, culminating in the league's worst record and the release of Michael Johnson and Anthony Collins just one year into their contracts.The Bucs emerged from the rubble of last season with the knowledge that there are players on the roster who do fit Smith's vision and can play bigger roles next season.Fans clamored for another expensive foray in free agency to address the Bucs' offensive and defensive line needs. However, the Bucs' restraint indicates they are ready to trust the players already on the roster.Defensive end was a major problem in 2014, but Jacquies Smith emerged as a viable starter. The Bucs also abandoned their previous vision at safety by trading Mark Barron and giving Bradley McDougald a more prominent role in the rotation.A rare all-offense draft last year already provided the Bucs with a stud wide receiver in Mike Evans.The Bucs may find more quality starters from last year's draft in tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and offensive tackle Kevin Pamphile. Both saw limited time on the field as rookies but are due to take on more responsibility in 2015.Here are the five Buccaneers primed for bigger roles in the coming season.
Austin Seferian-JenkinsThe Bucs drafted Seferian-Jenkins last year to be their big-bodied receiving weapon. In 2015, he will have to live up to his second-round draft status.Tampa Bay hasn't had a tight end with Seferian-Jenkins' size and athleticism since Kellen Winslow. At 6'5" and 262 pounds, he has the measurables to be one of the league's best tight ends.Injuries limited Seferian-Jenkins' contributions on offense last season. Playing in only nine games, he caught 21 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.The former Husky's biggest goal entering OTAs and training camp should be simply to stay healthy. His development stalled because he wasn't able to join the rest of the Bucs' draft class while he finished classes at Washington and recovered from a foot injury.Seferian-Jenkins finished the 2014 season on injured reserve with a back injury. According to the Tampa Bay Times' Roy Cummings, he is fully recovered and finally rested.The Bucs have to hope the tight end's injury-riddled rookie year was merely an aberration. He has the potential to be one of the best tight ends in the league but only if he can stay on the field.
Jacquies SmithMaybe the reason the Bucs aren't spending much money on high-profile defensive ends is because they believe they have a future star in Jacquies Smith.Despite playing a limited role early in 2014, Smith emerged as the Bucs' best edge-rusher by season's end. He put as much if not more pressure on the quarterback than either Michael Johnson or William Gholston with fewer opportunities:Bucs defensive end pass rusher comparison Plays Sacks QB Hits QB Pressures Total Total Pressures per play Jacquies Smith 470 7 1 20 28 .0595 Michael Johnson 648 4 9 15 28 .0432 William Gholston 587 2 6 17 25 .0425 Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.The Bucs are still gambling with Smith. He only has one year under his belt, and a large chunk of his production came in only a few games.Smith practically disappeared in the last three games, collecting only one sack and one pressure in that period, according to Pro Football Focus.That could be attributed to typical rookie fatigue from the longer pro season. The problem is the uncertainty in Smith's development.The Bucs are putting a lot of responsibility on Smith's shoulders next season. It's unclear whether he can bear it.
Bradley McDougaldThe Bucs cut their losses at safety last season, trading 2012 first-round pick Mark Barron to the Rams. What made this possible was the bright future of strong safety Bradley McDougald.In 2013, the Bucs signed Dashon Goldson to join Barron, envisioning a big, hard-hitting safety tandem. Their plan failed to materialize as neither Barron nor Goldson proved to be a good fit in Lovie Smith's defense.McDougald emerged midseason as a more reliable pass defender, quickly making Barron expendable. Hopes are high that McDougald can become a strong starter at strong safety, as The Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufan noted: "The Bucs believe 24-year-old safety Bradley McDougald has a chance to emerge as an elite player at a key position in their Cover 2 defense."The Bucs re-signed Major Wright and brought in former Bears safety Chris Conte. All three safeties are working on one-year deals, so expect to see a regular rotation early on to see who will start moving forward.McDougald is a less proven commodity than Wright or Conte but also has more upside. 2015 will be his proving ground for the future at the strong safety spot in Tampa Bay.
Kevin PamphileThe Bucs were as restrained in addressing their offensive line as they were with the defensive line. As with Jacquies Smith, the solution to the Bucs' offensive line problems may already be on the roster with Kevin Pamphile.The Bucs drafted Pamphile in the fifth round last year, clearly intending for him to be a project. As it became apparent that Anthony Collins was not going to work out, the Bucs came closer to playing Pamphile in his stead.Pamphile took the majority of the snaps at right tackle in the Bucs' final game against New Orleans, per Pro Football Focus. He gave up a sack, a quarterback hit and a pressure, but he played well in run support.The Bucs cut Collins at the start of free agency, but they have yet to sign another tackle. While the Bucs could take one in the 2015 draft, Pamphile would have an experience advantage.Former Bucs defensive lineman Stephen White (via Bucs Nation) expects big things from Kevin Pamphile. Though there is work yet to be done, Pamphile could make the right tackle spot his with a strong training camp this summer.
T.J. FatinikunThe Bucs didn't add much depth at defensive end in free agency, which was a problem in 2014. Again it appears they placed their trust in their current roster and defensive end T.J. Fatinikun.Fatinikun was an undrafted free agent in 2013 and first signed with the Chiefs. Kansas City let him go soon after, and after a year in the Arena League, Fatinikun signed with Tampa Bay during the 2014 preseason.Buried in the depth chart under the likes of Da'Quan Bowers and Scott Solomon, Fatinikun didn't see much playing time until midseason, sparked by a sack he shared with Gerald McCoy against Washington in Week 11.Though he didn't get much significant time in the defensive end rotation until the last few games, Fatinikun looks to be a prominent fixture in Tampa Bay's near future according to The Tampa Tribune's Roy Cummings: "Don't forget, Bucs are high on T.J. Fatinikun, too, and they believe Jacquies Smith can play RDE. Lots of options. they also like L. Sidbury." With Adrian Clayborn now in Atlanta, Da'Quan Bowers unlikely to return and no free-agent defensive ends signed, the Bucs need Fatinikun to capitalize on his opportunity.No matter what the Bucs do to address their edge-rusher depth in the draft, they will need every iota of experience at the defensive end position to pull its weight.link
