A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Who is the Bucs’ next new Pro Bowler?

Scott Reynolds: Graham Barton Seems Destined To Be A Pro Bowler

Bucs C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Turn on the tape and it’s easy to see Graham Barton’s athleticism and strength shine. Meet Barton, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick this year, and his professionalism and maturity for being such a young football player really stand out. I’ve written before that Barton gives me Ali Marpet vibes and he’s off to an incredibly fast start with the Bucs as a rookie center. Marpet hit the ground running as an immediate starter as a second-round pick in 2015 and quickly established himself as one of the league’s best guards.

Although he technically only made one Pro Bowl, which came in his final season in 2021, Marpet played at a Pro Bowl level for half of his career with the Bucs. Don’t be surprised if Barton has a similar career arc, but actually makes his first Pro Bowl much sooner – perhaps as early as this year if he can hit the ground running and display some dominance as a rookie.

What helps Barton’s cause is the retirement of Philadelphia’s long-time center Jason Kelce, an eight-time Pro Bowler. That frees up a spot in the NFL’s annual popularity contest. Barton’s primary competition in the NFC is the conference’s other top center, Detroit’s Frank Ragnow, a three-time Pro Bowler.

I can also see outside linebacker Yaya Diaby and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the running to be Tampa Bay’s next, new, first-time Pro Bowler. But the competition at those positions is more entrenched and it might be harder for either Diaby or Kancey to crack the NFC Pro Bowl lineup unless either has a monster season and the Bucs are one of the league’s winningest teams. Therefore, Barton might have an easier and quicker path to the Pro Bowl.

Matt Matera: Rachaad White Can Definitely Be In The Mix

Sometimes it’s a numbers game when it comes to making the Pro Bowl and looking around who else is at your position. There’s certainly stiff competition at running back in the NFC, most notably with Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley, but since at least three make it, there’s an outside chance for White as well.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The rushing stats have hurt White as he’s yet to reach 1,000 yards on the season, though Tampa Bay is putting an emphasis on toting the rock this year. Last year, McCaffrey, D’Andre Swift and Kyren Williams all made the Pro Bowl after rushing for over 1,000 yards with barely eclipsing it at 1,049. Jahmyr Gibbs was a replacement for McCaffrey and only had 945 rushing yards, but had the benefit of the Lions being a successful team.

Williams certainly came as a surprise for making the Pro Bowl, so White could be that guy this year especially since he’s playing in the same type of offense. White was third among running backs in the NFL in receiving yards with 549 and second in the NFC. If he can get over 1,000 rushing yards, maintain the receiving production and the Bucs win double digit games, he’ll get more attention and may find his way on a Pro Bowl roster in one way or another.

Bailey Adams: A Healthy Jamel Dean Is A Pro Bowl-Caliber Cornerback

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This is a gamble of a pick because it requires Jamel Dean to do two things he has struggled to do over the first five seasons of his career. For one, he’ll need to stay healthy. The 27-year-old out of Auburn has yet to play a full season for the Bucs, and he’s coming off a season in which he missed four games.

The other thing he’ll need to do is come down with more interceptions, another objective he’s struggled to do in his career. Dean’s career-high for interceptions is two, which he’s done three times (2019, 2021, 2022). He didn’t haul in a single interception last season.

So, how is it that Dean will be the Bucs’ next first-time Pro Bowler? He’s not as far off from being at that level as he might seem. Among cornerbacks who played at least 50% of their team’s defensive snaps last year, PFF had Dean as a top-10 corner in the NFC. Two years ago, he posted the fourth-best PFF grade among NFC cornerbacks.

He’s consistently ranked as one of the better cover cornerbacks in the league, especially in press-man coverage. We aren’t that far removed from Dean being in the Pro Bowl conversation already, and it’s time for him to put it all together now that he’s being charged with the responsibility of being Tampa Bay’s CB1.

If he can limit the games he misses (I’m talking maybe one or two at the MOST… ideally he plays all 17), he could already find himself in the conversation like he was in 2022. But interceptions are what catch people’s eyes. Devon Witherspoon was a Pro Bowler last year with one interception, but takeaways are generally required for Pro Bowl consideration.

Bucs cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross has said time and again, including earlier this offseason, that with more interceptions, Dean can be a Pro Bowler. And I agree. If he can come through with three to five while maintaining the level of play he’s generally been at for most of his career, he’ll be a Pro Bowl cornerback.

Josh Queipo: Tykee Smith Is A Star In The Making

In order to make a Pro Bowl there has to be some splash to your game. You can’t just be good on tape. There needs to be some panache that gets you on Sports Center’s “Top Ten.” The way the Bucs defense operates it provides a unique opportunity for their nickel defender to do just that.

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tykee Smith is a natural playmaker. Last year he registered 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions and two passes defensed working close to the line of scrimmage for Georgia as their Star defender. In a Todd Bowles defense Smith should have plenty of opportunities to rack up sacks as he will be asked to blitz quite a bit.

Smith will also be dropping into zone coverage at a high rate giving him opportunity to keep his eyes in the backfield allowing him to rack up multiple interceptions. And those interceptions could lead to touchdowns as the nature of such picks would put very few offensive players between Smith and the end zone.

Pro Bowls are something of a popularity contests these days. In order to become popular, you need some highlight-reel plays. And I think Smith is just the guy to make a name for himself with some big-time highlight reel plays.

Adam Slivon: A Lot Of Things Are Working In Calijah Kancey’s Favor

The outlook for Calijah Kancey is a promising one after he had a fine season for a rookie defensive tackle. Although he played only 14 games due to an early-season calf injury, Kancey still recorded 26 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks. With an offseason to get even more acclimated to the Bucs’ defense and going through a full training camp this time around, he could be destined to put opposing quarterbacks on notice as soon as this season.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Recently, Kancey admitted that he has lofty goals heading into 2024. “I definitely want to win a Super Bowl,” Kancey said during the last week of OTAs. “I definitely want to get double-digit sacks. I want us to be the number one defense, and I just want to continue to wreak havoc.”

While these are some high-reaching goals, notching double-digit sacks is something that would surely put him in consideration for the Pro Bowl. With future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald now retired from the Rams, Kancey’s odds of being selected are higher, and after he was compared to him often entering the NFL, it could be the case of one former Pitt Panther swapping out for another on the NFC roster.

To get there though, Kancey will need to consistently show that he can be a menace in the backfield and to opposing quarterbacks right off the snap. A crucial thing for him will be showing that he can overcome his smaller stature for his position and avoid having games where he is neutralized up front by bigger offensive linemen.

Forming a duo with a now-slimmer Vita Vea will aid his case, and if Vea continues to take on double teams, it will provide Kancey with continued opportunities to get involved. If he takes advantage of those chances and shows more polish in his second season, he will be in the mix to be a first-time Bucs Pro Bowler and solidify that the team truly hit it out of the park with their top draft pick from 2023.