For this weekend’s Pewter Report Roundtable, the crew tackles another tough question. This week’s prompt: “Which Bucs position group will exceed expectations in 2022?”

Scott Reynolds: I Think The Bucs RBs Will Turn Into A Team Strength

Everyone knows that Bruce Arians/Byron Leftwich’s offense is run through the wide receivers. It’s a wide receiver-based offense, and that’s a big reason why Tom Brady wanted to sign with the Bucs in 2020. With that being said, I think the running backs will step to the forefront this year, especially if Rob Gronkowski doesn’t return. Without Gronk, Tampa Bay’s tight end position is average at best. And that depends largely on how rookie Cade Otton develops. The wide receivers will still see the majority of balls from Tom Brady. But the re-signing of Leonard Fournette and the addition of Rachaad White changes everything.

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The running backs could pick up the slack in the passing game, especially now that Ronald Jones II is gone. Fournette showed he is capable of being a three-down back, and White excelled in the passing game in college. Giovani Bernard is back as an experienced third-down back. And Ke’Shawn Vaughn has made strides as a receiver this offseason. Brady will have plenty of targets for his outlet receivers, but we could see Fournette and White line up out wide or in the slot on occasion to create some mismatches.

And don’t forget that Fournette averaged a healthy 4.5 yards per carry last year. That earned him a rich contract worth $7 million per year. The Bucs have 7 million incentives to get him his carries, too. With the Bucs trading for right guard Shaq Mason, an exceptional run blocker, Tampa Bay might be inclined to run the ball more. Head coach Todd Bowles might value the running game more than Arians did. That will only showcase the likes of Fournette – and the other backs – a bit more than last year.

Matt Matera: It’s A Rebound Year For The Bucs Inside Linebackers

I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that Lavonte David and Devin White didn’t meet expectations last year. To be fair, we hold the duo in such high regard that their level of play is held to a higher degree than others, but because of that it left us wanting more. The thing that was missing was the splash plays, and I think the group gets back to that this year with some contributions from the backups as well.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Neither David or White had an interception last season. David also had a career low five tackles for loss while White didn’t have a forced fumble despite playing in every game. Injuries were an issue for David, forcing him to miss five games. That left White on his own as the leader. There’s no questioning the athleticism and talent that White has, but sometimes he can get in his own way by over pursuing and essentially being that Bull in a China shop. White also admitted he can play better and has already taken measures to do so.Together, they’re two of the best in the game to do it, and they’re getting more help this year from the coaching staff.

One of the changes for the Bucs on the coaching staff is moving Larry Foote from outside linebackers coach to inside linebackers. It’ll really benefit David and White to have a new voice in their ear. Foote will bluntly give you the truth. That’s exactly what they need. With a new coach in and a fresh perspective, the splash plays will get going for them. I’m also eager to watch K.J. Britt and Grant Stuard this season. Britt worked a lot as a top inside linebacker during mini-camp with David out. I’m curious to see if he can take it to the next level if he had to fill in. Stuard was the best special teams player for the Bucs, we’ll see if he’ll keep it up and get some national recognition for it.

J.C. Allen: Edge Rushers Should Feast

Last season the outside linebacker group produced just 23 sacks for the Bucs. This year should be a completely different story. Jason Pierre-Paul was mired by injury and only compiled 2.5 sacks. Shaq Barrett missed three games and finished with 10 sacks, while then rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka notched just four sacks in a part time role as he acclimated to the NFL. The biggest surprise was Anthony Nelson taking a leap in his development and adding five sacks of his own. Cam Gill tallied 1.5 sacks himself.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The 23 sacks in 2021 should be the absolute floor for the Bucs this year. With a full time role in store for JTS, and a switch back to the right side for Barrett, 23 sacks between the pair should actually be their floor as well. When Barrett last played on the right side of the defense in a full time capacity he had his best season racking up 19.5 sacks. Now I’m not saying that should be the benchmark for his production in 2022. But I don’t think that 15 is an unreasonable number to achieve. especially if he is healthy for a full season.

Tryon-Shoyinka showed flashes of brilliance last year subbing in for Pierre-Paul. He has a full year in the system under his belt and has transformed his body over the offseason. He also has an understanding of what it takes to play a full 17 -plus game season. With that, 10 sacks should be an achievable number for him. Especially if you consider the big boys up front consuming blockers in Vita Vea and Akiem Hicks. Add in similar production from Nelson and Gill and this unit could reach 30 sacks alone. Which would go a long way towards reaching 50 total team sacks on the season.

Josh Queipo: Bucs Interior Defensive Line Is Poised For A Breakout

When elite talent meets with good depth you tend to see expectations exceeded.  That’s what the Bucs have with their interior defensive line. Vita Vea was recently ranked in the top 10 of all defensive tackles in the NFL. Akiem Hicks is still a monster when healthy. Rookie Logan Hall has received endless amounts of praise during OTA’s. Will Gholston is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career.

Bucs NT Vita Vea and DT Akiem Hicks – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s four deep at the position. And it’s younger than a year ago when Ndamukong Suh was 34 and reserve Steve McLendon was 35. When healthy, Hicks still has plenty of juice at age 32. And Hall is a decade younger in age. This could coalesce for the makings of a dominant unit that builds on its incredible run defense.

The Bucs D-line could start adding big sack numbers as well. Last year the Bucs interior combined for 15.5 sacks. It’s not unreasonable to see this group increasing that number into the 20-25 range. And if that happens the Bucs would be well on their way to getting to that elusive 50 sack number they have been oh so close to over the past three seasons.

Bailey Adams: Bucs Safeties Won’t Skip A Beat In 2022

The Bucs have seen a number of position groups affected by turnover this offseason. Safety is no exception, with Jordan Whitehead leaving in free agency to sign with the Jets. The level of run support he brought from the back end of the defense made a major difference for Tampa Bay, and it isn’t something that is easily replaced. With the 2018 fourth-round pick out the door, there are questions about how the safeties will fare in 2022. The unit is lead by Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield, Jr., but beyond Winfield, that’s where doubts might come in for some.

Bucs S Mike Edwards – Photo by: USA Today

As important as Whitehead was for the Bucs over the last couple of years, the team can still expect a lot out of their safeties. Winfield might very well go from Pro Bowl level to All-Pro status in 2022. Mike Edwards may not be the type of run defender that Whitehead is, but he’s a ballhawk. As a reserve safety, Edwards showed a knack for making impact plays. If he can continue to do so, Tampa Bay might get even more production from its safeties this year. Given that Winfield is the prototypical “do-it-all” safety, it gives Todd Bowles and his staff options for how to best employ Edwards.

Tampa Bay brought in two newcomers this offseason to boost the back end of its defense. Keanu Neal is a proven commodity, even coming off of a down year playing linebacker in Dallas. The former Falcon has proven to be a force when healthy, especially against the run. Meanwhile, Logan Ryan can fill in at safety is needed as well. That will prove valuable for the Bucs. Troy Warner is another name to watch back there, as safeties coach Nick Rapone mentioned him as a guy who they expect to improve in his second year in Tampa Bay’s defense. As difficult as it might’ve been to see Whitehead go, I think the Bucs have the pieces to get even better at the safety position in 2022, exceeding expectations in the process.