A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday during the Bucs’ regular season. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Which Bucs should be selected as Pro Bowlers?

Scott Reynolds: Only 2 Bucs Truly Deserve To Be Among The League’s Best

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs have several players who should get Pro Bowl consideration this year, but I’m keeping my Pro Bowl picks as realistic as possible. Tampa Bay will likely only get have two Pro Bowlers this year, and they should come as no surprise to the Pewter People. Of course I’m talking about the Bucs’ MVPs on offense and defense – wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Evans is having a remarkable year and deserves to make the Pro Bowl. Sure, he gets snubbed nationally recognition-wise, yet he’s also a four-time Pro Bowler. He should soon get his fifth Pro Bowl berth and gain entry to the stupid flag football game or skills competition – or whatever they do these days. Sorry, the Pro Bowl used to be an actual, competitive football game and I miss it in its old form.

Evans has 66 catches for 1,077 yards this year, which puts him outside the Top 10 for receivers in receptions and 10th in receiving yards. But what’s even more impressive are the three stats that should make him a Pro Bowler. First, he’s already eclipsed 1,000 yards for a 10th straight season since he’s entered the league. That’s an NFL record that only Evans owns.

Next, it’s his 16.3-yard average, which tops the league’s best deep threat, Tyreek Hill, who is currently at 15.9 yards per catch. And finally, Evans’ 11 receiving touchdowns are second in the league behind Hill’s 12.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As for Winfield, he’s having a career year as he’s leading the Bucs in tackles (107), pass breakups (11), forced fumbles (five), fumble recoveries (three) and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Winfield’s four sacks have tied his career high and are tied for third on the team.

Winfield has been a difference-maker on defense all year for Tampa Bay. He’s a one-man-gang, and I think his only peer in the NFC this year is Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III, who has five interceptions and three forced fumbles. Winfield has already been to one Pro Bowl, and deserves to make it this year.

Defensive tackle Vita Vea, kicker Chase McLaughlin, left tackle Tristan Wirfs and running back Rachaad White deserve consideration, but won’t make it. Vea has missed some time due to injury and has not been super consistent this season. As good as McLaughlin is kicking with a 92% field goal percentage, there are three other NFC kickers with a higher percentage, including Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey, who has hit 31-of-31 field goals.

Wirfs started off the year nearly flawless as a first-time left tackle. But he’s sustained some injuries that have robbed him of some of his effectiveness down the stretch. He’s surrendered five sacks in the last five weeks.

White is third among running backs in the NFL in all-purpose yards with 1,306 yards, which is an impressive and worthy statistic to go along with his eight touchdowns. But nobody outside of Tampa Bay knows who he is. This year is his coming out party, so maybe next year he’ll get more consideration as he gains notoriety.

Matt Matera: All Three Bucs Units Get Representation In The Pro Bowl

For once, it feels like Mike Evans is finally getting the national recognition he deserves. Maybe that’s because he has another 1,000-yard season, extending his record to begin a career to 10 straight years. He’s also one 1,000-yard season behind tying Jerry Rice for most consecutive thousand yard seasons at any point in a career. You have J.J. Watt and other notable people saying he’s a Hall of Famer, which he absolutely is. Evans is 10th in the league in receiving yards at the moment, but is second in the NFL with 11 TDs, which is first in the NFC. He deserves to be in.

Bucs FS Antoine WInfield Jr. and Falcons QB Desmond Ridder – Photo by: USA Today

I think Antoine Winfield Jr. making the Pro Bowl this season is a no brainer. The man just does it all and has been the best Bucs player this season. He is as impactful blitzing at the line of scrimmage as he is in coverage in a traditional safety role. Winfield’s five forced fumbles leads everybody in the NFL and he is second amongst all safeties in tackles. The one knock on him was the interceptions, but he’s recorded two in the latter half of the season to help his case. Winfield is as instinctual as it gets and we shouldn’t even be talking about the Pro Bowl because he’s an All-Pro.

What can we say about Tristan Wirfs that we haven’t already? It’s been amazing to see him move from the right side to the left side without too much of an issue. He’s arguably the best tackle in football and a lot of times reputation alone on the offensive line will get you in. Because the 49ers are the number one team in the league, Trent Williams would probably be named the starter, but Wirfs should be seen as well.

Chase McLaughlin has been everything the Bucs could’ve dreamed of when signing him. He’s hit 23 of 25 field goals with the only misses coming off of blocked kicks. He’s also hit every extra point. McLaughlin was brought in becasue he can kick from further out and he’s consistently hit from 50+, with a season long of 57.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Lavonte David gets in again this season in part because he’s missed some games down the stretch. The NFC is loaded at inside linebacker so there’s not much margin for error. He can rack up the tackles, but having no interceptions and one forced fumble isn’t exactly Pro Bowl criteria. That doesn’t mean David is any less important to the team or that he isn’t a Bucs legend. He’s still very important to their success.

Bailey Adams: 2 Offensive Playmakers, 1 Do-It-All Defender Represent Tampa Bay

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr.and OLB Markees Watts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There are two Bucs who unquestionably deserve to make the Pro Bowl this year. Antoine Winfield Jr. gets my vote as the absolute most deserving, as he’s been one of the best safeties in the NFL in 2023. He has 107 tackles (65 solo), four sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interception and 11 passes defensed. He’s a sure thing to make the second Pro Bowl of his career.

Mike Evans is the other obvious choice, as he has 66 catches for 1,077 yards and 11 touchdowns in Year 10 of his career. He’s 10th in receiving yards while ranking second in receiving touchdowns. He’s just one receiving touchdown behind Miami’s Tyreek Hill for the league lead. The four-time Pro Bowler should make it five when rosters are announced in the coming weeks.

There are a host of other Bucs who are deserving, though they’re less certain to make the Pro Bowl roster. The third player I’ll add here is someone who has played their way into heavy consideration in recent weeks. That’s running back Rachaad White. By the time the end of the season rolls around, he very well might be a 1,000-yard rusher with 600 or so receiving yards. He’s top-10 in all-purpose yards right now and should find himself in the mix among NFC running backs. If he’s not on the initial roster, he is bound to be one of the first reserves to fill in due to injury or the need for a Super Bowl replacement.

Tristan Wirfs deserves to be rewarded for making the transition from right tackle to left tackle so seamlessly. Unfortunately, he might not outdo some of the other left tackles across the league and he’s been a bit banged up in recent weeks, causing his form to dip slightly. His reputation as one of the league’s best tackles might help, but I think he might get lost in the shuffle in the end and miss out on the Pro Bowl, even if he deserves it. No matter, though, as Wirfs’ reward will come in the form of a hefty new contract sooner rather than later.

Lavonte David and Chase McLaughlin are up there as well when it comes to deserving players who may miss out. David’s recent injury and the games he missed because of it may end up costing him in the end, while McLaughlin is likely to find himself on the outside looking in just due to the sheer number of good kickers vs. the number of kicker spots in the Pro Bowl.

And one last shout: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Baker Mayfield end up getting to the Pro Bowl as a replacement. We’ve seen so many quarterback injuries across the league this year, so between the number of injured quarterbacks, the quarterbacks who will pass on going to the Pro Bowl and those who will be playing in the Super Bowl, Mayfield and his 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions may warrant a replacement spot. It came all the way down to Tyler Huntley as a Pro Bowl replacement last year. You’d have to think Mayfield will be higher on the list this year than Huntley was a year ago.

Josh Queipo: Bucs Split Four Pro Bowlers Between Offense And Defense

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

The cases will be made for Winfield and Evans by my colleagues, so I will be brief with regards to those two. I agree with all of them. Evans is having a renaissance year in an offense that is boosting his talents rather than just asking him to do it all himself. Winfield is a turnover machine on top of his ability to play high-level, assignment-sound football play in and play out. The number of times he has made the defense right post-snap by just being HIM is ridiculous.

But I’ll turn my attention to two other names. At 33 years old, Lavonte David is still one of the absolute best linebackers in football. On pace for 137 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, seven passes defensed and a forced fumble, the counting stats pass the sniff test.

The splash plays are the most he has had since before 2020 in most cases. But on top of that, David is still as good as ever at the basics that make being a good linebacker so hard. His missed tackle rate is sub 9% and he is top-10 in the NFL is defensive stops, per Pro Football Focus. He remains one of the better coverage backers in the league, often matching up with athletic tight ends and handling himself well in those matchups.

Not necessarily in order, but here are the cuts. Great matchup if you are a fan of football. https://t.co/TmD0bvkYXu pic.twitter.com/V1Q51iW5lA

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) October 18, 2023

He’s one of the centerpieces to arguably the best run defense in football, and can cover, AND adding in splash plays behind the line of scrimmage. Sign me up for sending Lavonte to Orlando.

As for Chaad White, while he isn’t the top dog in rushing yards or yards per carry, he is one of the best three-down all-purpose backs in the NFL. Don’t believe me? Here are the facts. He is third in the NFL among running backs in yards from scrimmage with 1,303. He is one of only three backs with at least 200 carries and 50 catches, ranks second in receiving yards, third in yards per reception and is tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns. White is the definition of the modern-day workhorse running back in an age where they don’t really exist anymore. And he’s getting stronger.

Now, I know all of you may be more interested in the name I left off the list. Alas, my man-crush Jake Camarda has been very good this year, but in the golden age of punters, he is only top-10in epa/punt instead of one-of-one. Maybe next year. I fully expect to present him for induction in Canton one day. But this year will not be one of those highlight campaigns I speak about, but merely a note of how high his floor is.

Adam Slivon: 1 Buc From Each Unit Makes It To Orlando

Let me just say – figuring out which Bucs should be Pro Bowlers is more difficult than it seems. Topping my list is Antoine Winfield Jr. Winfield is the most underrated defensive back in the NFL, and there is no doubt in my mind that he deserves a Pro Bowl selection. He is simply doing things unheard of by a safety this season.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

He is an all-around defensive disruptor and has propped up Tampa Bay’s defense by making big plays a routine.

Speaking of big plays, Mike Evans has done the same thing on the opposite side of the ball. Evans has shown no signs of slowing down after turning 30 – in fact – he is having one of his better overall seasons and still has time to add to his totals.

Capping off my list is Jake Camarda. Camarda ranks in the top five in yards per punt and has already gotten plenty of recognition for his work this season. He is already one of the top punters in the league and is the complete package for the position. Camarda has the athleticism, booming leg and pinpoint accuracy to launch a 60-plus yard punt and pin the opposing team near their goal line, which he did on his lone punt this past Sunday.

I also want to give honorable mentions to a handful of guys who are so close and could make it as replacements. Chase McLaughlin has been a true revelation at kicker for the Bucs and has been automatic this season. Through Week 15, McLaughlin has made 23 of his 25  field goal attempts (92%), including going 5-of-6 (83.3%) from 50+ yards. Despite these numbers, he falls just short of Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who has made every one of his 31 field goal attempts and is 8-8 from 50+ yards.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

While Tristan Wirfs has been one of the best tackles since entering the league in 2020, he has struggled of late as he has been playing banged up. After a strong seamless transition to left tackle, Wirfs has allowed five sacks in the past five games. Name recognition will help his cause and it’s hard to snub him, but when compared to other dominant NFC tackles like Trent Williams, Penei Sewell, Tyron Smith, Christian Darrisaw and Jordan Mailata, it’s also hard to pick him as one of the top three in the conference this year.

Rachaad White has turned it up a notch in recent weeks and currently ranks third among all running backs with 1,303 scrimmage yards. He also has completely flipped the narrative on being the team’s featured back going forward. It will be hard for him to leapfrog more established names and efficient rushers, but he is close and could be considered.

Lastly, Baker Mayfield could sneak into the picture here as well. Mayfield has been getting more national praise after his performance against the Packers and is a dark horse candidate. Pairing his popularity with the fact that many of the top quarterbacks often do not participate, he could find his way to Orlando in February.