FAB 2. 2020 Pewter Predictions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the 2020 regular season on Sunday in an empty Superdome in New Orleans against the two-time defending NFC South champion Saints. Last week I gave you my expected record for the Bucs’ 2020 season and my game-by-game predictions in last week’s SR’s Fab 5. Now it’s time for the annual Pewter Predictions where we delve into this season’s expected player superaltives.

Who will be the MVP of Tampa Bay’s offense, defense and special teams? Who will be the Most Improved Players on offense and defense? Continue reading to find out.

2020 Buccaneers Offensive MVP

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB Tom Brady
Simply put, Bruce Arians’ offense is quarterback-driven, and he’s got a former quarterback calling the plays in Byron Leftwich, so it was no surprise that Tampa Bay led the league in net passing yards last year with 4,845 after sack yardage is figured in, with Jameis Winston at the helm. Not much changes with Brady now under center other than the amount of turnovers likely being cut in half after Winston led the league with 30 interceptions, including an NFL-record seven pick-sixes.

Brady should easily eclipse 4,000 yards in Arians’ offense, and PewterReport.com’s Jon Ledyard has forecasted 33 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions for Brady in 2020. Those type of numbers not only put Brady in consideration for the Pro Bowl and the NFL MVP this year, but they make him a slam dunk winner of the 2020 Offensive MVP award in Tampa Bay, especially if he leads the Bucs to the playoffs.

2020 Bucaneers Defensive MVP

Bucs LB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ILB Devin White
There is a good reason why the Bucs spent the fifth overall draft pick on White in 2019, and the LSU product didn’t disappoint as a rookie. After a slow start due to a knee injury in Week 2, White made splash plays aplenty, finishing the year with four fumble recoveries, 2.5 sacks, two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles and an interception.

White barely edges outside linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul and fellow linebacker Lavonte David out for the Defensive MVP honors – primarily because he finishes the season as the Bucs’ leading tackler. Not only that, but White sees an uptick in sacks and interceptions this season to five sacks and three interceptions and garners some Pro Bowl consideration, especially due to Tampa Bay’s five prime time games this year.

2020 Buccaneers Special Teams MVP

P Bradley Pinion
We don’t dare list a kicker as the Special Teams MVP given the trials and tribulations Tampa Bay has gone through with 10 different kickers over the past 10 years. The Bucs’ return game is largely unproven in the hands of newcomer Jaydon Mickens. So Pinion, who was named a special teams captain this season, gets the nod. Pinion doesn’t have to lead the league in punting this year to deserve this honor. He just has to not screw up any punts, kickoffs or holds on extra points or field goals.

Most Improved Offensive Player

Bucs TE O.J. Howard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

TE O.J. Howard
Howard gets the nod over left tackle Donovan Smith, running back Ronald Jones II and wide receivers Scotty Miller and Justin Watson – all of whom deserve recognition for the improvement they showed in training camp. But Howard’s improvement was noticeable, especially his focus. He rarely dropped a pass and Howard got better with his separation technique, too. Don’t be surprised if he’s more productive than Rob Gronkowski by season’s end – due to more playing time and the improvement Howard has shown this offseason.

Most Improved Defensive Player

DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
While he’s not a starter, a fantastic training camp performance will earn Nunez-Roches more snaps during the 2020 regular season. Nunez-Roches will take over for Beau Allen as the team’s reserve nose tackle, and he’s also versatile enough to spell Ndamukong Suh at the three-technique defensive tackle spot as well. Nunez-Roches has a high motor and has bulked up to around 320 pounds to become more formidable stopping the run and pushing the pocket.

Leading Sacker

Bucs OLB Jason Pierre-Paul – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
Pierre-Paul edges Barrett for the team’s leader in sacks in 2020 by one sack to finish with 14. Pierre-Paul rushed almost exclusively from the left side last year after returning from missing the first six games due to a neck injury from an offseason car crash, and finished with 8.5 sacks in 10 games. This season, teams will be plotting to neutralize Barrett, the league’s leading sacker in 2019 with 19.5 sacks, and Pierre-Paul will get opportunities to rush from both the left and right side, as well as from the interior in nickel rush situations.

Leading Interceptor

CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
As a rookie, Murphy-Bunting’s three interceptions led the Buccaneers in 2019, and he’ll repeat as the interception leader again in 2020. Like Bucs Ring of Honor member Ronde Barber did for so many years, Murphy-Bunting will play outside cornerback in base defense and move inside to the slot in nickel defense. Murphy-Bunting has the best hands in the secondary with rookie safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. probably coming in second. Murphy-Bunting snares five picks in his second season to lead the Bucs, and also scores his second career touchdown on another pick-six.

Best Rookie

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

S Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Tristan Wirfs comes in a close second, but he’ll likely have a tougher learning curve as a rookie without the benefit of a preseason, having to play all of the snaps on offense. Winfield will begin his rookie season as one of the team’s starting safeties, but has the luxury of being able to rotate with Mike Edwards and learn from being on the field, as well as from the sideline. Winfield was drafted for his play-making prowess, as he recorded seven interceptions last year at Minnesota. He’ll finish his rookie year with three INTs, which is one more than the entire safety room combined for last season.

Best Free Agent Acquisition

QB Tom Brady
Signing the greatest quarterback of all-time in free agency – even though he’s 43 years old – makes Brady the best free agent acquisition by general manager Jason Licht this year. Trading for Brady’s favorite weapon, tight end Rob Gronkowski, is a close second by Licht, who, along with director of football administration Mike Greenberg, also deserves credit for re-signing outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul in March, and signing running back Leonard Fournette last week.