Table of Contents
About the Author: Adam Slivon
Latest Bucs Headlines
The Bucs have a roster filled with talented players. That is the reason why they have played postseason football five years in a row, have won the NFC South four years in a row.
And are primed to do so once again this season.
While offensive and defensive projections paint the picture of how things might look, players still need to step up on game day.
After looking at Tampa Bay’s highest-paid players, it is time to zero in on the 2022 draft picks entering contract years who need to have productive seasons in order get their own paydays. Will they prove themselves as essential players to a winning football team?
2022 Bucs Draft Picks Who Need To Have Productive Contract Years
RB Rachaad White
Everything is on the line for Rachaad White. It’s a contract year, and after a roller‑coaster 2024, he’s got more to prove than ever. At 26 years old, White is now the veteran in the Bucs backfield. His rookie counterpart, Bucky Irving, exploded onto the scene with 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season, emerging as the clear RB1. Meanwhile, White’s carries were cut in half from 272 to 144, and his touches faded as he was pushed into a complementary role.
After showing improved rushing efficiency averaging a career‑high 4.3 yards per carry and contributing 51 catches for 393 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns, White has a lot to offer as a versatile receiving, pass-blocking back who is not afraid to a shoulder a workload. To his credit, his mindset entering this season is to attack each day and let whatever happens happen.
“Show them who I am,” White said this offseason about what he wants to prove on the field. “At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control. You have to go out there and prove it every day. I look at that in all walks of life, so I’m just going out with my mindset, just attack every day, show them who I am, and let the chips fall where they may.”
He’s slimmed down weight-wise for better mobility as he aims to show that he still belongs — not just as a role player, but as a key offensive catalyst.
Bucs RB Rachaad White says he’s played the past couple of seasons around 221-223 pounds, but this offseason he’s trimmed down to about 212. Says he’s feeling good out there. pic.twitter.com/bLBp793fHP
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) June 10, 2025
Still, his performance matters and will dictate what his market looks like. With new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard likely to split carries between Irving, White, and Tucker in that order, White will still factor in as a versatile weapon. A strong 2025 could see him land a one-year, prove-it deal as a starter or a multi-year deal to be a 1B, whether in Tampa Bay or elsewhere. The stage is set, the storylines are there, and it is up to White to write the rest.
DT Logan Hall
Logan Hall enters the season at a critical crossroads. The 2022 second‑round pick out carries the expectations of remaining a starter and continuing to trend upward. The Bucs will likely not just let him walk — but Hall must seize the moment to secure a second contract, or risk becoming expendable. Heading into 2025, he is slated to the primary No. 3 defensive tackle behind Pro Bowler Vita Vea and emerging star Calijah Kancey, placing him in a prime rotational role after he has played 52% and 51% of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps over the past two seasons.
Bucs DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
He had a solid, under-the-radar season in 2024, setting a career-high with 5.5 sacks in 16 games. That improvement and his work so far was enough to catch head coach Todd Bowles’ attention during mandatory mini-camp.
“Logan, quietly – before I mentioned ‘Voss’ (SirVocea Dennis) last week – probably had the most productive offseason that I’ve seen,” Bowles said. “He’s quicker. He keeps his head down and works and he’s kind of unsung with Kancey and Vita down there, but he had five sacks last year and he didn’t play third downs. He’s very athletic. He played the run well, he has some pass rush moves that we’re unlocking still, and he still has another level that he can get to but from a movement standpoint. I’m very pleased with everything I saw from Logan this spring.”
The question now is if he can become anything more, and what will that look like?
To justify a payday, Hall must deliver consistent pressure and flash against top-tier offensive tackles throughout the season. He has competition waiting in the wings behind him after the team drafted defensive lineman Elijah Roberts in the fifth round. Hall has to elevate his game, and if he does, he will emerge not just as a core rotational piece but as a foundational player. Otherwise, Hall might find himself negotiating from uncertain ground next offseason.
TE Cade Otton
Cade Otton heads into this season looking to have a platform year before potentially hitting the open market next March. Since arriving in Tampa Bay, Otton has steadily climbed the Bucs’ offensive pecking order. His receptions have increased each year from 42 in 2022, 47 in 2023, to 59 in 2024.
Bucs TE Cade Otton and WR Sterling Shepard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
He set career-highs across the board last season, adding 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Much of that production came during a midseason stretch when the offense was down wide receivers Mike Evans Evans and Chris Godwin. In that four-game span, Otton became a chain-moving safety valve for the offense, recording 30 receptions for 293 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Otton has also proved to be an “Iron Man” of sorts, playing 97% of the offensive snaps in 2023 and 92% in 2024. In playing so often and having an integral role in the offense, he has rapidly climbed the franchise’s tight end leaderboards.
It's time for @CadeOtton to get the recognition he deserves. pic.twitter.com/Qjl4WSIfvg
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) July 2, 2025
But being more consistent is the question mark as he looks to cash in. Having four big games lifted his numbers — but can he maintain that production with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and first-round pick Emeka Egbuka all eating into his target share? The stakes are clear for Otton entering this season to replicate or improve last year’s production while also playing well enough to keep tight ends Payne Durham and Devin Culp in the backseat. That will allow him to secure a lucrative long-term contract, but he must deliver.
CB Zyon McCollum
What a long way Zyon McCollum has come to be in the position he is in now. The 2022 fifth-round pick has improved each season, to the point that he enters 2025 as the Bucs’ No. 1 cornerback. McCollum proved to be the most reliable at the position last season, starting all 17 games and recording a career-high 82 total tackles, 17 passes defended, and his first two interceptions. Still, he will be challenged to take his play up another notch this season and emerge as an elite shutdown cornerback.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today
There is no denying that he possesses the elite athletic profile to do so, as the lanky 6-foot-2, 199-pound McCollum covers a lot of ground and uses his frame to matchup with and disrupt opposing wide receivers. After starting last year off hot though, his play cooled off to close out the year as he and the rest of the secondary failed to make big, game-changing plays. In McCollum’s case, he did not have an interception after Week 6.
The defense is looking to change that this season, and through coverage changes and more consistent play, it gives the toolsy cornerback the chance to prove himself and earn No.1 cornerback money. That means having fewer lapses and better ball skills, especially as competition is there to give him a push in Jamel Dean and second-round pick Benjamin Morrison.
If he tightens up his play and stays durable, he could secure a substantial payday and cement his status as the Bucs’ No. 1 cornerback for the rest of the decade. This is McCollum’s rise-or-fall year — and his next big contract depends on rising to the occasion.
WATCH: Bucs' 50 Most Memorable Games Part 2
Pewter Report Podcast: Huge Expectations For Bucs In 2025
