Friday, August 8, 2025

ASSESSING THE BUCS DEEPEST AND THINNEST POSITION GROUPS ON OFFENSE



This is the most LUXURIOUS offense in Buccaneers history, yes I said it. Tom had some HOF caliber pieces but not this positional depth at the skill positions. Tampa also happens to have the most well educated OC in the league calling the plays, a valedictorian from Lizard Lick, NC who attended both Yale and Duke. Dude is WICKED SMAAAHT, TB fans should prepare to forget all about that turncoat Liam Coen. Leader of the offensive juggernaut, Josh Grizzard has ALL the weapons that a NAVY SEAL could dream of. Rumor has it that he'll study tape for up to twenty hours a day, eat your heart out Jon Gruden. He will have no shortage of instruments to conduct the beautiful symphony that will be the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense. 






WE ARE DEEP 

RB
Maybe the most versatile RB group in the league. Bucky Irving aka THE BUCK TRUCK 🚚 earned the number one spot after a phenomenal rookie season in which he eclipsed over 1,500 total yards with the majority of his touches coming in the final eight games. RB1B Raachad White is an elite pass catcher, he totaled over 1,000 scrimmage yards and led the NFL in receiving TD for RB's hitting pay-dirt six times. Sean Tucker is one hell of an RB3 and showed it in week 6 at New Orleans when he went nuts for over 190 scrimmage yards in a Bucs blowout win. My pick for the fourth back is Josh Williams, a rookie from LSU who is a UNIT (5'9 210). He runs angry up the middle giving me some Alstott vibes but also looks good catching the ball. At the very least he needs to be on the practice squad, he looks the part of an NFL back.  







WR
Mayfield made water into wine last year with the injuries we had at this position, fingers and toes crossed for better health in 2025. Mike Evans is the most prolific receiver of this generation and is only half way to Jerry Rice's unbreakable records. Which is mind-bending considering Rice and Evans are the only two wideouts to record 11 straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons. 

Chris Godwin is forever a fan favorite and has a new, big contract but has an uphill battle in his return from a gruesome leg injury last season, I'd say he's headed for the PUP list and will miss at least the first four games of the season. Which will allow rookie Emeka Egbuka to get plenty of reps early in 2025, every report about EE from the Pewter Palace has been gleaming thus far. 
When Godwin is healthy opposing DC's will be up all night trying to figure out how to slow this passing attack down.

Jalen McMillan had a nonexistent (120 yards over the first 7 games) start to his rookie season but stepped up in a big way after Godwin went down, catching 7 TD's over the last 6 games. Ideally he's our starting slot WR but can also play some Z too. Rounding out the group is vet and Baker favorite target from college Sterling Shepard. Trey Palmer will likely make the final roster but has been bit dinged up in camp. The Bucs will likely carry seven wideouts so predicting that last guy is a bit of a toss up, Ryan Miller was reliable when called upon last year and Rakim Jarrett stretches the field but always seems to be battling an injury. Tez Johnson has the most long term potential but will likely start the season on the practice squad. Todd Bowles has already said that picking the final WR spots will be his toughest decision going into the season, it's a good problem to have. 








WE MIGHT BE THIN (no ozempic needed)

QB
Protecting Baker will be paramount to our success, but that goes without saying. Without Wirfs to start the season the Bay will need to run the rock often and get the ball out of Bake's hands quickly to insure his health. I'm in the camp of Kyle Trask can't keep the pirate ship afloat, so it's nice to see TB addressed that by signing Teddy Bridgewater last week. I was originally going to suggest a potential reunion with JW3 (preparing for a backlash for this idea) as our backup if need be this season but Bridgewater has proven to be more than adequate when called into spot starting duty. Nancy Pelsoi clap for Jason Licht on this one. 





OL
This is where things get dicey, the Buccaneers are already heading into the season without All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs. Outside of the starting unit, TB has minimal starting experience so if injuries happen, it could fall apart quickly. Recently signed RT Mike Jordan (51 starts) leads the way, much maligned LT Charlie Heck (23 starts) will start in Wirfs place temporarily and Sua Opeta (10 starts) who hasn't played since 2023 round out the guys with any real experience. Cody Mauch, Ben Bredeson and Graham Barton combined to only miss one game last season which will be absolutely necessary in 2025 to keep the continuity rolling and keeping Baker upright for the Bucs. 





FIRE THE CANNONS


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