2024 Offseason Redux
March 21st, 2025
Bucs “didn’t improve.”
Here we go again.
Last year at this time there were two constant reasons folks who live and type north of the Florida-Georgia line (in most cases, way far north) gave for the Bucs to have a tailspin last season. It was parroted so often Joe heard the two excuses in his sleep.
* Damaged goods Kirk Cousins will lead the Dixie Chicks to the Super Bowl!
* The Bucs didn’t do anything in free agency.
The latter irked Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht. He couldn’t understand how bringing back key starters from a division winner was somehow a bad thing.
Rewind the tape.
In doing sort of a power ranking of teams after free agency, Jeff Kerr of CBS seems to be taking a page from last year. Kerr has the Bucs as the 10th-ranked team in the NFC — nine teams better in conference including the bungling Bears and the 49ers!
(Wait a minute, a division winner who keeps its stars — bad! But a non-playoff team that lost seemingly a half-dozen of its stars — good! That’s a headscratcher.)
Kerr did confess the Bucs are still kings of the NFC South but “didn’t improve.”
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Players added: EDGE Haason Reddick, CB Kindle Vildor, P Riley Dixon
Players lost: LB KJ Britt, EDGE Joe Tryon-ShoyinkaThe best team in the NFC South is still the best team in the NFC South. The Buccaneers didn’t improve, but kept key players like Chris Godwin, Lavonte David and Ben Bredeson. Tampa Bay will end up getting a home playoff game and will be a tough out for any team.
This team is better than its ranking, but are the Buccaneers a Super Bowl contender? They’ll have to make a playoff run in 2025 for that to happen, but there’s plenty to like about this team in this division.
Kerr is right in that if the Bucs think they are a contender, then win some playoff games. Who can disagree with that? However, if the Bucs are better than he ranked them, why did he rank them at No. 10?
Joe’s hangup with Kerr’s analysis revolves around the word “improve.” Joe thinks the Bucs have for a few reasons.
The first is the Bucs didn’t have Chris Godwin for the final two months of last season including the playoff game. Think a healthy Godwin might have been a positive factor against the Commandos?
So yeah, that’s a major improvement right there (assuming Godwin is 100 percent).
The second area of improvement Joe sees is three rookie starters on offense, two of which were major cogs, are no longer rookies. Don’t think that won’t help the offense?
Then, of course, is the signing of Haason Reddick. The Bucs had zero edge rush last year. If Reddick is close to the same guy he was with the Eagles, Joe thinks he will have a major impact up and down the defensive line. That’s not an improvement?
However, to be fair here, the hidden curveball is Kerr is also an Eagles beat writer for CBS Philadelphia.
Maybe Kerr knows something about Reddick that the rest of us don’t?
But yeah, get ready for more analysis from afar that the Bucs didn’t do anything in free agency, didn’t improve and will have a setback as a result.
How did that narrative work out last fall?
March 21st, 2025 at 1:02 am
Kerr is probably not the biggest Bucs fan. His team, the Eagles have lost 6 of the last 7 times they’ve played the Bucs.
March 21st, 2025 at 1:06 am
Let them keep saying the Bucs are going nowhere . Fuel for the team, disinfo for their foes.
Bucs definitely need a lockdown corner. Yaya had a lot of pressures and hurries last season . If Bucs secondary gives our current pass rushers a second longer many of those pressures will become sacks. I would be okay with a corner in the first or second round. Now with reports of Jihad’s labrum injury he may fall right into the Bucs lap. Would love to see Hairston fall to them in round 3. I believe he is worth a shot in the late 3rd round. He’s not the best press corner but he has plenty of speed to play zone and defend a section of the field. He played well in the S.E.C..
BUCS MUST GET A LOCKDOWN CORNER. Would love to see the kid from Michigan fall .
As always Go Bucs.
March 21st, 2025 at 1:17 am
It’s laughable at this point. Cowherd gone bonkers all in love with ATL says Bucs are old lol. Other guys like this. They can keep sleeping on the Bucs, just don’t jump on the bandwagon in Dec
March 21st, 2025 at 1:29 am
I really enjoyed this article. I am wondering why no one seems to mention that we lost Hainsey. He got a great deal moving on, but I will miss him.
March 21st, 2025 at 1:56 am
Agree on all points.
March 21st, 2025 at 3:07 am
Something to think about: Improvement, playoffs, and the Super Bowl are all very doubtful if Baker gets hurt and misses games. Does anyone really know what we have with Trask? How many games has he even played in? I have little to no confidence should Trask have to lead the offense at QB. What say you?
March 21st, 2025 at 3:33 am
Everyone’s entitled to their OPINION Joe. Being Bucs’ fans, our opinions are probably a tad slanted towards us having another good team, winning the dvision & hopefully doing some damage in the playoffs.
I chuckled when I read your retort to Kerr’s opinion. Two key words popped up …
o Godwin will make a difference, ‘ASSUMING Godwin is 100 percent’.
o Reddick will have a major impact on our edge rush, ‘IF Reddick is close to the same guy he was with the Eagles’.
Two key words: ASSUMING and IF. They might or might not play out as hoped. Of course, that’s why we play the game.
Personally I like Kerr’s bottom line:
‘The best team in the NFC South is still the best team in the NFC South. Tampa Bay will end up getting a home playoff game and will be a tough out for any team.’
That’s good enough for me. Let the games begin.
March 21st, 2025 at 3:47 am
The legacy media to include the sports folks are so lost that I do not even feel like arguing with the fools anymore Joe. CBS is one of the worst offenders. Kerr is existing in Philly so I should feel sorry for him I suppose. Except thaat he gets to have a cheese steak for lucnh so I won’t.
Go Bucs!
March 21st, 2025 at 3:56 am
Joe could include Anthony Walker in the players added count.
For some reason, many folks seem to believe that David and Dennis will start at ILB. Dennis has missed 17 of 34 regular season games in the last two years. How can anyone think of him as a starter?
I am hoping that Dennis has a healthy season with enough playing time to improve his play. But, based upon what they have actually accomplished, Anthony Walker, Jr. at ILB is better in pass coverage than Dennis, Britt or Russell judging by the opposing QB rating when he is targeted and yards after catch. And, with the Bucs DT’s and OLB’s playing in front of him, Walker’s run stopping may look better than it has before.
I still hope that the Bucs pick up ILB Campbell in the first round; that would make the Bucs significantly better. But Walker alone is another small improvement.
March 21st, 2025 at 6:29 am
Another average year with an average coach. Ho Hum.
March 21st, 2025 at 7:04 am
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas
March 21st, 2025 at 7:18 am
I think every team has to make a run in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl.
March 21st, 2025 at 7:23 am
The Punter signing is so underrated. The Bucs lost the Washington game, in part. because of flubbed punts. Camara was a weapon the year before.
March 21st, 2025 at 7:43 am
Had I known he is a Philly fan, I would have taken a pass.
March 21st, 2025 at 8:02 am
” Maybe Kerr knows something about Reddick that the rest of us don’t? ”
Yeah, maybe something about how much Reddick really did not, was not wanting to be traded to the J-E-T-S…
I am confident, that Reddick will have better numbers than the JAG he has replaced. I think Riddick has some receipts he wants to cash in from his first season in the NFC South. Twice a season, Riddick get to play against the panthers, falcons, saints. Teams he has experienced success with and against.
I think Reddick has wanted to play in and help grow a organization with the type of culture we are building in Tampa. { Thanks Glazers, Licht & Staff, Arians, Bowles, Moore, Brady, Baker, Evans, Godwin, David…}
Why no other mentions of Walker as a FA? I think he is a very solid ILB, I never knew he and David trained so much together. We still do need to draft a ILB, yet with Dennis being back and healed. I am excited to see what we have with David, Walker, Dennis, Jones, Grier Jr, Jennings, Rookie in the LB room. I see this as improved from last season already, without this draft LB.
GO!!!!!BUCS!!!!!
March 21st, 2025 at 8:41 am
Cricket, he was a backup, that is why….
March 21st, 2025 at 8:47 am
Joe, do you think that the Bucs could add Mark Andrews if the Ravens decide to move on?
March 21st, 2025 at 8:53 am
I think getting panned by sports writers can be a motivating factor. Go ahead and put a chip on the team’s shoulders. They seem to thrive in that situation. Being an ex browns fan, i watched Walker Jr. Smart, selfless, and a great communicator; a team player. His aquisition, among others, puts this defense on and upward trajectory. Go Bucs!
March 21st, 2025 at 9:18 am
Saying that Reddick is not an improvement is just ludicrous, and smacks of ignorance or sour grapes by that guy.
March 21st, 2025 at 9:25 am
What a massive, stinky pile!
Only a casual would judge a team before the draft.
March 21st, 2025 at 10:09 am
Godwin back is a plus ,, Reddick is a plus,, a real punter is a plus , JTS gone is a plus,, Hainsey gone is a minus ,,
That said I believe our real plus will be the young guys that got major experience last year due to injuries of others ,,, I think they step up this year ,, did I also mention we have a punter that will be able to catch the ball and punt,, that could be a double plus!!!
March 21st, 2025 at 11:50 am
Keep the receipts the administer the suppository.
March 21st, 2025 at 1:35 pm
(Almost) Same story , different year! These talking heads just love to piss off the TB fans. Like the past two seasons, this year all the talking heads will be talking nicely about the Buc’s when they get to 10 or so Ws! Of course most will use a foot note that reads ” they are in the NFC South!” They just can’t help themselves!
March 21st, 2025 at 1:37 pm
I love it when the Bucs are underestimated. It gives the players fuel that they are being disrespected once again. But this year when they make the playoffs they have to make a good run. If we make it to the Super Bowl undoubtedly we will be the underdogs which is also good.
March 22nd, 2025 at 3:31 am
Some addition by subtraction in losing JTS and Britt.