Buccaneers can change the franchise trajectory in 2023

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a tough spot heading into the 2023 season. There is no other way to put it. After losing Tom Brady and having one of the worst head coaches in the NFL, the Bucs just don’t seem to have enough to overcome themselves in the upcoming season. However, all is […]

Rob Leeds
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Aug 26, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) congratulates guard Luke Goedeke (67) after they scored a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a tough spot heading into the 2023 season. There is no other way to put it.

After losing Tom Brady and having one of the worst head coaches in the NFL, the Bucs just don’t seem to have enough to overcome themselves in the upcoming season.

However, all is not negative for the Buccaneers right now. If everything goes right, the Bucs could be in a position to change their franchise forever if they can just be bad enough in 2023.

No one likes losing, but in the NFL it becomes a necessity sometimes. Competition is one thing, but teams that play the overall game and see the big picture are often more successful than their counterparts.

The Buccaneers can either chose to be bad enough to get the draft picks to change their future, or they stay mediocre enough to remain mediocre for the next decade.

It’s a tough pill to swallow. Bucs fans know better than most. Every chance to win is something Bucs fans expect their team to pursue, but winning against mediocre teams does not push this franchise forward and doesn’t get the team closer to drafting Caleb Williams.

While there are a lot of things to like on the Buccaneers roster, the quarterback position certainly isn’t one of them and until that is addressed, this team won’t be in contention for a Super Bowl.

No one is saying that the Bucs should tank, but it sure looks like they are going to be doing something similar with Bowles in at head coach and Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask on the field, and perhaps that will be enough.

Regardless, the only focus for this team should be building for the future which, unfortunately for some of the players on this team means beyond this year. This team is not competing for a Super Bowl, and it probably won’t be in the playoff race beyond a few weeks. What it can do is evaluate young, long-term talent and plan for how they will fit with a very likely new quarterback in the upcoming draft.

It won’t be an easy year and it may not even be a fun year, but losses won’t be all that they seem if the Buccaneers play their cards right in 2023.

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