The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2022 season and they're also looking to start the post-Tom Brady era off on the right foot.

It won't be easy. Brady's contract structure left the Bucs reeling cap-wise and the team didn't have a lot of premium draft picks to take advantage of. Nevertheless, they tried their damndest and honestly, it resulted in a pretty solid offseason.



Like most drafts, the Buccaneers couldn't fill every single need, and unfortunately, they'll be limited when it comes to potential additions through free agency or even additional UDFA signings. Right, now, the Buccaneers are projected to be more than $2.5 million over the cap after signing the draft class, so, it's clear they're going to have to be smart when it comes to future additions. Regardless, there are a few spots that could use help, at the end of the day.

Buccaneers’ biggest post-draft needs by position:

Safety

The Buccaneers have a proven stud in Antoine Winfield Jr. and a very, very underrated free agent addition in Ryan Neal. However, there’s trouble lurking ahead if one of those two guys go down for an extended period of time.

As it stands, the Bucs have nothing but UDFAs on the roster behind those two guys and only one of them, Nolan Turner, is a pre-2023 UDFA. The other two guys, Kaevon Merriweather and Chris Izien, are two of the more recent 2023 UDFA additions.

I'm not knocking on UDFAs, by any means. Hundreds -if not thousands- of UDFAs have carved out solid NFL careers over the years. But at the same time, it's impossible to feel good about the safety position, right now, if AWjr or Neal go down.

Tackle

One of the Buccaneers’ biggest offseason questions was answered this weekend. All-Pro RT Tristan Wirfs is moving to left tackle, while 2022 second-rounder, Luke Goedeke, will move to right tackle.

But, that doesn't mean the tackle position is solved, by any means. Yes, the Buccaneers currently have options in Brandon Walton, Justin Skule, Dylan Cook, and others. However, that shouldn't stop the Bucs from adding another body to compete for the swing tackle position.

Sure, Walton did OK in spot duty last year, but both Wirfs and then-starting-LT Donovan Smith missed games, at one point, which really stretched the OL depth, especially at tackle. It's currently a recipe for an abject disaster if Wirfs and Goedeke both miss time. Therefore, the Buccaneers need to insure themselves as much as possible. Most specifically in case Goedeke fails at RT.

Quarterback

The Buccaneers didn’t draft a QB, nor did they sign a UDFA. The only addition they’ve made to the position since then is inviting Southeastern University’s Kaylan Wiggins to the team’s rookie minicamp.

Todd Bowles and co. need to look at this in two ways: If Mayfield wins the job, that means Trask didn't show enough, and at that point isn't likely to guy to ever be QB1 in Tampa Bay, or even the NFL. If Trask wins the job, that means Mayfield was bad enough to lose the starting gig to a guy, who, let's be honest, hasn't done a damn thing in the NFL, up to this point. 

So, if the Buccaneers lose either guy at some point, they aren't in a good spot, at all. Unless the QB competition came down to a coin-flip, which let's be honest, it probably won't come down to that.

When you add the fact that Bowles' job could be on the line, it makes it even more imperative -and obvious- that the Bucs need to add some more experience in the quarterback room. And who knows – another addition could end up as a better player than Mayfield or Trask. The QB situation is that unknown.

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The Buccaneers could also stand to add some more bodies at nickel, wide receiver, running back, and they could even dip into the tight end and EDGE pools, ultimately.



It'll be interesting to see how the Bucs continue to build their roster in the coming weeks and months.