4 Buccaneers not named Baker Mayfield that can single handedly change the 2024 season
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the other 31 NFL teams, are officially in the dead period now that mandatory minicamps have wrapped across the board.That also means there won't be much to talk about over the next month-and-change, but I digress. The Bucs are hoping to continue their postseason and division title streak in […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the other 31 NFL teams, are officially in the dead period now that mandatory minicamps have wrapped across the board.
That also means there won't be much to talk about over the next month-and-change, but I digress.
The Bucs are hoping to continue their postseason and division title streak in 2024, aiming for the fifth-straight occurrence of the former and fourth-straight of the latter. Ever since Tom Brady came to town, the franchise has easily experienced the best four-year run of its existence.
Football is obviously the most extreme of team sports, but there is a handful of players that can help the Bucs reach their goals -and more- if they live up to expectations, this year. And of course, things could easily go the other way if they don't.
1. DL Calijah Kancey
A calf strain forced Kancey to miss three of the first four games in 2023, but he quickly responded with 4.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits over the next nine games. He showed the quickness, disruptiveness, and athleticism that made him the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and became a very good complementary piece to Vita Vea.
Kancey trailed off over the final four games of the season, however. He recorded zero sacks, just one tackle for loss and one QB hit. He also recorded just seven pressures, less than two per game, after recording a league-best 27 pressures among rookies (three per game) during the aforementioned Weeks 6-14, per Pro Football Focus. He did manage to record 1.5 sacks in the postseason, though, reflecting once again that he has what it takes to be a consistent disruptor in the NFL.
Kancey's run defense was also spotty throughout the year. He was much better than a lot of draft pundits and scouts gave him credit for coming into 2023, but he could certainly stand to improve that aspect of his game in 2024.
If he can do that, and find consistency in the pass rush game, then the Bucs may finally have the pieces needed for that four-man pass rush that has eluded them since Todd Bowles started running the defense in 2019. That in itself would be a huge development. If Kancey can't take the next step, though, we're likely to see a lot of the same defensive gaffes and disappointments we've seen in the past due to the fact Tampa Bay has to blitz in order to get pressure on opposing QBs.
2. OL Graham Barton
Interior offensive line was easily the weakness along the offensive line, last year, but Barton has the opportunity to clean that up, this year.
And if he does, the Bucs offensive line could easily turn into a top-10 unit, this year. Even with the lingering question at the left guard position.
Back to Barton, though. Robert Hainsey was a letdown after a solid 2022 campaign and it just looks like he's not a great fit for a zone scheme like the one Liam Coen (and Dave Canales) runs. Still, that doesn't mean he can acclimate, but it also remains to be seen if he does.
Barton could easily become an upgrade for Hainsey, which obviously means better protection for Baker Mayfield. And we all know what that means for the Bucs offense: more yards and points.
If he doesn't end up winning a starting job, whether it be center or guard, then we could certainly see more of the inconsistencies we saw last year, which in turn would disrupt the Bucs' path to another postseason berth.
3. CB Bryce Hall
Hall is easily one of the most talked about/talked up players over the offseason. And it's not just fan/media hype – the coaching staff has talked him up plenty, on multiple occasions.
“[He is a] very intelligent player, [he] doesn’t make the same mistakes twice. He’s a bookworm and he brings it to the field every day," Bowles told the media a couple of weeks ago. "You’re not going to beat him mentally. Physically, he’s been where he’s supposed to be right now. It’ll be great to see him in pads, but he’s doing an excellent job.”
Tampa Bay traded away Carlton Davis over the offseason, who was a six-year starter for the team. Zyon McCollum is also in the picture when it comes to the starting perimeter job opposite Jamel Dean and he offers plenty of upside, but Hall's experience can potentially give the Bucs three starting corners, which is a big deal in today's NFL.
4. EDGE YaYa Diaby
Diaby is an automatic shoo-in for this exercise. He is coming off a very good rookie year in which he led the team with 7.5 sacks and finished with the second-most tackles for loss (12), finishing up behind the one and only Lavonte David.
He did a lot of that in a rotational role, as well. Diaby didn't play more than 50% of defensive snaps in a single game until Week 12, when he played 66% of snaps against the Indianapolis Colts. From Weeks 13-18, he logged 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, five QB hits, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, and 13 total pressures, which ranked fifth among all rookie EDGEs, per PFF.
Even though he had a very good rookie year, Diaby really needs to improve his efficiency in 2024. Per PFF, he logged identical pass rush productivity and win rates of 5.7% during Weeks 1-12 and while that bumped up to 6.9% and 9.8%, respectively, over Weeks 13-18 – it definitely needs to keep trending that way in 2024.
If Diaby can step into that full-time role, which the Bucs will give him every opportunity to do so, the pass rush will benefit in a big way, as will the defense, as a whole.
