4 key scenarios the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense really needs to work in its favor during training camp
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a week away from conducting the first training camp practice of the 2025 season, so naturally, we have to talk about the biggest storylines ahead of time.The Bucs have a lot riding on this season. The offense is supposed to be one of the NFL's most lethal units and the […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a week away from conducting the first training camp practice of the 2025 season, so naturally, we have to talk about the biggest storylines ahead of time.
The Bucs have a lot riding on this season. The offense is supposed to be one of the NFL's most lethal units and the defense should return to form as long as it doesn't have to endure another year filled with injury woes. In order for that to happen, though, there are certain scenarios that really need to play out in their favor if they're to meet the expectations heading into the season.
Staying healthy is already No. 1 and a basic topic, so let's go ahead and cross that off the list. With all that being said, let's dive in.
1. Charlie Heck stays has success at LT
Heck is expected to step up in his place, as he's not only the most experienced tackle on the roster, he also took every single rep with the 1s during OTAs and minicamp. Behind him is a mixture of inexperienced players that are receiving a great opportunity to show they're worthy of a backup spot.
The latter statement is exactly why the Bucs need him to have a solid, but most importantly healthy, training camp. Baker Mayfield can't afford to have a liability protecting his blindside and that kind of problem would also limit the Bucs' ceiling to a pretty large degree.
The Bucs don't need him to be spectacular – they just need him to be good. That's a major win if it plays out that way and it all starts in camp.
2. Chris Godwin gets cleared for practice at some point in time
Another star offensive player that could land on the PUP to start camp is Chris Godwin, who didn't partake in any practice sessions during OTAs and minicamp.
Right now, it's completely up-in-the-air when it comes to his availability for training camp and even the early portion of the regular season. There's a chance he, along with Tristan Wirfs, starts camp on the PUP list.
We saw how effective Godwin can be in this offense. This isn't a galaxy-brain take by any means, but he's gotta get back on the field in order to get back to that point. A practice-less camp (which would likely be a PUP stay) would represent yet another major obstacle he'd have to overcome in yet another tough recovery process.
The optimistic perspective is the fact the Bucs felt comfortable enough with Godwin's recovery to the point where they gave him a three-year, $66 million deal back in March. I'm not an NFL GM, but I'm willing to bet those guys don't agree to that kind of deal if there are questions or doubts surrounding a player's recovery status.
If Godwin (and Wirfs) is placed on the PUP list, he won't be able to practice, but will be able to attend in team activities like meetings and such. He can be removed from the list at any time, but won't be able to go back on it once he's off.
3. Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots (Lil Jon voice)
The Bucs talked about taking more shots with Josh Grizzard running the offense and while Tampa Bay isn't going to empty the playbook during training camp and the preseason, it will be worth monitoring just how many passes of 20+ air yards that Baker Mayfield and the other QBs take.
Per Pro Football Focus, just 8.9% of Mayfield's attempts went for 20+ air yards or more in 2024. That ranked 29th out of 32 eligible quarterbacks with at least 31 attempts of that nature.
Sure, Liam Coen's offensive philosophy is responsible for the low volume of attempts, but that's the point: The NFL quickly catches up to coaches and players, so everyone is constantly trying to find ways to evolve.
Adding a more-frequent vertical attack to the offense is a great way to push the unit forward. The Bucs have the personnel to do so, as well. Especially once Godwin returns to the fold.
The key with deep passes is they take reps to develop and as we know, Mayfield and Co. are about to get plenty of those over the coming weeks.
4. Bucky Irving takes a big step forward in pass protection
In terms of 1-3, the Bucs arguably have the best running back room in the NFL, highlighted by the fact all three guys can make big plays happen in both run and pass game.
Irving is the best player of the three and while he's already placed himself among the NFL's better running backs, there's still plenty of room to improve and the biggest area he needs to grow in is pass protection.
If he does that, then he can not only take the Bucs offense to another level by staying on the field more often, but place himself among the game's elite by rounding out an already-impressive skill set.
The best part is he has one of the league's better pass protecting backs in Rachaad White. Those two have a good relationship, so Irving should be able to step it up after learning the ropes in Year 1.
