The Buccaneers were under pressure as defending Super Bowl champions in 2021. The pressure they're going to face in 2022, however, is vastly different.

All of a sudden, the Buccaneers are without two of their best players in Tom Brady and Ali Marpet due to retirement. If Tampa Bay doesn't play its cards correctly, it could lose a lot more during the offseason, as well.

That's just the start of it. Bruce Arians and Co. will be under pressure all year to show that they won't revert back to the losing ways that permeated the franchise before Brady's arrival. And it won't be easy: They'll have to attempt this while facing the league's fourth-hardest schedule.

When it comes to certain players, no one is under more pressure than the following three guys:

3. WR Scotty Miller

A turf toe issue caused Miller to miss six games, but it was clear he'd fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.

Even when healthy, Miller was never really a factor. He averaged a career-low 22% snaps on offense and was even a healthy scratch against the Bills in Week 14. He didn't log a single snap on offense against the Jets in Week 17, either.

Arians often said Miller's lack of involvement was more a matter of 'waiting his turn', to paraphrase. However, Arians also often said that Miller needed to add more to his game than just speed. That never really developed in 2021 and is more likely the reason Miller couldn't find a role.

Regardless of what happened, he's going into the final year of his deal in 2022. There has to be noticeable improvement from Miller this year or else it's highly unlikely he returns in 2023.

2. ILB Devin White

White would be No. 1 on this list if the Buccaneers weren't planning on picking up his fifth-year option. That only slightly separates him from the top spot, though.

He's under a ton of pressure this year after taking a step back in 2021. White was still effective in the sense that he recorded a team-leading 128 total tackles and set a career-high in quarterback hits (18). But he wasn't as near as effective when it came to just about everything else.

Based off his athleticism and where he was drafted, White can't even afford to stagnate when it comes to his development. Stagnation should also be considered regression with him. Especially after how he played during the 2020-2021 postseason when the Bucs won the Super Bowl.

Due to the most recent CBA, his 2023 salary is guaranteed, regardless of what happens. But, anything beyond that will be far from guaranteed if he doesn't take the necessary steps forward in 2022.

1. CB Sean Murphy-Bunting

This was probably the easiest selection of the list. You could certainly make an argument that whichever quarterback takes over for Brady should be here, but we don't have a solid grip on that yet.

Therefore, it's gotta be SMB.

2021 wasn't kind to the former second-round pick, at all. He dislocated his elbow just 16 snaps into the 2021 season and proceeded to miss the next eight games.

Per Pro Football Focus, Murphy-Bunting allowed a career-high 110.4 quarterback rating among all corners with at least 357 coverage snaps when targeted. He was also tied for the eighth-highest snaps per reception rate (8.0). The lowlight of his season came when he slipped while covering Cooper Kupp on the play before the bomb that set up the Rams' game-winning field goal in the playoffs.

No matter where you looked, it wasn't very pretty for SMB.

The injury likely had a lot to do with his play and that's understandable. But Murphy-Bunting will be fully healthy in 2022, so there won't be any excuses if he doesn't play well.

And the Buccaneers won't allow for any excuses, either.

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