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Between the Draft winners the Tampa Bay Buccaneers name was there for sure. The Bucs had the 19th overall pick and there were a lot of options that would make sense for the team. I can say Tampa would make a good choice if it had selected a running back, a wide receiver, a tight end, an offense lineman, a defensive back and for sure a defensive lineman. The Bucs’ roster is not bad at all but it is fair enough to say it can improve in almost all positions.
So having that on mind, with a mid-first round selection, the ideal scenario for the team would be to wait and see who already was off the board when their turn arrived. And so did Buccaneers. They did not get involved in any trades and showed us exactly what they want for next season based on a project the team started even before Jameis Winston arrived there. Here is the deal: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to have one of the best offenses in pro football. It is that simple – and the selection of O. J. Howard (the best tight end in Draft since Rob Gronkowski in 2010) would be an evidence of it.
This idea of having a powerful offense had its first step in 2012 when Tampa Bay recruited Doug Martin in the end of the first round. Since that day, the team basically only focused its first round picks on firepower – and some good ones. The following year the Bucs did not Draft anyone in first round because team’s pick was traded with Jets for Darrelle Revis. In 2014, that project moved on: in that year Mike Evans was selected and since then he is one of the best receivers in NFL. By the way, 2014 was the best year for the Bucs regarding recruiting offense talents. They’ve got a tight end in second round (Austin Seferian-Jenkins), a running back in third round (Charles Sims), a guard in forth (Kedeem Edwards), an offensive tackle in fifth round (Kevin Pamphile), and a wide receiver (Robert Herron, sixth round) to finally set the roster.
In 2015 the great name called in the first round (and the most important one) was Jameis Winston, the first pick overall. The option for Winston two years ago was in accordance with the idea of having a franchise quarterback. In other words, with the former Florida State on the team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally would have an impressive leader to build a powerful offense around him.
So, finally after focused in their secondary in 2016, the Bucs, in 2017, apparently made their last shot on the big offense project – and those were two shots actually. The team signed with the big play talent DeSean Jackson last offseason and even if he is at the age of 30, there are plenty of reasons to bet on him once he accomplished 1,005 yards and four touchdowns in only 56 receptions last season in Washington. Besides that, Tampa Bay picked O. J. Howard in the Draft this year, a choice that gives the team one the most complete offense arsenal in the National Football League.
Now the Bucs fans have an arm able to make great plays in Winston. They also have one of the best in the league in Evans, an enviable vertical threat in Jackson, and a tight end duo that can create a lot of mismatches in Cameron Brate and now O. J. Howard.
So what’s next for the Bucs?
It is hard to foresee what’s next for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but I can state that the expectations are very high. This is a team that showed us last season all that they can do on the field against any opponent. Tampa Bay finished second in NFC South (ahead of Saints and Panthers) and for the first time since 2010 the franchise had a winning season (9-7). Even if it is a fact that they did not succeeded to the postseason, it is also true that a new good football team in Tampa is being set.
Of course I am trying to understand what the future holds for the Bucs and whatever is written has already betrayed the football fans a lot of times. Furthermore, I know this team needs to get better in some aspects from 2016 such as, not having four games with less than 280 total yards and 27 giveaways (8th worst in NFL) – It is not coincidence that the Bucs had a 2-6 record in games the team had two or more turnovers and a 7-1 campaign, under that mark. The Buccaneers’ rushing game needs to improve as well; Doug Martin is far from been a reliable rusher.
There are problems; uncertain points and most of the good things I have stated still need to be confirmed. But I am almost buying the argument this is Tampa’s best group since 2002 when the team won the Super Bowl XXXVII and marked franchise’s last playoff triumph too. The leader is there, so does the (very) talented group of receivers and the defense able to force mistakes. Don’t look now, but the Bucs are coming – with their best team in a long, long time!
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