Category: 2023 Offseason

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield ranked 28th best starter in NFL by PFF

Where do you think Baker Mayfield stands among the NFL’s quarterbacks?

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National outlets continue to be low on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2023.

PFF released its rankings of all 32 NFL quarterbacks, and the it was not impressed with Tampa Bay’s options. It tabbed Bucs QB [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] as the starter (despite him technically not winning the job yet) and ranked him No. 28 of the NFL’s 32 starters heading into 2023.

Here is what the list had to say about Mayfield:

It’s difficult to argue that Mayfield’s 2022 season was easily predictable, but it’s equally difficult to maintain any kind of lofty expectations for him going forward after witnessing it. His 50.6 PFF grade on the year was 13 grading points lower than his previous career-worst mark (which involved a torn shoulder), and it speaks volumes that the Rams were happy to let him walk after he led the team to a remarkable win just after stepping off the plane after they traded for him. Mayfield has very good play on his NFL resume, but it’s getting harder and harder to see it in the rearview mirror.

Mayfield is ranked ahead of the Colts’ Anthony Richardson (32), the Falcons’ Desmond Ridder (31), the Texans’ C.J. Stroud (30) and the Cardinals’ Colt McCoy (29). The player immediately above him on the list is the Commanders’ Sam Howell (27).

Weariness about Mayfield is warranted, as his campaign in Carolina in 2022 was very, very poor. He hasn’t showcased the talent he displayed in 2020 in quite some time, but the Bucs will hope that he can bring that back without having to worry about injury rehab like he has the past few years — if, that is, he successfully beats out QB Kyle Trask for the starting job in camp.

PFF gives Bucs solid offseason grade after draft

How do you think Tampa Bay has done so far?

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t the same team they were in the Tom Brady era, but that may not be a bad thing,

PFF’s Sam Monson graded every NFL team’s offseason following the NFL draft, and the Bucs came in with a decent mark. The article gave Tampa Bay a “B+” grade, citing the team’s improvements around the quarterback position.

Here is what the article said about Tampa Bay:

Tampa Bay’s offseason has been surprisingly good, except the answer at the most important position in the game seems to be to allow Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask to battle it out for the starting spot post-Tom Brady. Mayfield played for two different teams last season and earned an awful 50.5 PFF grade between the two stops. Matt Feiler, Greg Gaines and Ryan Neal are nice, low-cost additions in free agency, and the Buccaneers’ draft was a very good one.

Calijah Kancey was arguably a top-10 player in this draft, and they were able to get him at No.19 overall. Their Day 2 selections should both contribute, and on Day 3 they acquired players big on potential or intriguing traits, such as speedster receiver Trey Palmer and incredibly productive edge rusher Jose Ramirez.

The Bucs’ draft certainly emphasized raw talent over production in many areas, though some players like DT Calijah Kancey and OG Cody Mauch have both. The rest are mysteries, though Tampa Bay is certainly confident in can develop those players into longtime contributors.

The Bucs have already seen a little of those rookies at rookie minicamp, but they’ll get more time with both the first-year players and their new FA acquisitions as the offseason moves further along.

Predict Tampa Bay’s win-loss record in 2023

Vote in our poll to make your prediction for the Bucs’ 2023 season:

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2023 schedule has been officially released, but there were always questions about this Tampa Bay team regardless of who it would play.

The team enters 2023 without quarterback Tom Brady and with much less of the attention that came with him under center. The team has just two prime time games — one on Monday Night Football against the Eagles and another Thursday Night Football game against the Bills — and a pseudo-prime time game against the Jaguars at 4:05 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Tampa Bay. Most of the team’s slate is back to the 1 p.m. timeslot it has been used to in recent years, so the NFL itself doesn’t seem to think much of Tampa Bay.

The Bucs are set to play the AFC North (Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Colts) and the NFC North (Packers, Lions, Bears, Vikings) in 2023, with a first-place schedule for its at-large games due to winning the NFC South the previous year (49ers, Eagles, Bills). There are certainly some tough games on the schedule, and a few unknowns, too — the Bucs are also set to play against the first three rookie QBs drafted in the 2023 draft in Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.

Tampa Bay’s quarterback situation is its most unknown, with both Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield set to compete for the starting job. The team was able to retain a few core key agents, but new draft picks and FA signings will see a bit of a new-look Bucs this upcoming season.

With all that in mind, what record do you think this team will post in the 2023 season? Vote in our poll below:

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WATCH: Head coach Todd Bowles walks the stage after graduating college

The Bucs HC finally got his degree at Mount St. Mary’s 37 years after leaving Temple to play in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach [autotag]Todd Bowles[/autotag] wasn’t at rookie minicamp on Saturday, but he had a good reason for missing it.

Bowles officially got his college degree on Saturday, and he walked across the stage at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to earn it after beginning classes again in 2020. Bowles made a promise to his mother that he would graduate when he left Temple to play in the NFL 37 years ago, and he finally fulfilled that wish on Saturday.

Check out the video of him walking across the stage and getting his degree above.