Category: Latest Team News

Pro Football Focus grades Chris Godwin as the best overall receiver of 2019

See what grade Pro Football Focus gave Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin for his breakout season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin seemed poised for a breakout year entering the season. After all, in 2018 — Godwin’s second year in the league — he finished with 842 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. New head coach Bruce Arians even said last offseason that Godwin would be close a 100-catch guy.

Arians couldn’t have been more right.

Despite missing the final two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, Godwin finished the year with career-highs across the board: 86 receptions, 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. Godwin’s breakout season earned him Pro Bowl honors and Second-Team All-Pro honors. You have to imagine, too, that had he not been injured those final two weeks, Godwin would’ve had more than a fair chance of hitting 100 receptions.

Still, it seems the best is yet to come for Godwin. And, as Pro Football Focus notes, Godwin graded out as the best wide receiver in the NFL this season (90.7).

(via ESPN):

“Godwin was every bit the best receiver in football, despite missing the final two games with an injury. He still finished second in total yards after catch and third in yards after the catch per reception among qualified receivers, as he was the only receiver with over 100 targets to also average 6.5 YAC/reception. Separating him further from the rest of the league’s receivers, Godwin’s safe hands saw him drop just one of the 87 catchable passes thrown his way, and his drop rate of 1.1% stood as the second-best mark among 69 receivers who saw at least 35 targeted passes.”

Godwin flourished in his first year playing under Arians, and if quarterback Jameis Winston returns in 2020, the connection between Winston and Godwin will only be that much more effective on downfield attacks. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Bucs also have Mike Evans on their roster.

The 2020 regular season can’t get here soon enough for Bucs fans.

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This O.J. Howard stat proves he was an effective tight end this year

Despite not putting up big numbers, Bucs tight end O.J. Howard was still effective this year.

I realize the title of this post may seem sarcastic to some, and they wouldn’t be wrong to have that initial thought. After all, O.J. Howard was supposed to have a breakout year in his third season, much like the one was saw Chris Godwin have.

Unfortunately, Howard struggled to find a niche in Bruce Arians’ offense, at least when it comes to personal statistics. Howard had just 34 receptions for 459 yards and one touchdown. His best catch of the year didn’t even come during an NFL game, but rather an MLB game. Howard even found himself in Arians’ doghouse early in the season for his lackluster play.

But, according to ESPN, Howard did a great job in one particular area this year. In their 2019 advanced statistics awards, ESPN said that according to the stats, Howard was the league’s best pass-blocking tight end.

“Bucs coach Bruce Arians never relied on Howard all that much as a receiver this season. But the young tight end did play a role in the passing game with a 98% PBWR (pass block win rate).”

That’s a big accomplishment for sure, but I’m sure Howard wishes he could have been used more as a pass catcher than a blocker. Still, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider Arians said this about his tight ends with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2015:

“We pay Larry (Fitzgerald) and those guys too much money to throw it to the tight ends. They’re here to block.”

Looks like Howard did well in that regard at least.

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Blown call by officials in Week 8 may have helped Titans get to the playoffs

If not for a missed call in the Bucs-Titans game back in Week 8, Tennessee might not have made it to the postseason.

The Tennessee Titans are looking like a true Super Bowl contender today. After stunning the New England Patriots on the road last weekend in the Wild-Card round, the Titans went into Baltimore last night and downed the 14-2 Ravens, 28-12, to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

What’s most surprising of all perhaps is that the Titans just barely got into the playoffs. It took until the final game of the regular season for them to secure the final wild card spot, finishing the year with a record of 9-7.

But, let’s not forget that one of those wins came amid a controversial call all the way back in Week 8 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to Tennessee. With the score 27-23 in favor of the Titans, Tennessee lined up for a 46-yard field goal with just under four minutes to play. Instead of kicking it, holder and punter Brett Kern took off for the first down, but was lit up by Bucs linebacker Devin White.

The ball comes loose and Bucs safety Andrew Adams takes it the other way for the touchdown. But, the officials called Kern down by contact, thus the touchdown was negated. What would’ve been a game-changing play for the Bucs that would’ve put them ahead late in the fourth quarter, instead resulted in a turnover on downs. The Titans would go on to win the game, pulling their record to 4-4 instead of 3-5.

Tennessee could’ve still gone to make the playoffs even if they had lost that game, but you have to imagine it would’ve made things all the more difficult for them.

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Find out who will replace Mike Evans at the 2020 Pro Bowl

Which wide receiver will fill in for injured Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans at the 2020 Pro Bowl?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played some of their best football in the second half of the season, and, not surprisingly, wide receiver Mike Evans was a big reason why. The Pro Bowl receiver had another monster year for the Buccaneers, becoming just the second receiver ever to begin his career with six-straight 1,000-yard seasons.

Evans finished the 2019 season with 67 receptions for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns, but went down with a hamstring injury in Week 14 that sidelined him for the rest of the season. His stellar play, however, was still good enough to earn him Pro Bowl honors. But, given his injury, Evans will have to sit out the 2020 Pro Bowl.

So, who will be replacing Evans?

Cooper is more than deserving of a selection. He collected 79 receptions for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns.

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Bucs sign eight players to 2020 futures contracts

See which players have earned future contracts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for next season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some cap room to play with this offseason, which is good news for a team with a number of notable unrestricted free agents, including Jameis Winston, Shaquil Barrett and Ndamukong Suh to name a few.

While important financial decisions will be made in the comings weeks and months, the team hasn’t been sitting idly by since the season ended. They’ve already gone ahead and signed eight players to 2020 futures contracts.

Per Buccaneers.com:

  • DE Quinton Bell
  • C Anthony Fabiano
  • S Deiondre’ Hall
  • DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
  • TE Jordan Leggett
  • CB Herb Miller
  •  T Brad Seaton
  •  RB Aca’Cedric Ware

The Buccaneers also hold the 14th pick in April’s NFL draft, so it’ll be an exciting offseason for fans to watch, that’s for sure.

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Carson Palmer expects ‘massive year’ from Jameis Winston in 2020 if he returns to Bucs

See why former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer thinks Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston could thrive in Year 2 under Bruce Arians.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston knew better than anyone that this season was a make-or-break year for him. After four lackluster years as the team’s franchise quarterback, the former number one pick was ready to thrive under quarterback guru Bruce Arians and lead Tampa Bay back to the postseason.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. While Winston put up huge passing numbers on his way to becoming the eighth quarterback in league history to surpass 5,000 yards, he also had 30 interceptions, putting the Bucs in difficult situations on almost a weekly basis.

Some believe Winston has hit his ceiling and the Bucs need a change under center. But, according to former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, who played for Arians in Arizona with the Cardinals, the bumps Winston experienced this season are all just part of the process of learning Arians’ system. And, for what it’s worth, Palmer believes Winston can thrive in Year 2 playing for Arians.

Here’s an excerpt of what Palmer said on the Rich Eisen Show, courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times:

“I believe [Winston] will have a big jump. If he’s back in Tampa with Bruce, I really believe he’ll come back. Mentally, it’s such a difficult offense. It is not easy. There are tons of formations. Tons of shifts. Every play can change at the line of scrimmage, protection-wise. There’s so many different concepts… If Jameis is back in Tampa, I would expect Year 2 to be a massive year for him.”

The interview above is definitely worth watching and listening to. It provides some great insight into Arians and his system, as well as his relationship with the quarterback.

Palmer struggled in Year 1 under Arians in 2013, throwing a career-high 22 interceptions. But, he found his groove in the following years, and the Cardinals even found themselves one win away from the Super Bowl in 2015.

Suffice it to say, Palmer is a good reason why Winston could be back in Tampa Bay next year.

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Bruce Arians talks about the biggest difference between his Bucs and the Saints

See what Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said was the biggest difference between his Bucs squad and the Saints.

The New Orleans Saints lost another heartbreaking playoff game last weekend during the Wild-Card round, but if quarterback Drew Brees returns to the team next season, the Saints will likely be favored again to win the NFC South.

But, they’ll have their work cut out for them as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved in the second half of the season that they are a team on the up-and-up. With a young talented defense starting to come into their own, coupled with a potent offense, Tampa Bay could finally end their postseason drought in 2020.

And, according to head coach Bruce Arians, the biggest difference between his team and the Saints is the mentality they have entering the season in September. Arians recently talked about the message he delivered to his team following their Week 17 loss to the Falcons, and what it means for them heading into next year.

“The biggest message was I think the difference between us and the New Orleans Saints. In September, they knew they were going to win the division. We thought we might, but we weren’t sure and it was too late by October. You lose playoffs in September sometimes. A lot of people don’t like talking about that. When you start losing games in September they come back to bite you in December and some of those did for us… I think next year when we step on the field we should know we’re good enough.”

Tampa Bay certainly has a lot of confidence heading into the offseason, more so than at this point last season when they were coming off a 5-11 season and had one of the league’s worst defenses.

With a year of experience playing for Arians, this Bucs squad should surprise a lot of teams next season, including the Saints.

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Is Philip Rivers a potential option if the Bucs decide to move on from Jameis Winston?

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decide to move on from Jameis Winston, could Philip Rivers be an option?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have to figure out what to do at the quarterback position. While the front office and head coach Bruce Arians had hoped that at this point they’d have some clarity on Jameis Winston’s future, the quarterback did little to convince them he’s the long-term answer.

Despite throwing for over 5,000 yards this season and becoming the eighth player in NFL history to reach that feat and the first in Bucs history, Winston also had 30 interceptions and five lost fumbles. It’s not a stretch to say he cost his team more than a few victories, especially when you consider the fact he threw a pick-six in overtime in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, which ended the Bucs’ season at 7-9.

Arians, himself, has said he and the organization will evaluate Winston over the next few weeks, but a public announcement won’t be forthcoming. So, we can let the speculation begin as to who could potentially replace Winston if the Bucs ultimately decide to rip the band-aid off and move on.

The other day, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and SI floated the idea of Tom Brady being a potential fit in Tampa Bay next season. Today, he offered a list of four potential replacements for Winston: Teddy Bridgewater, Jordan Love, Jacob Eason and Philip Rivers.

Eason and Love are both collegiate quarterbacks that would be available in the 2020 NFL Draft. Bridgewater, as we know, has a big fan in Bruce Arians. But, Rivers is the most interesting name on this list, given both his age and gunslinger mentality.

Here’s what Easterling had to say about the idea:

“If Bucs head coach Bruce Arians wants a replacement that will take the least time to acclimate to his offense, getting one of the league’s most experience and productive passers could be the best solution. Rivers is a future Hall of Famer who has an expiring contract, and the Chargers could be looking to start a new era. Rivers has had his own struggles with turnovers in recent years, thanks to a gunslinging style similar to Winston’s. Some Bucs fans might feel Rivers wouldn’t be much of an improvement in many ways, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Arians bring him in if they do decide to move on from Winston.”

Rivers has been a solid quarterback throughout his career, and led his team to the playoffs a number of times. The issue, as Easterling rightly points out, is Rivers’ habit of throwing interceptions. Rivers had 20 picks this season, and had Winston not thrown 30, it likely would’ve been talked about a lot more. In fact, Rivers has thrown 20 or more interceptions three times in his career, including a career-high 21 in 2016.

He’s certainly a big name quarterback, but if the Bucs are serious about making a postseason run next year, bringing in Rivers doesn’t seem like the best solution.

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Are the Carolina Panthers a potential destination for Jameis Winston?

If the Buccaneers decide to move on from Jameis Winston, could the quarterback wind up landing with another NFC South team?

The biggest question entering the 2019 season was what would the future hold for quarterback Jameis Winston beyond this season? Playing on the final year of his rookie contract, Winston was in a “prove it” year, hoping to secure a new long-term deal to remain the team’s franchise quarterback.

But, after a 7-9 season in which Winston threw for over 5,000 yards but also became the first quarterback ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season, the Bucs franchise seems even less certain about what to do with the former Heisman Trophy winner.

So, if the Bucs actually choose to move on from Winston, where could he possibly land? Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox today listed five potential landing spots for Winston, including Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Miami and Los Angeles (Chargers). However, the one team that really stands out on the list is the Bucs’ NFC South rival, the Carolina Panthers.

If the Panthers decide to move on from the oft-injured Cam Newton, Winston could be a viable option. And, playing for Carolina could theoretically help Winston’s turnover problem.

Here’s part of Knox’s reasoning:

“Winston would have plenty of quality targets in the passing game, but [Christian] McCaffrey’s presence means he wouldn’t have to carry the offense as he did in Tampa Bay. The running back, who produced 1,387 rushing yards and 1,005 receiving yards in 2019, would take a ton of pressure off the quarterback. In theory, that would lead to fewer forced throws.”

It’s hard to imagine Winston suiting up for another NFC South team, but stranger things have happened. The ball is in Tampa Bay’s court right now. We’ll just have to wait and see what the team decides.

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What’s the biggest 2020 offseason need for the Buccaneers?

Find out what the biggest need for the Buccaneers is heading into this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have missed out on the postseason for the 12th-straight year after their 7-9 finish, but there’s a newfound sense of optimism surrounding this team, which has been absent in years past.

Now that Bruce Arians and his staff have a full season under their belt, it’s clear the Bucs are trending in the right direction. Their offense ranked third in scoring after finishing just 12th in 2018, and their defense climbed from 27th to 15th under Arians and Todd Bowles, including having the league’s best rush defense.

So, as the team heads into the offseason, what is their biggest need? According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, it all starts and ends with quarterback Jameis Winston, and determining if he is in fact the guy for the Bucs going forward.

Per Laine:

“Winston threw for 33 touchdowns but turned the ball over 34 times (30 interceptions, four lost fumbles) in 2019. He coughed it up in seven of the Bucs’ nine one-score games, in which Tampa Bay had a 2-5 record. So while his turnovers weren’t the sole reason for losses, they didn’t help — and they can’t continue.”

This was a make-or-break year for Winston, who was playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Unfortunately, there seems to be no clarity yet on what the future holds for the former first overall pick. And, as Arians recently said, don’t expect an announcement on Winston’s future anytime soon.

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