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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a bit of a mystery heading in 2023, but that won’t stop experts and pundits from trying to figure them out.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr released a list of 100 bold predictions for the NFL season, covering just about every team. This includes the Bucs, and the article centered its Tampa Bay prediction on Baker Mayfield — Orr believes that Baker Mayfield will throw for 16 touchdowns in 2023.
Here is what he had to say about Mayfield and his prediction:
The Buccaneers’ quarterback, who is helping to buoy the franchise during its post–Tom Brady half-tank, will have a solid campaign, certainly enough to vault him into a perpetual roster spot for however long he pleases. Will he be the Geno Smith surprise of the year? Probably not. But he will outplay the circumstances, as he has done fairly consistently throughout his career.
Even in a 2021 season in Cleveland where Mayfield was greatly hindered by a rotator cuff injury, he still managed to throw 17 touchdowns. Prior to that, he threw more than 20 touchdowns in every season he’d played to that point, so it’s possible that 16 could be a bit of a conservative estimate. Mayfield will be learning a new system under new OC Dave Canales, but it’s also a similar system to what he ran in Los Angeles with the Rams.
And, of course, it must be said as well — Baker Mayfield, despite being crowned early by many outlets, has yet to win Tampa Bay’s quarterback competition. Although he’s likely the favorite, it’s entirely possible that Bucs QB Kyle Trask beats him out in camp and that Mayfield doesn’t even have the opportunity to throw for double-digit touchdowns.
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