Tag: Bucs PFF grades

PFF picks their breakout candidate for Bucs in 2024

Pro Football Focus picked one potential breakout candidate for every NFL team in 2024, and they chose a young linebacker for Tampa Bay:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had quite a rookie presence in 2023, with 13 rookies on their initial 53-man roster. And while that came with inexperience at times during the season, the team was still able to win the NFC South and win a playoff game in 2023.

As such, with that many rookies, some of them could be primed to have a breakout year in 2024. Pro Football Focus writer Jonathon Macri put together a list of potential breakout players for every NFL team in 2024, and for the Bucs, he went with one of those rookies in 2023 — linebacker [autotag]SirVocea Dennis[/autotag].

Here is what Macri wrote about Dennis and his potential for next season:

Perhaps this is a really deep sleeper pick for a breakout player in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers are more than likely going to be without Devin White, who played over 900 defensive snaps for the team this past season and is set to hit free agency in 2024. And depending on if Lavonte David wants to sign another one-year deal with the team, it’s possible that he could also be gone, leaving a massive hole at linebacker. While Dennis was a fifth-round pick in 2023, he also earned elite PFF run-defense grades in his final college season (92.1), which could be a strength for the team to lean on even if it wants to use him as a sub-package option. He only played 104 defensive snaps as a rookie, with his best PFF grade coming in coverage (72.6) — something that wasn’t necessarily a strength for him in college, so that is somewhat encouraging to see.

It’s definitely likely that the Bucs will move on from Devin White in 2024, and Dennis could step into that role going forward. As mentioned, that would also depend on what LB Lavonte David wants to do, as if he were to retire or move on to another team, Dennis would have to step up as the second linebacker in Bowles’ system.

In 2023, Dennis played in 13 games at both linebacker and special teams. He ended the year with 11 solo tackles and one pass defended.

Dennis had a notable showing at rookie minicamp and then in training camp, but it didn’t necessarily translate with how little he played in 2023. There’s potential for him alongside LB K.J. Britt, but if David comes back for another go-around, this might be a bit of a tough ask.

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The worst defensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

PFF’s lowest-graded Bucs defensive players from the team’s Wild Card win included two safeties and two edge rushers.

There shouldn’t be too much to complain about when a team holds another team to nine points in the playoffs. But to some, things were not all perfect with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

Pro Football Focus took to grading every Bucs defensive player in the team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles for the Wild Card Round, and their grades were interesting. On top of the highest-rated players, we’re taking a look at the lowest-rated players, and it’s made up of safeties and edge rushers despite some good coverage and furious blitzes throughout the night.

Here are PFF’s five lowest-rated defensive players for Tampa Bay in their Wild Card win:

The worst offensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

The interior offensive line of the Bucs particularly struggled against the Eagles in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers readily handled the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round on Monday, but not everyone executed at a high level.

The offense put up 32 points, and while most of that offense performed well, there were still a few little qualms. Pro Football Focus did their weekly grades for the first round of the playoffs, and they had a particular issue with the interior defensive line — the Eagles are tough there, and the Bucs had a bit of trouble defending that interior throughout the night.

Here are the five lowest-graded Bucs offensive players in their game against the Eagles, per PFF:

The top defensive players for Tampa Bay in the Wild Card, per PFF

Players from all positions groups got props by PFF for their stifling performance against the Eagles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the NFC playoffs — they put the clamps on them the entire night.

The Eagles only scored nine points in their game against the Bucs, going 0-for-9 on third down and not converting on fourth down, either. Tampa Bay came into the game with a stifling gameplan, rushing six at the line and aggressively blitzing to put pressure on quarterback Jalen Hurts. It paid dividends, and not only did the defensive line feast, but the secondary benefitted.

Pro Football Focus thought highly of every position group in their weekly grades. See who they had as the 10 highest-graded defensive players for the game:

The worst offensive players for Tampa Bay in 2023, per PFF

See which five offensive players got the least amount of love from Pro Football Focus in 2023.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense hasn’t been consistent. While there have been some stretches where it’s looked like a top unit, there have been others where that definitely hasn’t been the case.

The team has shown signs of struggle throughout the year, but in some respects, that was to be expected. This Bucs team is young, and while a few of the team’s rookies have showcased some good potential going forward, it’s understandable that they’d struggle in their first year in the NFL. Pro Football Focus put out their year-end grades for Tampa Bay, and two of their five lowest-ranked players on offense for the Bucs were rookies.

See those worst-ranked offensive players from 2023 are below:

The worst defensive players for Tampa Bay in 2023, per PFF

These five players on the defensive side of the ball didn’t grade well for PFF across the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played some good defense in 2023, but they’ve also had plenty of regrettable moments across the course of the year.

The team is strong in run defense and stalwart in the red zone, but their passing defense remains one of the worst in the NFL. Some of the team’s notable mainstays like Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield Jr. have performed well this year, but others — including some newer additions to the team — have struggled. Pro Football Focus seemed to reflect this in their end-of-year grades for the team.

Here are the five lowest-graded defensive players on defense for the Bucs in 2023:

The top offensive players for Tampa Bay in 2023, per PFF

See which offensive players graded out the highest for the Bucs in 2023:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an offensive season of ups and downs in 2023, but some players were constants.

Be it the darts from quarterback Baker Mayfield to wideout Mike Evans or the work in space from running back Rachaad White, the Bucs offense has struggled with consistency but has showcased an ability to be dangerous when fired on all cylinders. Those three aren’t the only players to have contributed to that, and Pro Football Focus noted it justly with their final offensive rankings for the 2023 Buccaneers.

These are the top 10 highest-rated Bucs offensive players for the regular season, according to PFF:

The worst offensive players in Tampa Bay’s loss to New Orleans, per PFF

PFF had issue with two of Tampa Bay’s three interior offensive linemen in their offensive grades for the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got beat on just about every front on Sunday.

The team lost 23-13 to the New Orleans Saints, and the offense was a big part of that. It didn’t really get going until the fourth quarter, when it was far too late to make a splash, and it looked generally anemic for most of the day. A particular issue came in the run game, which had a distinct lack of production throughout the day — Pro Football Focus graded every offensive player for the Bucs in Week 17, and this was a notable point of emphasis among their grades.

Here are PFF’s five lowest-graded offensive players for Tampa Bay in Week 17:

The worst defensive players in Tampa Bay’s loss to New Orleans, per PFF

There were a few players PFF wasn’t too kind on in a rough defensive effort against the Saints.

The New Orleans Saints may have scored 23 points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, but the defensive performance was perhaps worse than that number would initially indicate.

The team allowed a substantial 75% completion percentage from quarterback Derek Carr, giving up two passing touchdowns. On top of that, the team was entirely unable to generate pass rushing of any kind, and that’s with a practice squad player filling in for the Saints at right tackle. Pro Football Focus graded every Bucs player on defense from Sunday’s game, and they particularly criticized certain players for their poor coverage and others for a lack of pass rush.

Here are PFF‘s five lowest-ranking Bucs defensive players from their Week 17 grades:

The top defensive players in Tampa Bay’s loss to New Orleans, per PFF

There were a few defensive standouts in Week 17 despite an overall rough day from the defense.

It was an overall defensive performance to forget for the Buccaneers.

The Bucs dropped their matchup to the New Orleans Saints 23-13 on Sunday, and it saw the team give up 17 points by the time the first half had ended. The Bucs saw two touchdowns and three field goals levied against them across the day, and the Saints were able to take advantage of what remains a league-worst pass defense in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus graded every Bucs defensive player for the game, and despite the poor showing, there were some players the website graded highly. Here are the 10 highest-graded defensive Bucs players, per PFF: