GRADING THE BUCCANEERS' FIRST MOVES OF FREE AGENCY

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made some very profound moves during the first few days of free agency.

When it comes to expectations surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offseason, well, there weren't many.

Not many positive ones, at least. The main line of thinking centered around the thought that the team was about to see a ton of roster turnover that included homegrown, beloved veterans who helped the franchise win its second Super Bowl. 

It was a logical thought process, as well. No one was being negative. The Buccaneers came into the 2023 offseason with an awful salary cap situation and 20+ impending free agents. There's not much you can really do in that context.

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But still, the Buccaneers found ways to make significant moves that should help keep the team competitive in what is a slowly improving, yet still dreadful NFC South.

Let's break down those moves and what they mean.

Re-signings

The Buccaneers were able to retain some key players, which really helps their preseason outlook:

Final word: The Buccaneers' ability to re-sign both Dean and David is easily the highlight of the offseason, thus far. And it's not just about what happens on the field: Both moves are going to keep fan morale high as we continue the march toward September.

Free agent additions

It will be interesting to see how these signings affect the Buccaneers in 2023:

Final word: The Buccaneers have only brought in two "outsiders", per se, but they weren't expected to make many outside moves in free agency. However, the two guys they did bring in are very intriguing and could very well become big contributors in 2023 and in the case of Mayfield - possibly beyond.

The Buccaneers still need to nail the 2023 NFL Draft and the last few draftees really need to step their game up, but right now, the arrow is certainly pointing up.

And this isn't a case of "well there was a low bar of expectations coming in, so any news is good news" or anything like that. The Buccaneers made solid, strategic moves that could define how their 2023 season goes.

The biggest move in question is the decision to trade Shaq Mason to the Houston Texans. Yes, the Buccaneers needed the cap space, but Mason certainly wasn't a problem in 2022, his lone year with the team. The offense stunk primarily because of offensive line woes, so it doesn't make much sense for the team to ship off one of the best players on the front five. 

Overall, it seems more like a scheme fit, than anything. If that's the case, then it's completely understandable why the Buccaneers moved on.

In the grand scheme of things, it's so far, so good for the Bucs. And the best part is there is still plenty of time to continue to add to the roster.

2023-03-18T16:39:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd