The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all-in with Tom Brady, but are they doing enough to help him win a Super Bowl?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pushed themselves clearly into a win-now window by signing Tom Brady to a two-year deal. He’s guaranteed to make $50 million over those two years, with bonuses up to $2.25 million each year based on the team’s success.
It’s still pretty early, with the draft coming in April, but are the Buccaneers doing enough to help Brady win a Super Bowl>
The Buccaneers had the league’s No. 1 run defense last year (73.8 yards per game), while they were 30th against the pass (270.1 yards per game). But the unit was the fifth-best in the league according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
The Buccaneers have retained their top two sackers from last year, as they franchise tagged Shaq Barrett (19.5 sacks) and brought back Jason Pierre-Paul (8.5 sacks). Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has also been brought back on a one-year deal as the defensive line mostly remains intact.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Buccaneers have restructured the contract of tight end Cameron Brate to keep him in a duo with O.J. Howard. A notable departure is wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who signed with the New York Jets after a breakout late last season when Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were out. Offensive tackle Joe Haeg has also been brought aboard to upgrade the pass protection, and his versatility will be valuable if he’s not locked in to start somewhere.
When it officially goes on the books, Suh’s $8 million deal for 2020 will drop Tampa Bay below $20 million in cap space.
Cornerback still looks like a need, with Logan Ryan the best available free agent right now. A safety could be a worthy addition too, with Anthony Harris seemingly available via trade and some other options (Reshad Jones, Eric Reid, Damarious Randall) out there on the free agent market.
Perriman’s departure opens up a void at WR3 for Tampa Bay, with Justin Watson and Scotty Miller as the top internal candidates. Speculation about signing Antonio Brown feels like a reach, even if Brady wants him, and the list of available free agents is not great. But the Buccaneers don’t necessarily need a star to go with Evans and Goodwin.
The Buccaneers have the 14th overall pick in April’s draft, and they can go multiple directions with it and find an immediate contributor. Offensive tackle, cornerback, safety, wide receiver stand as needs, with running back or defensive end also somewhere on the list. For general manager Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay front office it’s lined up to be a “best player available” proposition when they go on the clock in the first round, and probably throughout the draft.
It’s easy to overreact to what seems like a lack of big time activity from the Buccaneers after signing Brady as the centerpiece move of their offseason. But there are still opportunities to fortify needs, and Perriman stands as the most notable departure that hasn’t been replaced yet.
If the Buccaneers emerge from next month’s draft having failed to add some supplementary pieces and/or address some of those remaining needs, then there can be a conversation about whether they’re doing enough to help Brady win a Super Bowl.