Bucs Mailbag: Baker Mayfield’s Leadership Style, WR Questions

At Amuni Financial, managing your family’s finances means more than just distributing assets. It means estate planning, brokerage and advisory services, retirement accounts, college savings accounts and insurance services. With 40 years of experience, Amuni Financial can help you plan and stay ahead of the curve.

Call Amni Financial (800) 868-6864 Or visit Visit Amuni.com.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions Pewter Report This Week’s Bucs Mailbag Twitter account. Every week, submit your questions to the Bucs Mailbag via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are your Bucs questions we’ll be answering in this week’s edition:

Question: Is thatA lot of players seem to be drawn to Baker Mayfield. I don’t hear much about Tom Brady. Does Mayfield make the effort to go out of his way or is Brady just more reserved?

Buccaneers RT Luke Goedeke and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today

answer: That’s a very good question. And one that requires a lot of consideration. Let’s not forget that when Tom Brady came along in 2020, the world was beginning to sink into the COVID-19 pandemic. Brady was interacting with the team, but mostly only on offense because of the social distancing measures that were in place inside One Back Place. He integrated with the team as much as he could, and as COVID faded, I think he grew closer with his teammates and spent more time with them outside of the team facility.

At the same time, Brady wasn’t just a celebrity, he was an icon. It was very difficult for him to go out in public in the Tampa Bay area, away from his home on Davis Island, without attracting attention and being mobbed by swarms of fans. Baker Mayfield is a very popular quarterback for the Buccaneers, but he doesn’t have the same fanbase as Brady. It’s also worth pointing out that Brady didn’t spend much time with his teammates in his final season in Tampa Bay, as he was going through a very public and painful divorce in 2022.

Mayfield loves getting to know his teammates, not just those on the offensive side of the ball. During the team’s first OTA practice in 2023, he was seen doing exercises and warming up with the defensive linemen on the field. team Captain. And not just the offensive captain. In training camp, instead of the team’s backup quarterback, he roomed with offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs, Robert Hainsey and Luke Goedeke.

Simply put, Mayfield is the guy. I’m not saying Brady isn’t the guy, but Mayfield is a little different personality-wise. He can start a conversation with anyone and operates with a lineman’s mentality. Mayfield sees himself as a football player first and a quarterback second. He enjoys being a leader, it’s part of his DNA.

Brady was such an iconic figure that I think the younger Buccaneers players viewed him as inaccessible due to their reverence for the GOAT. That wasn’t necessarily what Brady wanted, he’s a pretty humble guy by nature. I also think the divorce he went through created distance between him and some of his teammates as a natural byproduct of the distractions during the 2022 season.

Question: WWhat is Rakim Jarrett’s outlook for this year? He played well in college and in the preseason, but was injured for most of the season.

Buccaneers WR Rakim Jarrett – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

answer: Rakim Jarrett has been getting a lot of attention at One Buccaneers Place, but he needs to get some momentum going. He played in two preseason games last year, catching seven passes for 132 yards. He then had four catches for 60 yards (15 average) in a win over San Francisco in the regular season before tearing his quad and spending four weeks on injured reserve.

In his three seasons at Maryland, Jarrett Jarrett caught 119 passes for 1,552 yards (13 average) and 10 touchdowns. His best season was in 2021, when he caught 62 passes for 829 yards (13.4 average) and five touchdowns. In his final season in 2022, Jarrett caught 40 passes for 471 yards (11.8 average) and three touchdowns. His statistical regression was one of the reasons he went undrafted.

He certainly has the talent, but can he be a WR3 on a team or is life better suited for the practice squad? Jarrett flashed flashes in mandatory minicamp, tackling veteran cornerback Bryce Hall for two deep passes, including a touchdown on the opening play of the 11-on-11 session on Day 2. Rather than flashes of brilliance, Jarrett will need to stay consistent and put together quality days in training camp.

The Buccaneers are high on Jarrett, and I think he’s currently competing for the last spot on the wide receiver depth chart, which is WR5 or WR6. I think there’s a chance he could be a return specialist for Tampa Bay, but he’ll have to beat out Trey Palmer and rookies Bucky Irving and Cameron Johnson to take that role in camp and preseason.

Q: Now that Deven Thompkins has been cleared of violating the NFL’s code of conduct, do you think the Buccaneers will re-sign him before training camp?

answer: I know Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles has said he plans to keep open the possibility that Deven Thompkins could return once he recovers (and his estranged wife’s apparent cheating is revealed). Buccaneers waive injured Thompkins During the offseason, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reported that the NFL denied the allegations made by Thompkins’ wife against him, and he will not face any discipline from the league.

Buccaneers WR-KR-PR Deven Thompkins – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

But I don’t think the Buccaneers need him. Tampa Bay drafted another wide receiver, Jalen McMillan, in the third round this year. Then, after the Buccaneers waived Thompkins, they signed two other wide receivers, veterans Sterling Shepard and Cody Thompson. Tampa Bay also signed three undrafted free agent receivers in May, Kameron Johnson, Tanner Knud and Latoriar Jones. The team currently has 13 receivers and doesn’t need a 14th.

The Buccaneers will likely be left with just six receivers with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at the top and McMillan and Trey Palmer battling for the WR3 and WR4 spots. That leaves the team needing just one or two more receivers, with second-years Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller and Johnson, a highly athletic rookie out of tiny Barton College, among the candidates.

Johnson is 5’9″ and 190 pounds, while Thompkins is 5’8″ and 155 pounds, so I think he’ll be on the roster in place of Thompkins. I don’t think there’s room for Thompkins on this team, even if he re-signs and shows up to camp. He’ll need to have a stellar preseason as both a return specialist and wide receiver to make the 53-man roster.

Question: Do the Buccaneers have a top-10 roster in the NFL, and if not, where do they rank?

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today

Actually, I’m not qualified to answer this question because I’m a Buccaneers reporter, not an NFL reporter with full knowledge of other NFL teams’ rosters. My focus is on the Buccaneers first, the NFC South second, NFC teams third, and the AFC fourth. Someone like former Pewter reporter Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus would be better equipped to answer this question.

A top 10 roster is different from a top 10 team roster because it includes the coaching staff. NFL rosters can have talent but be hampered by poor coaching. I believe the Buccaneers are a top 10 team with their coaching staff included. A year ago they were a top 10 team to make the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Tampa Bay was one of eight teams that advanced to the NFC divisional playoffs last January.

I don’t think Tampa Bay’s roster got worse this year. In fact, I think it got better. This is true of other teams, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, who won two consecutive Super Bowls. So I think it’s fair to say the Buccaneers are a top 10 team. They’re probably closer to 10th than 1st right now, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the team in the 2024 season.