If you’re a Buccaneers fan, or an NFL fan, Marcus Whitman Deep Dive YouTube Series Heading into the 2024 NFL season. His latest analysis was on Tampa Bay, with Whitman ranking the team 23rd in his overall rankings.
To explain this and provide a thorough breakdown of the Buccaneers’ prospects over the course of more than two and a half hours, he was joined by Pro Football Focus’ lead NFL Draft analyst and Pewter Report alum Trevor Sikkema, who offered detailed thoughts on how he would rank the team and why they might not be ranked higher.
How would PFF’s Trevor Sikkema rank the Buccaneers in 2024?
At the start of his interview with Trevor Sikkema and Marcus Whitman, he shared his thoughts on the Buccaneers being ranked 23rd and why they are a harder team to evaluate than others due to multiple factors.
“I think that’s a little low. I think it could definitely be a little higher,” Sikkema said. “Now, the big issue with the Buccaneers is inconsistency, right? I don’t think Tampa has played in many to no games this year where you think, ‘Oh, they have no chance.’ They’re a team with pretty good potential if everything goes well, but it’s also because of the changes.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
“Another offensive coordinator change. Will Todd Bowles continue to evolve as a head coach? At times it seems like he hasn’t. What version of Baker Mayfield is coming in? Can the aging top guys they have carry this team? Lavonte David, Mike Evans, those guys.”
This team clearly has great potential if everything goes well after playing above expectations last season. But as Sikkema alluded to, there have been some inconsistencies. They’ve lost six of seven games in the middle of the season. Games where the offense just can’t move the ball down the field. Games where the defense just can’t generate enough turnovers or big plays outside of Antoine Winfield Jr.
With these issues at the forefront, among other variables cited, Tampa Bay’s floor That’s better than expected for a playoff team.
“The Buccaneers are a little bit of a tough team to judge,” Sikkema added. “I wouldn’t be averse to ranking them in the high 20s at all, but if I was just coming up with it without looking at the list, I think they should be ranked a little higher. They’re definitely a team with a pretty high ceiling. They obviously did pretty well in the playoffs last year. The floor is also probably lower than I’d be comfortable with as a top-20 team, so that’s my overall outlook.”
Why have the Buccaneers struggled to establish a successful run game?
Buccaneers C Ryan Jensen and LG Ali Marpet – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
One big issue for the Buccaneers offense over the years has been the urgent need to establish a run attack. After finishing last in rushing for two straight years, a big focus for new offensive coordinator Liam Cohen and the rest of the coaching staff will be to put together a balanced attack, once again led by Rachad White.
White has a new co-star in fourth-round pick Bucky Irving in the backfield and an offensive line that features both rookies and veterans, making it more likely than ever that the team can develop a more consistent ground attack.
When asked why the Buccaneers have struggled at running back, Trevor Sikkema sees it as a deeper issue that requires an immediate overhaul of the interior offensive line and stems from the tough situations White and other running backs have had to deal with.
“If you want to go back to your roots, Ali Marpet [retired] “When he did that, I still believe Marpet said, ‘Oh, I’m done,’ and he still had plenty left in him to be a good football player. Combine that with losing Alex Cappa and it’s a real blow to the team,” Sikkema said.
“I think they were like, ‘OK, fine, we can make up for it, we have some good guys left on the interior offensive line.’ But then all of a sudden, over the course of a year, you lose Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa to free agency, which probably wasn’t in their plans at the time, and then Ryan Jensen gets injured. Now it’s like, ‘Oh, OK, we’ve got zero interior offensive linemen, zero.'”
With those three quickly leaving, the team tried to fit a square peg into a round hole by using Luke Goedeke at left guard, promoting Robert Hainsey to the starter, trading for Shaq Mason as a stop-gap right guard, and then trying to fit two below-average players at left guard last year in Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinney, but kept Hainsey and drafted former North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch to play undersized right guard in the NFL.
Buccaneers C Graham Barton and RG Cody Mauck – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
It has been a long and difficult process to rebuild what had been destroyed so quickly.
“They had to get some guys on their interior offensive line,” Sikkema added. “They had to replace some really good interior offensive linemen, but the timeline was so quick that I think they’re just trying to catch up. I think they’ll be a lot better this year. The Graham Burton pick was great. I think they expect Cody Mouch to be a little bit better this year.”
“We’ve strengthened the center position and, even though Burton is a rookie, we have two offensive tackles thanks to Mauch having another year. Ben Bredeson will take the left guard position. At the very least, he has experience.”
Overall, the offensive line outlook looks more promising, which should give Rachad White the opportunity to build on last season’s production and become a more dynamic threat out of the backfield.
There are big question marks surrounding the Buccaneers’ secondary.
Buccaneers CB Zion McCollum and LB Lavonte David – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Looking at the Buccaneers defense, especially the secondary, there is one player who needs to play better and make big plays in 2024: Zion McCollum.
McCollum appeared on the Pewter Report podcast earlier this offseason, Ready to be a playmakerBut after being handed a starting role, he’ll need to put it all together this season.
“[Zyon] “McCollum is a guy that people like because of his size and his speed,” Sikkema said, “6-foot-2 and 200-plus pounds. The draft projection chart is crazy because of the athleticism of this guy. But when you look at McCollum, I think the biggest area he still has to improve is he’s on a relatively predictable path as a cornerback, but he’s still learning the projection part of things because playing cornerback in the NFL is really hard.”
“The last two years, he had zero interceptions. I hate to point to interceptions as a key statistic you need from a cornerback, but it is for McCollum. His biggest issue right now is he needs to have better anticipation. With his length and his combination of size and speed, if he has better anticipation, I have no doubt he’ll start generating turnovers.”
Buccaneers CB Zion McCollum – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
McCollum made big strides last season as the de facto third starting cornerback due to injuries to Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III. Sikkema pointed to one stat that shows McCollum’s improvement, but also noted the third-year player still has room to grow and take the next step.
“He forced 10 incomplete passes last year and one the season before that, so I thought that was at least a sign that he was taking a step in the right direction. He’s been getting better and better, but I was watching a little bit of film on him to refresh myself before this podcast, and there are a lot of instances where he’s just a little bit behind.
“He sees it and he responds. When you’re a cornerback in the NFL, you have to see it before it happens. They obviously have a lot of faith in his ability and what he can be as an outside cornerback. There’s reason to believe that, but of course there’s another step he has to take.”
Check out Marcus Whitman and Trevor Sikkema’s deep dive into the 2024 Buccaneers
To hear all of what Trevor Sikkema had to say and Marcus Whitman’s 2024 Buccaneers analysis, check here The Franchise Guy’s YouTube ChannelNow we’ll rank and preview each team.
