The new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday during the Buccaneers offseason and regular season. Every week, Pewter reporters tackle a different tough question. This week’s prompt: Which Bucs assistant coach has the toughest job in 2024?
Scott Reynolds: Kevin Ross needs to help Bucks cornerbacks get more INTs
Bucks CB coach Kevin Ross – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Last year, the Bucs expected the starting cornerback tandem of Jamel Dean and Zion McCollum to have exactly zero total interceptions. Overall, Tampa Bay’s defense had just 13 picks in 2023, but the players with seven INTs were cornerback Carlton Davis III (twice) and linebacker Devin White (twice), defensive back Dee Delaney (twice) and outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. (1) – It’s gone. Considering Bucs secondary only He had 10 interceptions last year. That’s not enough for Todd Bowles’ unit.
Despite having a mostly veteran group, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross has some heavy lifting this year. For the first time in his five-year career with the Bucs, Dean didn’t record a single pick last season. McCollum had 15 total INTs at Sam Houston State, but has yet to record an INT for the first time in two years with Tampa Bay. Rookie Bryce Hall, who Ross believes is a “deserve starter,” has only two interceptions in 26 starts for the Jets. So what does the most experienced dean need to improve in 2024 to take the lead?
“Let’s catch the ball!” Ross emphatically said this offseason. “If he catches the ball, he’s an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler.” All he has to do is catch the ball, and we’ve been stressing that in that room. And it really starts with me. I need to do more ball drills with those guys. I have asked them to catch 50 balls a day during the period. [the offseason]. we have to catch the ball. If he had been able to catch the ball the way he needed to, he could have led the league in takeaways. ”
Ross is right. The Bucs need him to have at least six interceptions between their three starting cornerbacks. That’s how the Gravediggers’ secondary featured Davis (four times), Dean (one time) and Sean Murphy-Bunting (one time) in 2020. I’m glad this is the emphasis. It’s up to Ross to decide whether to take the pick on a cornerback.
Matt Matera: Thomas McGaughey has new NFL rules and new players to know about
Bucs special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Thomas McGaughey, new to the Bucs, not only has to quickly meet and learn about his new players, but this year he has to teach them new rules for kickoffs that even he himself isn’t very familiar with. The NFL has adjusted its kickoff rules to those used by the XFL, which should make a big difference in the return game, making it even more important.
The opposing team’s players line up on the field at the returning team’s 40-yard line, and the returning team itself is at its 30-yard line, just 10 yards from each other. There is a “landing zone” where the kicker can kick the ball to force a return, and the ball ends up in his zone as a traditional touchback. Coverage units and blockers cannot move or make contact until the ball hits the ground or is caught by a returner.
So McGaughey first needs to figure out who will be the Bucs’ returner in this critical area of the game. Rookie running back Bucky Irving should be a good candidate as this new scheme allows for more blocks to be read, making it the perfect setup for a player with running back skills. Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer may also be used due to their speed and athleticism. Deven Tompkins served as the Bucks’ primary return specialist last year and will continue to be part of the conversation.
McGaughey will then have to decide on the best personnel to block returns and tackle on coverage units. How does he see this unit compared to last season’s operation? There’s a lot of self-scouting McGaughey has to do. At least he knows he can get a good result with punter Jake Camarda and kicker Chase McLaughlin out.
Bailey Adams: Kevin Carberry has a long to-do list
Bucs OL coach Kevin Carberry – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
New Bucs offensive line coach Kevin Carberry has the toughest job of the season, in part because he may have the most items on his to-do list. One of the tasks he has on his list, and he’s probably one of his two biggest question marks on the team heading into 2024, is to figure out the inside of the offensive line.
Graham Burton, this year’s first-round pick, and Cody Mauch, last year’s second-round pick, will likely feature in some capacity. But Carberry and the rest of the Bucs coaches will have to figure out that final spot.
Is the interior of the Opeta/Bredeson Burton Mouch Sua Opeta or Ben Bredeson? Or is keeping Robert Hainsey at center and moving Barton to left guard the best way forward for this year? Could sixth-round pick Elijah Klein start at right guard and kick Mauch to the left side? Carberry will have a big say in all of this, and much of the offseason will be spent determining the best answer.
While finding the best possible starting offensive line among the players on this team is a top priority for Carberry, he will also be tasked with overseeing Mauch’s development after experiencing ups and downs as a rookie. . Carberry also needs to make sure right tackle Luke Godeke at least maintains his level of play and doesn’t regress. Reducing penalties for third-year pro players is also a top priority.
There’s also the simple fact that Carberry will have to develop two new players in Burton and Klein, with Burton switching to a new position. And the former Rams offensive line coach will have to do all of this while taking on the job for the first time in Tampa Bay. Carberry can rest easy knowing he has a Pro Bowler at left tackle, and at least he has experience in both college and the NFL. But this offseason will be crucial for the Bucs’ new O-line coach.
Josh Quapo: “Thad Lewis must now promote high-paid baker Mayfield”
Bucs QB coach Thad Lewis – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Baker Mayfield achieved the goal he set last year. Working on a journeyman quarterback deal, he played well enough to earn long-term stability and $40 million guaranteed. The expectations that come with this type of financial investment are likely far greater than those placed on a high-upgrade player the Bucks acquire.
Mayfield ranked in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns last year, but generally ranked in the top 15 among quarterbacks overall. It was a season in which several starters missed large portions of the season due to injuries. Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Justin Herbert and Anthony Richardson all missed significant time.
Lewis needs Mayfield in three key areas to build on that strong 2023 and make Mayfield a true top-10 quarterback, even if other passers return to form this year. will need to be supported. Those areas include working with Mayfield to regain the success with the deep ball that marked Mayfield’s early career. The Bucs quarterback ranked last in adjusted success rate among eligible starters last year.
Lewis also talked about how he’s already focused on getting Mayfield to stop taking unnecessary hits. “We try to tell him, ‘Hey, if it’s going to cost us or sacrifice ourselves, we need to let it go,'” Lewis said in his recent press conference. He spoke at
Mayfield was visibly limping late in the season due to various injuries sustained from extra contact. If Lewis can help Mayfield be smarter about when he doesn’t take hits, his offensive output could increase thanks to a healthier quarterback. Lewis, whose big contract is given to players at the most important positions on the field, will be under scrutiny to see if he can get more out of Mayfield in his second year with the Bucks.
Adam Thrivon: Brian McClendon in charge of developing young WR room
Bucks WR coach Brian McClendon – Photo courtesy of USA Today
After serving as a college coach since 2007, brian mcclendon He made a big leap to the NFL after being hired by the Bucs this offseason. Just as he has done with various college programs over the years, McClendon is now tasked with developing even more young wide receivers. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are perennial stars and one of the best duos in the league, but to take the pressure off of each of them, offensive coordinator Liam Cohen brought in a third wideout to his offense. I’m probably considering coming.
There’s even more pressure on Godwin to do so as he enters a contract year. And with him being moved back into the slot, there will be a hole at the other outside receiver position that will need to be filled by someone who can make a big impact. . Third-round pick Jalen McMillan and second-year receiver Trey Palmer will be the next two, and it will be important for McClendon to get the best out of them to solidify the future of his receiver corps. right.
It’s important for someone in that spot to step up and each be able to contribute in different ways, and that goes for players like Rakim Jarrett and Deven Tompkins as well. If each of the young receivers can continue their developmental trajectory under McClendon, the offense will only be elevated to an even higher level than last year. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has the difficult task of developing a young position full of promising players who need to become more balanced and make strides so they can repeat the success they experienced last season. The Mike and Chris show has been doing well for a long time, but a third co-star will only add to their offensive reputation.
