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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the offseason rather dramatically. To start, they lost in the Divisional Round to the new Super Bowl champions in the Los Angeles Rams. Then, their legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the league.
Despite making it to the second round of the playoffs, Bruce Arians' players expected more from themselves. They expected to run it back as the defending Super Bowl champions.
Now, without the leadership of Brady, it's unclear how the offseason and the next few years will pan out for Tampa Bay. However, here are the three things that the Buccaneers must do this offseason to prepare for the 2022-2023 season.
3 Offseason Moves for the Buccaneers
3. The obvious move of acquiring a quarterback
Clearly, the biggest need for the Buccaneers is a quarterback. As mentioned previously, Brady retired at the beginning of the 2022 NFL Offseason and gave them plenty of time to come up with a solution to a rather gigantic problem. The franchise has one first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but it is pretty late in the round. At 27 overall, there's little to no chance that they can acquire a decent young quarterback this way, and they shouldn't want to.
If the Buccaneers plan to capitalize on the extreme talent throughout the roster right now, they need to find a way to get one of the veterans on the market. It's unclear if Aaron Rodgers is staying with the Green Bay Packers, looking to find employment elsewhere, or retiring altogether. However, if they can pull it off, he would be a great solution to the Buccaneers' biggest problem.
2. Re-sign crucial free agents
The Buccaneers have 24 unrestricted free agents this offseason, according to ESPN. Some of these free agents are crucial components to their active roster, especially star tight end Rob Gronkowski. There's no doubt that he is in high demand as a UFA this offseason.
Along with Gronkowski, running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Chris Godwin are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Fournette led the team with 812 rushing yards and 180 attempts during the regular season. Meanwhile, Godwin led the Buccaneers' regular season air game with 98 receptions for 1,103 yards.
Tampa Bay must re-sign these three players for the 2022-2023 season before any other franchises snatch them up during the mid-March free agency window.
1. How the Buccaneers need to use their first-round pick
Towards the end of the season, the Buccaneers struggled with injuries, specifically at the wide receiver position. Godwin suffered an ACL tear in late December and had surgery to repair it in January. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown dealt with an ankle injury at the end of the season and blamed that on his early exit in Week 17. With Brown off the team and Godwin susceptible to serious injuries, the Buccaneers need reinforcements at receiver.
As mentioned earlier, the Buccaneers have a late first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They may not be able to pick up a quarterback 27th overall, but they can certainly find a solid receiver.
There is a lot of work to be done in Tampa Bay this offseason. If they can pull off a successful deal with a veteran quarterback, re-sign their in-house talent, and draft a reliable receiver, the Buccaneers will be in good shape next season.
