Bucs Ranked Most Complete Team Heading Into 2022

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began the 2022 offseason with a huge question: who will play quarterback? Then the team lost several key pieces to retirement and free agency and then almost lost a couple of coaches; however, everything seemed to work out in the end. Brady returned, Todd Bowles was promoted, Byron Leftwich stayed, most of the team’s key players re-signed, and the Bucs picked up some pretty good deals in free agency. They also patched up a few holes through the NFL Draft. 

The Buccaneers were seeming to be falling apart after last season’s playoff run but picked up as many pieces as they could and put together a team poised to make another run to the postseason.

According to NFL Analyst Marc Ross, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are atop a list of the 5 most complete teams in the NFL heading into 2022.

“For 40 days this offseason, the Bucs would not have made this list. But Tom Brady‘s decision to unretire changed things significantly. He was second in the MVP voting in 2021, and shows no signs of slowing down even though he’ll turn 45-years-old in August. The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s presence in the building is paramount to this team’s success. Brady has raised the level of play since the minute he arrived in Tampa two offseasons ago. The offensive line underwent changes — they lost Alex Cappa in free agency and Ali Marpet to retirement — but after trading for New England’s Shaq Mason, this unit should be more than capable of keeping its QB upright. The run game is solid with Leonard Fournette, and the wide receiving corps will be in the conversation for tops in the league when Chris Godwin returns to full health. It also feels like a matter of time before free agent Rob Gronkowski re-signs with the team. It’ll be a bonus if he does return, as the Bucs have viable players at the tight end position in Cameron Brate and rookie Cade Otton. 

The defense is full of playmakers at every level, and there’s room to improve if general manager Jason Licht decides to re-sign Ndamukong Suh or Jason Pierre-Paul. The front line is in good hands with rookie Logan Hall joining veteran edge rusher Shaq Barrett and defensive linemen William Gholston and Vita Vea, the best nose tackle league-wide. Devin White is the best linebacker in the league, and Lavonte David is still steady heading into his 11th season. The secondary shouldn’t be overlooked, as there are young, versatile game-changers throughout the defensive backfield.”

On paper, the Buccaneers face one of the hardest schedules the team has seen in a very long time, but with the work put in over this offseason to keep as much of the team together as they could, this team looks ready to tackle the schedule that will take them to the other side of the planet and back. The Bucs will be in the spotlight this season more than ever before, and with virtually the same team as the previous two seasons, one can expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to put on another show.