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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out of the 2025 NFL Draft with a few promising players, but not all holes were addressed. As the roster rounds into shape for mini camp, three areas stand out as needing reinforcements: safety, offensive line, and linebacker.
Antoine Winfield Jr. is one of the premier safeties in the NFL and the cornerstone of Tampa Bay’s secondary. However, the depth behind him remains concerning. The Bucs lost several veteran contributors in free agency, such as Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards. At the same time, second-year cornerback Tykee Smith is rumored to make the switch to full-time safety, the depth after he and Antoine Winfield Jr is nearly nonexistent.
While the starting offensive line looks decent on paper, the Bucs’ depth across the line is somewhat shallow. Behind Center Graham Barton, there isn’t exactly a true backup center after losing Robert Hainsey in free agency. There is also limited depth amongst the guard position as Elijah Klein has not had many reps, and Sua Opeta is coming off a torn ACL. Beefing up the line should be looked into.
Lavonte David continues to defy age with another stellar year, and is likely playing his last in the NFL after coming back on a one-year deal. Behind him is SirVocea Dennis, coming off a shoulder surgery, but he has flashed potential to be the future of the position. The Bucs also brought in Anthony Walker Jr via free agency, although he is coming off a down year. This lack of depth also limits the Bucs’ ability to be creative in their defensive packages. Adding another tenured vet would be ideal with an aging LB1 and backups uncertainty.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What are the Bucs needs heading into Minicamp? We have a few ideas
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Safety
Antoine Winfield Jr. is one of the premier safeties in the NFL and the cornerstone of Tampa Bay’s secondary. However, the depth behind him remains concerning. The Bucs lost several veteran contributors in free agency, such as Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards. At the same time, second-year cornerback Tykee Smith is rumored to make the switch to full-time safety, the depth after he and Antoine Winfield Jr is nearly nonexistent.
Offensive Line
While the starting offensive line looks decent on paper, the Bucs’ depth across the line is somewhat shallow. Behind Center Graham Barton, there isn’t exactly a true backup center after losing Robert Hainsey in free agency. There is also limited depth amongst the guard position as Elijah Klein has not had many reps, and Sua Opeta is coming off a torn ACL. Beefing up the line should be looked into.
Linebacker
Lavonte David continues to defy age with another stellar year, and is likely playing his last in the NFL after coming back on a one-year deal. Behind him is SirVocea Dennis, coming off a shoulder surgery, but he has flashed potential to be the future of the position. The Bucs also brought in Anthony Walker Jr via free agency, although he is coming off a down year. This lack of depth also limits the Bucs’ ability to be creative in their defensive packages. Adding another tenured vet would be ideal with an aging LB1 and backups uncertainty.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What are the Bucs needs heading into Minicamp? We have a few ideas
Continue reading...
