Offense
I think Jameis Winston is going to be a very good NFL quarterback. Based off of that, I like what the Buccaneers have done this offseason. Winston has all of the tools you want in a franchise quarterback. He has terrific pocket presence, a big arm, and he is one of the smartest quarterbacks to come out of college in a long time. He is questionable in his decision making at times, but he's reminiscent of a Ben Roethlisberger/Eli Manning hybrid. On top of that, both Big Ben and Eli have won Super Bowls, and I believe that Jameis Winston has the talent and poise to eventually win one too. Tampa Bay has put together a talented offense for him too. Mike Evans will be his go to target, and rightfully so. Evans has some of the strongest hands in football, and he has the size and athleticism to be a threat all over the field. He caught 12 touchdowns, and had over a thousand yards last season with Josh McCown and Mike Glennon as his QB's, so he should put up even better numbers this season. Opposite Evans, Vincent Jackson goes into his 4th season with the Bucs, and he should put up better numbers in 2015. He only had 2 touchdowns in 2014, and that number should go up exponentially in 2015. They don't have a lot of wide receiver depth, but they won't necessarily need it if Evans and Jackson stay healthy. At tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins will look to expand his role in 2015. He has tons of talent, and is another big and tall weapon for Jameis to throw to. On the offensive line, Donovan Smith was drafted in the second round to protect Winston's blindside. He doesn't have the ideal athleticism for a left tackle, and he would probably make a better right tackle, but he has good bend and plays with solid pad level in pass protection. He is also enormous (6'6/338 lbs) and a mauler in the run game. At left guard, Tampa traded for Logan Mankins last offseason to bring some stability and a veteran presence to the line. He had a very solid season, and even though he is getting older, he's still a reliable guard. At center, Evan Dietrich-Smith has been a solid player ever since they signed him out of Green Bay. Tampa Bay drafted another offensive lineman in the second round in Ali Marpet. He played Division III football in college, but he has a very high ceiling as a guard. Marpet has quick feet, and he's shockingly strong too. It might take him a while to get acclimated to NFL competition, but when he does he should be a very good player. At right tackle, the Bucs have Demar Dotson who put forth a very good season in 2014. There was talk of moving him to left tackle after Tampa Bay released Anthony Collins, but with Smith playing LT he will man the right side again. He is a big, powerful right tackle, and should have another big season. In the backfield, Doug Martin leads a group of solid but unspectacular running backs. Martin has a lot of talent, and could be in for a big season behind better QB play, but as of now he shouldn't be viewed as anything but an average RB. Behind him, Bobby Rainey, Mike James and Charles Sims all will look to get some work. Sims has a high ceiling as a receiving back, and Rainey and James have both shown that they can put in some good work, but again, nothing overly spectacular. This is a very, very young offense. That much should be obvious. With that being said, it should still be better than it's bottom 4 finish in 2014. Jameis is an upgrade over McCown and Glennon, and Mike Evans should be even better in his sophomore season. A bottom 10 finish is still likely for the Bucs offense, but fans should just be wanting their young stars to show enough that the franchise can build around them with confidence. That would be a win for the 2015 Bucs.
Defense
As weird as it is to say about a bottom ten defense that didn't go through a lot of change in the offseason, there is a lot to like about the 2015 Buccaneers defense. They have two superstars in Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David to build their defense around. They definitely are another draft away from really creating an impact defense, as there are some big holes they need to fill, but they have a solid core of player. On the defensive line, the Bucs have a terrific pair of defensive tackles in Gerald McCoy and Henry Melton. McCoy is one of the best interior penetrators in the NFL, and he dominates guards and centers to a point where you almost feel bad for the opposing O-line. Melton is a very underrated interior pass rusher himself, and he's now further removed from his injury so he could be even better in 2015. At defensive end, Tampa Bay is really thin. I mean really, really thin. George Johnson and Jacquies Smith are slotted as their starters, and both of those players (especially Smith) are underwhelming. At linebacker, as I stated earlier, Tampa has a star in Lavonte David. At middle linebacker, the Bucs are planning to use Bruce Carter (signed out of Dallas). I actually am really intrigued by this move. Carter is a very athletic player, and he has good instincts in the passing game, so don't be surprised if he puts up some big time numbers. As Lovie Smith's strong side "SAM" linebacker, rookie Kwon Alexander will get every chance to win the job. He shouldn't be expected to be an immediate star, but if the 4th round pick out of LSU is solid, then that is a big win for Lovie's Bucs. In the secondary, Tampa has a young group of players that is, for the most part, unproven. Alterraun Verner is solid cornerback, but may be better suited for being the number two guy in a defense. He has very good ball skills, and is very good in a zone coverage scheme, but can struggle when going man-to-man with the opponents number 1 WR. Opposite Verner, Johnathan Banks is coming off of a so-so year. He's okay, but not necessarily the best second CB. At safety, Tampa Bay claimed D.J. Swearinger off waivers from Houston, and they also signed Chris Conte from Chicago. This is an uninspiring duo to have starting for an NFL team. At this point in time, they both just aren't great players, and going into the season, safety is a big hole for the Buccaneers. This is a weird defense in Tampa Bay. They have two gaping positional holes at defensive end and safety. They also have two stars in Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy to go along with quite a few other solid complementary defenders in Melton, Carter, and Verner. The holes on defense are too big for me to predict a top half finish, but they should be just as good as last season (25th) and they should have more hope and promise going into the 2016 season too.
Tampa Bay knows that this won't be the breeziest of years. They are rolling out a rookie QB with a very young offense, and they don't have the elite defense that can smooth over that transition. This year should be about one thing and one thing only for Tampa Bay. Making sure Jameis is the face of the franchise, and doing anything they can to help him become that. I believe that Jameis can be a top QB in the NFL, and Tampa Bay needs to develop him so he can eventually become that. This should be somewhat of a long year for Bucs fans, but not without its fun! How about Jameis Winston and Mike Evans doing bad things to opposing teams for the next decade? That sounds pretty damn good to me.
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