NFL power rankings: Where do the Bucs land after free agency?
NFL free agency has slowed to a crawl, as most of the big-name signings have already taken place throughout the league.
Most of the Tampa Buccaneers’ marquee moves involved re-signing their own pending free agents, including wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Are those moves enough to have them back in the playoff hunt in 2024 after four straight trips to the postseason?
If the latest NFL power rankings from Jarrett Bailey at Touchdown Wire are any indication, perhaps not.
Bailey has the Bucs at No. 21 in his rankings, clearly unimpressed with what they’ve done in the offseason so far:
Tip of the cap to Baker Mayfield for getting paid after the best year of his career and his second career playoff win. I do question if the Bucs can repeat that success, though, especially without Dave Canales. At the very least, they’ll be competitive week in and week out. At most, they’ll be a playoff team once again.
It’s strange to see the Bucs so low on this list, considering they’re currently riding a three-year streak as NFC South champions, and a four-year streak of playoff appearances. Most of their key players are back on both sides of the ball, and last year’s impressive rookie class should make an even bigger impact this season.
The change in offensive coordinators is obviously notable, but the fact that Mayfield has already worked with Liam Coen before, as well as his experience under some of the coordinators that also had Canales on their staff, means the transition shouldn’t be too difficult.
To check out the full NFL power rankings at Touchdown Wire, click here.
