Positions where rookies could start for the Bucs in 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting a new era after the retirement of Tom Brady, but quarterback isn’t the only position with turnover.
The team has dealt with losses in numerous positions, with quite a few of them coming on the defensive side of the ball — on top of that, the team released LT Donovan Smith, and it is now trying to find a new player for one of the most important positions in football.
Check out a few different positions where the team might start rookie talent for the 2023 season below:
Right/Left Tackle
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Perhaps the biggest area of need for Tampa Bay is at the left tackle position, which is vacant after the team released Donovan Smith. The best natural right tackles in the draft will almost certainly be picked ahead of the Bucs at No. 19, but a move by Tristan Wirfs to left tackle would allow Tampa Bay to draft a right tackle as well (such as Darnell Wright, pictured above). Either way, there will almost certainly be a rookie playing on one side of the offensive line.
Safety
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As it stands, the Bucs have safety Antoine Winfield under contract — and no one else.
That’s a pretty considerable problem, as Tampa Bay needs a second safety to pair with Winfield. It could bring back Logan Ryan, but a more likely option is that the team drafts a new safety for some younger blood. That could come in a first-round pick like Brian Branch, but it could also come on Day 2 or Day 3 after the Bucs lock up another position.
CB3
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Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis are locked in on the outside, but the Bucs are still looking for a slot cornerback. With Sean Murphy-Bunting gone to the Titans, they’ll have to look toward the draft.
It’s very unlikely that the team will go for this need with pick No. 19, but a Day 2 or Day 3 pick would be ideal to make sure the team can find a suitable replacement for Murphy-Bunting. There is another option in second-year player Zyon McCollum, though, so it all depends on what Todd Bowles thinks of his roster as it stands.
Edge Rusher
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Shaq Barrett will likely still be recovering from an Achilles injury as the year begins, and edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has not lived up to expectations of his first-round status. As a result, it’s very plausible that the Bucs simply go for a rookie to fill one of those needs.
A pick in the first round is unlikely, but it could still be possible if the team was looking for someone like Nolan Smith. If not, there are plenty of strong prospects in later rounds of the draft that the team could take as well.
