Three second-year players who need to step up for the Bucs in 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering a new era in 2023, and it isn’t just in the wake of QB Tom Brady’s retirement.
The team has lost few pieces from recent years in free agency, and naturally, those players must be replaced. As a result, there should be a few second-year players from Tampa Bay’s 2022 draft class getting more playing time, but they’ll have to step up if they want to keep a place on the roster.
Here are three of those players that will need to take that next step in 2023:
DT Logan Hall
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Logan Hall played on about 36% percent of snaps for the Buccaneers in 2023. In that time, he had seven total tackles and 2.5 sacks.
He’ll need to do better than that in 2023. He’s gained some playing weight and will look to be more anchored instead of moved around like he was in 2022, and he’ll also be playing alongside DT Calijah Kancey on the line as well. Hall is a player Tampa Bay will hope takes a jump in 2023, as he’ll be burdened with far more responsibility on the line and will be expected to produce.
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McCollum is another player who will likely get some more action in 2023 — because the Bucs didn’t get a suitable replacement for CB Sean Murphy-Bunting after he left in free agency, he may end up having to fill those shoes.
The former Sam Houston State player is athletically gifted, but injuries hindered him greatly in 2022. It limited his time on the field, and it may have affected his relatively poor performance on the field, too. He’ll need to be healed up and ready to go in 2023 if he aims to be the team’s starting slot corner.
OL Luke Goedeke
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To say Luke Goedeke wasn’t good in 2022 could be somewhat of an understatement.
He had an abysmal 43.7 rating from PFF over the whole year, and he often looked overwhelmed and outmatched on his reps. He started eight games at multiple positions on the o-line, and he came away with five penalties in doing so.
The Bucs’ line will be a mismatch of players moving around positions, and if it’s going to work, the Bucs are going to have to hope Goedeke can turn things around when he very likely lines up at right tackle in replacement of Tristan Wirfs.
