TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 2021 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

There was no reload needed for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, they spent the offseason securing the services of the exact same players that landed them their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, and in doing so immediately became the favorites to repeat.

The science and math weren’t hard, but head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht mastered it anyway, only adding to their already loaded roster through key free agent acquisitions and a draft pointed more at future trophy runs than the current one before them.

As always, the prospect of Tom Brady finally turning into a pumpkin, as all other QBs before him have that played a year too long, looms large. Brady, through his diet, his health practices and his genetics has avoided that QB cliff up to this point, but he has to go over it at some point, right? I’m done trying to predict when that happens.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Last season: 11-5, 2^nd place, NFC South

2021 odds: over 11.5 wins -155, under 11.5 wins +125

2021 NFL Draft: Joe Tryon, LB, Washington – Round 1, Kyle Trask, QB, Florida – Round 2, Robert Hainsey, OG, Notre Dame – Round 3, Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas – Round 4, K.J. Britt, LB, Auburn – Round 5, Chris Wilcox, CB, BYU – Round 7, Grant Stuard, LB, Houston – Round 7

UDFAs: Calvin Ashley, OT – Florida A&M, Jose Borregales, K – Miami, Augie Contressa, Safety – Stony Brook, Sadarius Hutcherson, OG – South Carolina, Cameron Kinley, CB – Navy, Elijah Ponder, DL – Cincinnati, T.J. Simmons, WR – West Virginia, Larence White, Safety – Iowa State

Acquisitions: Giovani Bernard, RB – Free Agent, Antonio Hamilton, CB – Free Agent, Joseph Jones, LB – Free Agent, Raven Greene, Safety – Free Agent

Key Losses: Joe Haeg – RG, Ryan Smith – CB, Earl Wartford – RG, A.Q. Shipley – C, Andrew Adams – Safety, Kenjon Barner – RB, Deone Bucannon – LB, T.J. Logan – RB

PRESUMED STARTERS

QB: Tom Brady

RB: Leonard Fournette

WR: Mike Evans

WR: Chris Godwin

WR: Antonio Brown

TE: Rob Gronkowski

LT: Donovan Smith

LG: Ali Marpet

C: Ryan Jensen

RG: Alex Cappa

RT: Tristan Wirfs

LDE: Ndamukong Suh

NT: Vita Vea

RDE: William Gholston

OLB: Jason Pierre-Paul

LILB: Devin White

RILB: Lavonte David

OLB: Shaquille Barrett

CB: Carlton Davis

CB: Sean Murphy-Bunting

SS: Antoine Winfield Jr.

FS: Jordan Whitehead

K: Ryan Succop

P: Bradley Pinion

FORECAST

Unless something insane occurs, injury-wise, the Bucs will likely be favored in at least 16 of their 17 games this season. The only one that they might be considered underdogs in would be their Week Three match up at the Los Angeles Rams, one of the final two teams to beat them last season.

Tampa’s toughest stretch of games is out the gate, but they get the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons at home before two long road games at the Rams and at Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots. Drawing the NFC East means an open road to the playoffs, but their 17^th game is no gimmee as they play at the Indianapolis Colts. Their toughest tests from the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, will both have to play at the Big Sombrero, so that’s a stroke of scheduling luck that Tom Brady seems to continually, and maddeningly, experience even at the end of his career.

Final Record Prediction: 12-5, NFC South Champion

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