Buccaneers Graded Low in 5 of 10 Position Groups by ESPN's Mike Clay

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to be disregarded in national circles after Mike Clay's projections discount no fewer than half of the team's position groups.

David Harrison | Jun 23, 2023

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not yet returned to the bottom of the NFC South Division as most expect them to this season.

But they've certainly gone back to being the league's punching bag as national experts continue to discount the talent currently sitting on the Buccaneers' roster.

In the latest round of punishment, Tampa Bay is graded at 1.5 or lower in five of their position groups in ESPN Mike Clay's 2023 NFL Season projections.

Running backs come in as the lowest-graded group coming in at 0.1 out of a possible 4.0 with promising second-year player Rachaad White leading the unit.

The best of the worst is the safety group featuring Antonie Winfield Jr. and Ryan Neal graded at 1.5.

It wasn't all bad, however, as the team's receiver group hit a 3.3 mark with stars Mike Evans and Chris Godwin leading the way.

The Bucs' remade defensive line with Vita Vea leading rookie Calijah Kancey and newly added veteran Greg Gaines graded in the green at 2.4 while linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White helped produce a 2.6.

Overall, those goods aren't good enough and the Buccaneers finish Clay's evaluation as the 27th-ranked team in the NFL this season with a win projection of 6.4 games.

While Clay projects just over six wins for Tampa Bay, the ESPN analyst only has the team favored to win two of their 17 regular season games.

As for the NFC South, it's no surprise then the Bucs are projected to finish dead last in the division while the New Orleans Saints figure to win it with a 10-7 record.

All of this eventually leads to a missed postseason the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and likely a new quarterback to start the whole thing over again.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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Published Jun 23, 2023

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.