Bucs Gameday

Bucs 2019 Recap: Season Awards

Check out our picks for Tampa Bay's best performers from the 2019 season.

Jason Kanno

Bucs 2019 Recap: Season Awards
Bucs 2019 Recap: Season Awards /

The season did not end the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted, finishing with a 7-9 record and falling well short of playoff contention. However, despite the disappointing outcome, Tampa Bay enjoyed strong individual efforts across the roster.

Here are our picks for the Bucs' 2019 season awards:

MVP: WR Chris Godwin

It would be typical to find a team's quarterback in this spot, but the Bucs did not have a typical season. By definition, an "most valuable player" should bring more to the table than anyone, but Jameis Winston took nearly as much off as he put on by committing 36 turnovers to 33 touchdowns.

Instead, the MVP title goes to Godwin. Before he went down with a hamstring injury in Week 15, Godwin was arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. He finished the season with 86 receptions for 1333 yards and 9 touchdowns, ranking third in yardage and touchdowns despite missing two games. He also finished the season with 577 yards after the catch, second-most in the league.

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The stats that really indicate Godwin's value are his yards per target (11), yards after the catch per target (6.7), first down percentage (52) and drop percentage (0.8). His efficiency stats well exceed those of the league's yardage and reception leader, Saints WR Michael Thomas. In fact, no other wide receiver in the NFL matches Godwin in both production and efficiency.

Though Godwin was just one of the Bucs' 1000-yard receivers, his ability to make the most out of every target provided Jameis Winston and the offense with an ever-present security blanket. No other player on the Bucs roster brought more with each play than Chris Godwin, and that is why he is their 2019 MVP.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Jameis Winston

Despite the ignominious distinction of leading the NFL in interceptions this season, Winston was nevertheless the driving force behind the Bucs offense. He led the league in passing yards (5109) and trailed only MVP front-runner Lamar Jackson in pass touchdowns (33).

There is no question the Bucs offense went through Winston. He accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Bucs' first downs and averaged 8.16 yards per pass attempt. Even under pressure, Winston often found ways to keep the ball moving down the field:

The problem for Winston, obviously, was the turnovers. No team can sustain a successful offense when the quarterback is averaging a giveaway twice a game and especially when he sets an NFL record for pick-sixes (7):

Winston is the Bucs' embodiment of a double-edged sword. The question now becomes whether they tolerate Winston's duality or let him become another team's dilemma.

Defensive Player of the Year: OLB Shaq Barrett

It would be tough to pick anyone for the Bucs' DPOY than the league sack leader. Barrett is what any NFL GM hopes for when picking up an inexpensive free agent: a diamond in the rough. Tampa Bay signed Barrett to a one-year, $4 million contract last offseason, and he rewarded them by breaking the franchise sack record.

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In addition to collecting 19.5 sacks, Barrett forced six fumbles, recorded 19 tackles for a los and even caught an interception. He was the driving force behind Tampa's potent pass rush, elevating a previously inconsistent and unproductive endeavor.

Barrett's efforts earned him a Pro Bowl berth and a spot on the All-Pro second team. No doubt the Bucs will prioritize Barrett during free agency this offseason. It's not every day your team's best defensive player walks in off the street.

Most Surprising: WR Breshad Perriman

There was a moment during the 2019 season where it seemed prudent for the Bucs to part ways with Perriman, namely in late October when the deadline for cutting free agents before they count towards compensatory pick calculations hit. Tampa Bay wisely kept him on the roster, and their prudence paid dividends near the season's end.

Through Week 12, Perriman was a non-factor in the Bucs offense. He caught just 11 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown, hauling a little more than a third of the passes targeting him and averaging a paltry 4.3 yards per target.

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Then Mike Evans went down early against the Jaguars in Week 13, forcing Perriman in a starting role. From that moment to the end of the season, Perriman was a legitimate number-one wide receiver. In the final five weeks, he caught 25 passes for 506 yards and five touchdowns. His catch rate doubled, and his yards per target tripled.

A former first-round pick in Baltimore, Perriman came to Tampa Bay as a bit of a bust. Whether he stays with the Bucs or moves on in 2020, he proved he can be a deep threat deserving of significant playing time in an NFL offense.

Most Disappointing: TE O.J. Howard

As frustrating as Winston was in 2020, there was no more disappointing a player on the Bucs' roster than Howard. His 2019 performance had fans scratching their heads and prompted rumors, and some demands, that Howard be traded.

Last year, the 2017 first-round pick was poised for a breakout season, catching 34 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns through 10 games. A foot injury ended his season prematurely, but Howard's stock was way up.

Expectations for Howard were high coming into this season, but he simply could not deliver. In 14 games, he again caught 34 passes but for just 459 yards and a single score. Howard also developed an issue with drops, letting five slip through his hands and allowing this improbable interception against the Saints:

While Howard's usage as a receiver was impacted by Bruce Arians' offensive system, he simply did not make the best use of his opportunities. As a former first-round pick, Howard is subject to higher expectations. Fair or not, his disappointing 2019 campaign is nothing short of a failure.

Rookie of the Year: LB Devin White

If there was any question whether White was worth the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, he laid those doubts to rest in his inaugural season. White started slow, hampered by an MCL injury early in the season, but he roared into relevance in the second half of the season.

The rookie linebacker finished 2019 with 91 tackles including 4 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries including two touchdowns. White set a franchise record for longest fumble recovery in the season finale against Atlanta, returning a Matt Ryan fumble 91 yards to the endzone:

White was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in November and December, a first for any rookie since 2009. If White's 2019 campaign is but a taste of what he is capable of doing in the NFL, the accolades should only snowball next season and beyond.

Best Coach: DC Todd Bowles

Defense used to be the Bucs' calling card, back when they actually made the playoffs. Over the last decade, despite some good individual play, the Bucs defense as a whole was anything but good. The arrival of Bowles as defensive coordinator may represent a shift back towards respectability.

Last year, the Bucs had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They allowed 29 points per game, second-worst in the league. According to Football Outsiders, the Bucs were the worst defense in the league in 2018, scoring 14.8 percent in defensive DVOA.

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Then came Bowles and a host of new defensive players. The former Jets head coach brought an aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme that helped turn the defense on its head. The Bucs had the best run defense in the NFL, allowing just 1181 yards for 3.3 yard per carry average. They also forced 28 turnovers, fifth-most in the NFL.

While the scoring defense did not appear to improve much, the 28 points per game scored against the Bucs can be shared with Jameis Winston 30 interceptions and seven pick-sixes. Overall, despite the poor scoring defense, the Bucs had one of the league's best defenses according to Football Outsiders. They finished with a -11.5 percent DVOA, fifth-best in the NFL. 

While the new additions like Shaq Barrett and Devin White deserve the credit for the defensive improvement, Bowles' coaching is just as vital to the turnaround. Thanks to Bowles, for the first time in over a decade the Bucs can point to the defense as a strength of the team

Comeback Player of the Year: RB Ronald Jones II

This may be a bit of cheat since Jones never did anything meaningful in the NFL before this season, but since he was so disappointing his rookie season, his emergence in 2019 deserves recognition.

Last year, Jones looked like another busted second-round pick. He had just 44 yards on 23 carries and dropped two of his nine targeted passes. He lacked decisiveness and explosion in his runs and overall appeared overwhelmed by the big leagues.

It is not exactly clear what flipped the switch for Jones this season, but it was a near-complete reversal in trajectory. Jones was easily the Bucs' best running back in 2019, running for 724 yards and six touchdowns with another 309 yards coming through the air.

The explosive runner the Bucs saw at USC finally appeared, running through defenses all year:

Jones recorded 23 broken tackles in 2019, averaging one every 7.5 rush attempts—fourth-best in the NFL and a far cry from his abysmal 2018 efforts. He rose from the ashes of the 2018 season to emerge as one of the most explosive backs in the NFL.

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Jason Kanno
JASON KANNO