ESPN Lists Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Biggest Strength, Weakness on Roster

What are the bright spots and weaknesses on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster?

Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) reacts after recovering a fumble against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers primed for an improved 2024 campaign following a 9-8 record in 2023? How much better did the roster get over the course of the offseason? They spent big money returning key contributors in Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr.

They have the make and mold of a playoff team, but quite a lot could rely on the impact of first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coem and how much production he is able to maximize out of Mayfield and his wide receiver corps.

It was a solid offseason for the Buccaneers, but where does their roster stand heading into the 2024 NFL season? ESPN broke down every team's roster, providing the biggest strength and biggest weakness for each roster. Evidently, both the Buccaneers' roster's strengths and weaknesses came on the defensive side of the ball.

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The Buccaneers' biggest strength listed by ESPN happened to be the safety position, which made some key moves over the course of the offseason.

"Safety. This group is anchored by 2023 first-team All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., who became the highest-paid defensive back in league history in March," ESPN wrote. "Old friend Jordan Whitehead is back for his second tour with the Bucs after playing over 1,000 snaps each of the past two seasons with the Jets. Tampa Bay added depth via Tykee Smith in the third round of April's draft."

The Buccaneers' safety room is going to have to be strong to help anchor the defense as the team's biggest weakness on the roster happens to come within the front seven. ESPN listed the edge rushers as the team's biggest weakness.

"Edge rusher. This was a toss-up between edge rusher and interior offensive line, but the departure of Shaquil Barrett (45.0 sacks in five seasons) swung my decision toward the former," ESPN wrote. "Tampa Bay will now turn to a combination of Yaya Diaby, newcomer Randy Gregory, second-round rookie Chris Braswell, former first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson as its core at the position. None of those veterans played more than half of his team's snaps in 2023. This is a rough situation for a team that finished 22nd in pass rush win rate last season."

The question as to where the production will come from edge rushers will be determined through a rotation of the names mentioned, though it will be up to the interior pass rushers and stout secondary to back them up and cover their weaknesses.

The Buccaneers' defense will be just as intruiging as a potential new-look offense to follow during the team's 2024 campaign.

READ MORE: Two Buccaneers Listed on CBS Sports Top 25 Under 25 Ranking for 2024

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