The national media doesn’t always give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a favorable outlook, with the exception of the Tom Brady era.
It didn’t turn out that way in Sports Illustrated NFL analyst Matt Vederame‘s case. He sees the Buccaneers as “positioned to make a Super Bowl” this year, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is a big reason why plus all he has around him on offense.
“Tampa Bay has an embarrassment of riches at wideout with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka all in the mix,” Vederame wrote. “Evans is the top dog, but when will Godwin be fully healthy after sustaining a dislocated ankle in Week 7 in 2024? Then there’s McMillan, who caught 37 passes for 461 yards and eight scores as a rookie. ”
“If Egbuka shines in camp, the Buccaneers will need to figure out the depth chart behind Evans. The good news? It’s a great problem to have for Tampa, which might have the best quartet of receivers in football,” Vederame concluded.
That’s great news for Mayfield who completed 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions last season. Mayfield notably achieved that amid injuries to both Evans and Godwin.
Baker Mayfield on Third Offensive Coordinator in 3 Years
GettyBaker Mayfield evades the Saints defense in 2024.
Mayfield has back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, and cycling through offensive coordinators hasn’t slowed him down, either.
That’s promising for the Buccaneers since new offensive coordinator Josh Gizzard will look to help Mayfield continue racking up yards. Gizzard replaced former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who became the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach.
“I think Mayfield is proof of the concept of coaching matters, systems matter, team build matters,” an NFC personnel evaluator told Verderame. “But more than anything, if you can process quickly and get the ball out on time from the pocket, you don’t have to be 6-foot-5 to play in this league. He has become a professional quarterback as opposed to a college kid just running plays.”
Mayfield’s experience and athleticism will have to offset the fact that Grizzard hasn’t called plays in the NFL before. Going into his eighth season, Mayfield isn’t concerned.
“It’s like Dave (Canales),” Mayfield told WDAE’s Rock Riley in February.
Canales, now the Carolina Panthers head coach, didn’t call plays before serving as the offensive coordinator in 2023. That led to Canales’ rise, and Grizzard could be next on the rise after being the passing game coordinator last year.
“How involved ‘Griz’ was — we were in every meeting together,” Mayfield said. “So, how involved he was in the game plan, I know that he’s going to be a good play caller.”
Buccaneers Have 1 Big Advantage For Super Bowl Hopes
Mayfield and company will face a loaded NFC in order to reach the Super Bowl, and the Buccaneers will have to take advantage of their chances to get as high a playoff seed as possible.
“The biggest advantage for the Buccaneers is their schedule, which features six divisional games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs a year ago,” Verderame wrote. “The NFC South also draws the AFC East, which, outside of the Buffalo Bills, didn’t have a postseason participant from 2024.”
“If Tampa Bay can win games it’ll be favored in and pull off an upset or two, the Buccaneers have a chance to not only host a wild-card game but perhaps even a divisional affair,” he added. “The offense should be good enough to beat anybody, considering the ample firepower, and if Bowles has the defense playing even league-average football, the Buccaneers are a legitimate threat.”
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