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The Buccaneers might be the biggest threat to the Falcons in the NFC South this year. Their offense has all the pieces they’ll need to be one of the NFL’s 10-15 best units, and the defense has flaws but also brings considerable upside to the table. If everything goes right, they’ll have a winning record and will give some of the NFC’s finest fits, at minimum.
Of course, this is the same Tampa Bay team that has fallen short of expectations countless times in the past, so I won’t hold it against you if you need to see it to believe it. Still, this is not a team to be taken lightly, and I truly believe they’ll be Atlanta’s greatest threat over the next 3-5 seasons if they just manage their roster effectively. This first game between the two teams may have genuine playoff implications.
To give us a closer look at what the team did this offseason, we turned to Bucs Nation. Here’s their report.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Notable free agent additions: WR DeSean Jackson, DT Chris Baker, S J.J. Wilcox, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Notable free agent departures: S Bradley McDougald, QB Mike Glennon, WR Vincent Jackson, WR Russell Shepard
Trades: --
Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies: TE O.J. Howard, S Justin Evans, WR Chris Godwin, RB Jeremy McNichols
Biggest offseason addition: WR DeSean Jackson
Biggest storyline heading into training camp: Will Roberto Aguayo get unseated by Nick Folk? Yes, kickers are the biggest storyline. Also Hard Knocks.
Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp: Safety: Justin Evans, J.J. Wilcox, Chris Conte and Keith Tandy could all earn a starting job, so which two will come out on top?
Notable injuries heading into training camp: No severe ones. A few that should be healthy by training camp: Noah Spence, Jacquies Smith, J.J. Wilcox, Justin Evans most notably.