3 underrated Buccaneers who will make a massive impact next season

April 7, 2024 sport_zone27 Uncategorized 0

The Buccaneers’ future is today, which means that a few players could step up significantly in 2024.
As the offseason winds down and the NFL Draft approaches, many Tampa Bay Buccaneers supporters are thinking about the future. Tampa Bay entered the offseason with a 9-8 record and their third NFC South division title in a row, as well as a quality top-to-bottom roster with few major questions.

The Bucs, like every other club, lost several starters from last season’s team in free agency, but they were able to retain the majority of the team with some strong under-the-radar acquisitions.

Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers’ head coach, will return for his third season, although offensive coordinator Dave Canales was hired as Carolina’s next head coach.

Despite this, the Buccaneers were able to get former Rams coordinator Liam Coen as their next offensive coordinator, as well as several excellent assistant coaches under third-year head coach Todd Bowles. That focuses the majority of attention on any players who are poised to move up and play a larger role in 2024, such as these three.

Zyon McCollum, CB

For the previous four seasons, Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean created a dangerous 1-2 punch at cornerback, providing a critical anchor to the Buccaneers’ strong defense. Only weeks into the offseason, Tampa Bay sold Davis III to Detroit for a 2024 third-round pick, leaving a gaping vacancy in one of their two starting positions.

While the Buccaneers signed free-agent cornerbacks Bryce Hall and Tavierre Thomas from New York and Houston, none has demonstrated the potential to excel as starters alongside Dean. Zyon McCollum, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft from Sam Houston State, is expected to play a key part in the Buccaneers’ secondary.

After appearing in 13 games and starting three times as a rookie, McCollum received increased action while Davis III and Dean missed a combined nine games. McCollum set career highs in 68 tackles, nine pass breakups, and two forced fumbles over 17 games, nine of which he started.

As the closest defender, McCollum allowed only 59.8 percent of the passes to be completed, the greatest record of any Buccaneer defensive back. According to Pro Football Reference, Davis and Dean concluded the season with rates of 61.4 percent and 66.1 percent, respectively.

McCollum, 24, has yet to achieve his full potential in the NFL but is completely capable of turning into a quality cornerback. Even with the presence of All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., free agent addition Jordan Whitehead, and Dean, McCollum’s success will be critical to the Buccaneers’ defense in 2024.

 

Bucs Camp Insider 7-28: Zyon McCollum's Big Day | Pewter Report
Zyon McCollum

Deven Thompkins, WR/KR

There’s little denying that Tampa Bay’s wide receiver combination is among the greatest in the NFL. With famous wideout Mike Evans re-signing in free agency for a two-year, $52 million contract, the Buccaneers will reunite Evans and unheralded slot receiver Chris Godwin on offense, who have combined for 14 1,000-yard seasons, the most of any current receiver combo.

With incoming second and third-year receivers Trey Palmer and Cade Otten, Tampa Bay has a strong supporting cast on offense for star quarterback Baker Mayfield. With a crowded receiving area, slot receiver Deven Thompkins may play a larger role, albeit not as a receiver.

Thompkins, an undrafted free agent from Utah State, appeared in only five games but recorded 12 kickoff returns for 263 yards and 382 all-purpose yards. This season, Thompkins excelled as the Buccaneers’ primary return specialist, appearing in all 17 games and returning 16 kickoffs for 327 yards and 25 punts for 234 yards. It’s worth mentioning that the former is ranked 14th in the NFL, a significant increase over his first season.

Given his improved play, Thompkins will most likely be the team’s starting return specialist, which is significant in and of itself.

In 2024, 10 kickers and at least nine receivers will line up five yards apart and cannot run until the ball is returned to the returner. Only kickers and returners may move before the ball is returned.

Kickers will kick the ball from their own 35-yard line, with the remaining ten members of the kickoff return unit at the opposition 40-yard line. Because of these regulation changes, the success of Thompkins’ returns will be even more important in providing Mayfield & Co. with solid starting field position and building momentum from a large return.

KJ Britt, LB

For the past four seasons, the Buccaneers have had a dominant combo at middle linebacker, much like at cornerback. For a while, Tampa Bay’s middle linebacker tandem of 12-year veteran Lavonte David and 2019 No. 5 pick Devin White competed among the league’s best.

The Buccaneers, like Davis III, failed not keep White in free agency, who signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Eagles. Since White’s departure, Tampa Bay has not signed any free-agent middle linebackers to replace him, indicating a possible in-house replacement.

KJ Britt appears to be the strongest candidate for starting alongside David on defense. Britt, the No. 175 pick in the 2021 draft, has seen limited action as a reserve three years into his NFL career.

In 45 games (four starts), Britt has only 54 tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and one pass breakup. An uninspiring three-year stat line may raise anxiety, but Britt has been one of the top leaders on a young Buccaneer defense and was a do-it-all linebacker at Auburn for four seasons, so there is reason to be optimistic about the 24-year-old’s chances this season.

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