It’s always fun to look into the NFL crystal ball and imagine what will happen in the future, and that’s exactly what the folks at ESPN have done with their “future power rankings” exercise, looking at the strength of each team looking down the road.
Every team was ranked in four different categories: Overall roster (minus QB), quarterback, coaching, and front office.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in at No. 18 overall on their list, getting their highest ranking for the front office (12th), and their lowest in coaching (27th).
Here’s what ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Louis Riddick, and Aaron Schatz said about the Bucs’ rankings:
Reason for hope: The Buccaneers are a three-time defending division champion, so they know how to finish off a season. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is a star on the back end of the defense, and while they don’t have the youngest roster in the league by any means, quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t even 30 years old yet and looked as good last season as he has at any point in his career. — Graziano
Reason for concern: Mayfield was fantastic last season and was rewarded with a new three-year deal. But he will have a different coordinator this season, with Liam Coen — who was the OC at Kentucky in 2023 — signing on to run the offense. It is critical that Coen develops the same kind of game-day chemistry with Mayfield and the offensive playmakers that former coordinator Dave Canales had. How quickly can that group come together? — Riddick
Nugget to know: Running back Rachaad White finished second in the NFL in touches last season (336), trailing only Christian McCaffrey. But he had poor production as a runner, gaining only 3.6 yards per carry and finishing 39th in rushing DVOA among qualifying RBs. In the past decade, only three running backs had more carries than White’s 272 with a lower DVOA: Todd Gurley II in 2016, LeSean McCoy in 2017 and Josh Jacobs in 2020. White is one of five different 2022 draft picks projected to be starters for the Buccaneers this season, and all five are under contract for two more seasons (White, right tackle Luke Goedeke, tight end Cade Otton, defensive end Logan Hall and cornerback Zyon McCollum). — Schatz
It makes sense to grade the Bucs’ front office highly, but it’s strange to see Todd Bowles and his coaching staff getting so little credit, since they’ve won the NFC South in each of his two seasons as the head coach.
To check out ESPN’s full future power rankings for every NFL team, click here.
