Here are five reasons for Buccaneers fans to be excited about the future.
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In his weekly Pick Six, our good buddy James Yarcho said it best when he called the Buccaneers season “interesting”. It was a season that not only had highs and lows, it had extreme highs and lows.
At 3-5, we saw a team that was reeling, and ready for the season to hit the absolute bottom. A five-game winning streak brought them right back into playoff contention. Unfortunately, after going 1-2 in the last three games, the Bucs fell a bit short.
Like any season for any team, there were times to remember and there were times to forget. Some we want to quickly forget, but I digress. Overall, the Bucs are an up and coming team clearly headed in the right direction.
But what, specifically, should fans be excited about? What will make you guys pumped up for 2017? Here are five reasons to look ahead to next season with excitement.
Cameron Brate
Now this guy came on like gang busters in 2016.
We all know that the Bucs were begging for a secondary weapon to Mike Evans. Many hoped it would be Vincent Jackson, coming off of injury. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit him again, this time earlier in the year, limiting him to only five games.
So who steps up? Cameron Brate, that’s who.
Not only did Brate set career highs, he also wasn’t shut out of a reception in any game all year. That’s right, he posted at least one catch in every game of the 2016 season. Talk about reliability. His final totals were 57 catches, 660 yards and eight touchdowns, again all career highs.
By the way, the eight scores tied him for first in the league at the position.
This guy is good, and only getting better.
Jacquizz Rodgers
Yes, I realize that this one technically isn’t part of the 2017 roster yet. I will make the case anyway.
There is no guarantee that Doug Martin will be back next year. He got the big money last year, that is true. It would be sentimental for Bucs fans if the team keeps faith in Martin even after recent events. But even before his injury and the suspension, he was not performing anywhere the level of 2015. Can anyone really say with confidence that we can trust him?
Now with the suspension, the team can release Martin without any cap hit. Don’t be surprised if it happens.
Charles Sims is another guy that like it or not, has trouble staying on the field. Rodgers was signed during the year, off the street, and became the Bucs best rusher. He led the team with 560 yards on the ground and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. He was the most explosive of the top three backs, and it wasn’t close.
Re-signing him makes sense, and assuming they do, he will be one to watch next year.
Noah Spence
Jason Licht and the Bucs were looking to add to a pass rush that couldn’t make plays in a big spot. Gerald McCoy was doing a good job, but he needed help.
In walks Noah Spence. The Bucs selected him early in the second round and were thrilled, considering they had a first round grade on him. After a slow start, which is often the case with a rookie at any position, he delivered as promised.
Spence posted 5.5 sacks, which tied him for fourth among rookies with Emmanuel Ogbah of the Cleveland Browns. His best performance came during the winning streak against the Seattle Seahawks. During that win, Spence posted 1.5 sacks, his first career multi-sack game.
Spence will be back next year along side McCoy and Robert Ayers. How can we not be excited about that?
Vernon Hargreaves
As we all know, defensive back was the other main target in the 2016 draft. We don’t need to go over the reasons as they are well-documented. So, the Bucs spent their first pick on Vernon Hargreaves from Florida.
So how did he do? Well, he had his growing pains, don’t get me wrong. But, who was ranked fourth among rookie defensive backs with 76 tackles? Hargreaves. He proved himself as a player that is not afraid to stick his nose in their and make plays. According to Pro Football Focus, he graded 8th among ALL cornerbacks in run defense.
He picked off his first career pass during the week 14 win over the Saints, and posted ten passes defended during his rookie campaign. All in all, he showed a lot of promise and will only get better as he grows. That starts in 2017 and it will be exciting to watch.
Kwon Alexander
We complete the list with a familiar face in the middle.
Chosen in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, Alexander has been quite the find, hasn’t he? After a rookie season where he missed four games due to a suspension, Alexander came into his own. In 2016, he was tied for fourth among NFL linebackers with 145 combined tackles. He added eight passes defended, three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception for a pick-six.
To put it simply, he was a consistent force week in and week out. His best came in prime time, when he posted 21 tackles on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. No, the Bucs didn’t win the game, but Alexander showed he was a prime time player when given the chance on the national stage.
See? We have a lot to be excited about for next year. I gave you five, and didn’t even need to list the quarterback as one of them. 2017 has a lot of potential for us.