The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a tough time during the 2017 season, finishing with a disappointing record of 5-11. Which of their players performed up to or beyond expectations, and who fell short?
When I started documenting Buccaneers winners and losers nearly eighteen weeks ago, I expected to struggle identifying losers week to week. The Buccaneers were riding a wave of hype that hadn’t been seen in Tampa Bay for more than ten years, and anything short of the playoffs would be considered a failure. On paper the team seemed to have adequate starters across the board, and it was tough to see the Bucs having many bad weeks. Whoops.
As it turns out the “losers” section was overfilling with candidates week in and week out, with any number of defensive or offensive linemen, cornerbacks, or coaches eligible to make it. The winners were there, but rare, and that trend continues here. The Bucs were 5-11 for a reason beyond bad luck with injuries: they simply didn’t have many players perform well for them in 2017.
It’s going to be a challenging off-season for general manager Jason Licht to infuse the roster with more winners, but for now let’s go over the current ones on the team, followed by those whose stock went down during the season.