4 steps to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the NFC South
By Cory Kinnan
Jameis Winston matches prowess of other division quarterbacks
In addition to the running backs in the NFC South being high powered with a ton of potential, the quarterbacks in the division are just as talented, if not more. With one sure-fire Hall of Famer in Drew Brees, and winners of the MVP in not only Brees but also Cam Newton and Matt Ryan, the Buccaneers defense will again have their hands full.
The Buccaneers’ pass defense also came in at the bottom quarter of the league in every statistical category last year and as a result had no chance against the high-powered offenses of the NFC South. Tampa Bay did, however, take full advantage of the draft to improve their secondary.
Hoping safety Justin Evans gets healthy soon, the Buccaneers also drafted safety Mike Edwards and cornerbacks Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean all on day-two of the draft. They bring back starting cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves and Carlton Davis as well and should have an interesting camp battle this offseason.
They also signed former Green Bay Packer safety Kentrell Brice to a one-year deal, Bucannon will play as a linebacker on passing downs as well, and cornerback M.J. Stewart is sliding to safety. New defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has a plethora of defensive backs to deploy how he likes, and it could lead to an impressive leap in their defensive rankings.