4 steps to fixing the abysmal Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense
By Jacob Holley
The Buccaneers do not stand a fighting chance at winning if 34 points is not enough to come away with a victory; they must fix this defense.
Let’s get one thing straight; if it were easy, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would’ve done it by now.
Everyone knows about Tampa Bay’s litany of struggles on defense. Hindsight is 20/20, but many armchair coaches and GMs were right about their predictions before the past few NFL Drafts and free agency seasons.
That kind of fan resentment isn’t even limited to just the defense. From drafting O.J. Howard over Dalvin Cook and Ryan Ramczyk (who’s become the best right tackle in the league for the division rival New Orleans Saints), taking Vita Vea over Derwin James, and refusing to make any effort to trade up in that same draft for Quinton Nelson (also widely considered to be the best left guard in the NFL). The Bucs even took MJ Stewart two picks before the division rival Carolina Panthers took LSU stud corner Donte Jackson.
Missing occasionally is one thing, and no, not all picks are going to work out. However, Jason Licht has whiffed in the first round, and he’s done it hard and often. That’s not to say players like Vita Vea and OJ Howard haven’t proven their talent (Vea has become a menace in the run game and the Bucs’ coaching staff still doesn’t know how to utilize Howard), it’s just that if it were up to many of the Buccaneer fans, the team would’ve ended up with a better roster than it has now.
Simply put, there’s no reason for us armchair GMs to be able to do a better job than a GM who’s paid millions of dollars to put together a winning roster.
Here’s how the Buccaneers can fix their defense this offseason.