Tampa Bay Buccaneers receive playoff-level grade for 2020 season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are considered one of the favorites to get the playoffs during the 2020 NFL season and that’s apparent with the latest grades.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have vaulted up the odds-boards as of late with the addition of Tom Brady at quarterback.

Now, the Buccaneers who were an afterthought are beginning to be recognized as one of the favorites in the NFC and as true competitors with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The Saints, in many ways, are the favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.

As we head into the thick of the offseason, it’s always intriguing to see what NFL analysts are thinking when it comes to talent around the league.

ESPN NFL Prognosticator Mike Clay released his first official NFL Unit Grades for the 2020 season and had the Buccaneers rated as the fourth-highest team in the nation, in terms of talent.

The top five, when looking at positional units across the board, are the Saints, Cowboys, Steelers, Bucs and Chiefs. The Buccaneers have an above-average grade (green) at every single position except running back and safety.

As far as those two positions are concerned, Tampa Bay is expected to address the running back position in the NFL Draft and the Buccaneers have some young, talented players at safety that they are trusting to grow up over the course of the offseason and build off the momentum they started at the end of last season.

When looking at this chart, it’s easy to see why Tampa Bay is becoming one of the darkhorse picks to compete in the NFC and potentially even wind up in the Super Bowl.

The Bucs have plenty of skill-position talent, along with one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. When you combine that lethal offense with a defense that will feature a strong and experienced front-seven and a growing secondary, you can see the potential for this team to be special.