Tampa Bay Buccaneers: All-Decade Bucs Team for the 2010s

Here is a look back at the 2010s for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the construction of the All-Decade Team for a franchise that is trying to move on.

The NFL released its All-Decade Team for the 2010s and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were almost completely omitted from the list. The past decade has been very bad for the Bucs, but players like Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David deserve a spot on that team.

The Buccaneers do have two players on their roster who were on the list; Tom Brady and Ndamukong Suh, although this does very little to smooth over the hurt feelings for Bucs fans who have seen their franchise players get snubbed yet again.

While the NFL has mostly left the Buccaneers off their list, here is what the All-Decade Team for the Buccaneers could look like.

Offense

Quarterback: Jameis Winston, Josh Freeman 

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Regardless of your personal views on him, Jameis Winston was the best quarterback of the 2010s for Tampa Bay and has largely solidified himself as the best quarterback in the history of the franchise. Winston has shattered numerous records for the Bucs and his turnovers do not keep him from this list, especially when you look at his competition over the decade.

Second to Jameis Winston, but not very close, is Josh Freeman. Freeman had his impact on Buccaneer quarterback history before Jameis, but when compared to Winston, he is the clear number two.

Running backs: Doug Martin, LeGarrette Blount

Doug Martin was the only clear running back for this list. No running back for the Bucs came close to his level of success in the 2010s and even though he was streaky, Martin’s two dominant seasons place him at the top of this group.

LeGarrette Blount was only with the Buccaneers for a short time, but his first two seasons with the team in 2010 and 2011 allow him to edge out the likes of Peyton Barber, Bobby Rainey, and Charles Sims. This largely speaks to the lack of success that the Bucs have found in the run game for the past decade.

Wide Receivers: Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Chris Godwin, Mike Williams

Much like the last two positions, the best wide receiver for the Buccaneers in the 2010s was very clear. Mike Evans has been one of the top receivers in the NFL over his six years in the league and has never finished a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards.

Vincent Jackson was second on this list and was able to post three consecutive 1,000+ yard receiving season during the 2010s with the Buccaneers while leading the team in receiving yards for two of those seasons.

Chris Godwin also gets the nod due to his recent string of success. While it is best to stay away from the recency bias, Godwin had the best season as a slot receiver for the Bucs during the decade and that earns him the spot.

Rounding out this list is Mike Williams. While never being too flashy with his stat line, Williams was a consistent piece for the Buccaneers as they transitioned to a more pass-heavy offense during the first half of the decade.

Tight ends: Cameron Brate, Kellen Winslow II, O.J. Howard 

Cameron Brate has been THE tight end for the Buccaneers in the 2010s. His consistency over the past six years on the team has landed him at this spot.

Coming in at second for this group is Kellen Winslow II. While having three great years for the Buccaneers, his two great seasons in 2010 and 2011 were some of the best individual years for a Buccaneer tight end during the decade.

Rounding out the tight ends is O.J. Howard, but only barely. The Bucs have cycled through tight ends a fair amount over the years, making it hard to find one that experienced success for the team and sustained it (a reoccurring problem across the roster). Howard’s success has been decent and he is going into his fourth year on the team, but he still has growing to do.

Offensive tackles: Demar Dotson, Donald Penn

Offensive tackle has been a position of contention for the Bucs as of recent, but Demar Dotson has been the best for the Bucs this past decade (2019 notwithstanding).

Following up Dotson is Donald Penn, who was a consistent piece of the Buccaneer offensive line for seven years, with four of those seasons falling in the 2010s. Penn started in all 64 games during those four years and even made the Pro Bowl in 2010.

Interior offensive linemen: Ali Marpet, Davin Joseph, Jeremy Zuttah 

The Buccaneers have struggled at keeping their offensive lineman in place, with players on the interior of the offensive line moving around each season. Davin Joseph and Jeremy Zuttah both had four great years to start the decade (2010-2013) and Ali Marpet has been consistently good for the past five years.