Much like the candy-filled eggs that are hidden for children to find on Easter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had some hidden “eggs” on their roster in 2019.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have fallen short of the expectations set in 2019, but the team did have several players that stepped up and performed beyond their individual expectations.
1. Shaquil Barrett, OLB
Shaquil Barrett had one of the biggest surprise performances of any player in the NFL in 2019. Barrett was brought in as a free agent from Denver to serve as a backup to Noah Spence, who is no longer on the team, but Barrett was able to earn the starting job and held on to it.
During his first season with the Buccaneers and his first season as a full-time starter, Barrett led the NFL in sacks and set a Buccaneer single-season record with 19.5.
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This dominant performance came out of nowhere, and “Sack Barrett” is emerging as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Depth piece to All-Pro is not a transition that most players make, but this move was the best surprise for the Buccaneers in 2019.
2. Carlton Davis, CB
Going into last season, many analysts expected the starting cornerbacks to be Vernon Hargreaves and Sean Murphy-Bunting with some combination of Jamel Dean and M.J. Stewart getting reps in at nickel, leaving Carlton Davis as the odd man out.
It came as a surprise that Davis started the season as the premier corner for the Bucs, but Davis showed out during his first year as the CB1. There was still a learning curve for the second-year defensive back, but the matchup against Deandre Hopkins and the Texans in December should’ve showed the Buccaneers what they have in Davis.
Carlton Davis covered Deandre Hopkins, a consensus top-three receiver in the league, for the majority of the game and the latter finished with a mere five receptions for 23 yards.
In addition to that single-game performance, Davis had success across the season with 19 passes defended and an interception. Carlton Davis has seemingly cemented himself as the CB1 for the Buccaneers and will now lead a quickly-improving Buccaneer secondary in 2020.
3. Chris Godwin, WR
Most people expected Chris Godwin to improve dramatically in his expanded role as the second wide receiver for the Buccaneers in 2019, but his level of dominance was still surprising.
During his first two seasons with the Buccaneers, Godwin was extremely consistent and had 1,367 receiving yards on 93 receptions. Godwin was then able to flourish in the new offense that lost DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries that was created by Bruce Arians.
Godwin finished the 2019 season with 1,333 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while also being the top-rated wide receiver in the NFL according to pff.com. Godwin also finished the season as a Pro Bowler and with All-Pro honors.
If the Bucs continue to find players like those listed above that exceed expectations, the future is very bright for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.