Tom Brady is a clear MVP candidate with the Buccaneers
By Rob Leeds
Three-time NFL MVP Tom Brady will look to receive those honors for the fourth time in his career while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Upon his arrival in Tampa Bay, Tom Brady inherited one of the best offenses that he has played with in years. The Buccaneers had a top offense in the NFL before the draft, but their 2020 draft class puts the Bucs in contention for the best offense Brady has ever played alongside.
The Buccaneer offense was one of the most dominant in the NFL in 2019 with two Pro Bowl receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to go along with two offensive linemen who played at that level in Ali Marpet and Ryan Jensen.
Tampa Bay saw improvements in the run game when Ronald Jones was on the field, and the offensive line finished in the middle of the NFL when pass protecting.
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The Buccaneers had most of the pieces put together, but the draft is what took the team over the top.
Tristan Wirfs was a massive signing for the Bucs and could turn out to be the best offensive tackle from the class. Brady will have to worry about the right side of the ball very little, and Donovan Smith started to show an improvement in pass protection during this past season.
One of the biggest steals of the draft came in the fifth round when Tampa Bay was able to draft dominant college wide receiver, Tyler Johnson. Johnson gives Brady yet another consistent target and not at the expense of a high-round pick.
It will also be interesting to see how the two running backs drafted, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais, pan out. Both were mostly off-the-radar picks, but they have impressive college tape, and the general belief is that the Bucs found a stellar third-down back for Brady in Vaughn.
With the way that the offense has been constructed, Tom Brady now has four reliable receivers, including Scotty Miller, a running game that looks primed to be on the rise, and a tight end group made up of O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, and Rob Gronkowski.
Even if Gronk is only able to play a limited role in the new offense, Brady has more weapons than he could hope to use.
Bruce Arians’ pass-first and pass-often strategy will allow Brady to take more shots deep, something that his game hasn’t been known for in a while but is a talent that has not disappeared yet.
This new game plan could take several games for Brady to grow accustomed to, but Evans is magic in the air, and Chris Godwin can turn a short slant route into a 70-yard touchdown better than a majority of the NFL.
Tom Brady now has some of the best weapons that he has played with in his career, an improved offensive line, and a coach that will push him to take more chances throwing the ball. Brady threw 613 passes in 2019, only 13 less than Jameis Winston, and he was often throwing to a vastly depleted receiving corps.
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On the current Buccaneer offense, Tom Brady will likely see a substantial boost in his stats over those from 2019. It’s impossible to ever rule number 12 out as an MVP candidate, but on this offense, he is a clear challenger to the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.