Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Four potential first-time Pro Bowlers
The entire offensive line
Ok, so admittedly, this may be cheating a little bit. However, it is too crazy not to mention here. Would you believe that no starters on the Buccaneers offensive line have ever made a Pro Bowl? The general consensus is that the Buccaneers have one of, if not the best offensive lines in the NFL, and not one of them has ever been voted to the Pro Bowl. Mayhem.
Tristan Wirfs is entering his sophomore season and is already arguably the best at his position of right tackle, Wirfs not making the Pro owl in 2020 may have just been biased against a rookie, because nothing else makes much sense.
Since coming over from the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent, the versatile Ryan Jensen has found a home at center and been an absolute rock. He has formed a bond with Brady despite some rough patches in the beginning. He could have been a Pro Bowler in Baltimore and should be one in Tampa.
Then there are the twin towers of small colleges at the two guard spots. Ali Marpet of Hobart College and Humboldt State’s Alex Cappa form one of the best guard tandems in all of football, and at least one should hear their name called come Pro Bowl time. Cappa was one of the leading fan vote-getters in his position in 2020, and it really is tragic that injury forced him out of playing in the Super Bowl. Marpet is an absolute stud and the unsung hero and key to this offense that makes it go. Both getting their proper recognition is past due.
Ironically, the biggest longshot to make the Pro Bowl is the one who plays the “glamour” position of the offensive line in left tackle Donovan Smith. Smith had something of an up and down 2020, such as been the tale in his career thus far, but really came on strong down the stretch and had a solid playoff performance. He was rewarded with a two-year contract extension worth $31.8 million this offseason.
Elsewhere, this Bucs offense is littered with former Pro Bowl veterans, so for the remainder of the list, we’ll turn to the defense.