Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reloading this offseason, not rebuilding

Make no mistake about it; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not rebuilding, theyare reloading for another potential Super Bowl run.

Hello, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. Are you enjoying this wild offseason yet? It has been a very memorable free agency period. Big names are on the move throughout the league. Teams that missed the previous postseason are signing players, and some teams are starting to look like they will make this postseason tournament. So, what have the Bucs done so far?

Before we start, it’s great to have the “GOAT” announce he is coming back for another season in Tampa Bay. Honestly, even without Tom Brady, the Bucs winning the division next season was still likely, but not the NFC. Assuming Kyle Trask would be the starter, he’d begin a successful NFL career and get the trial-by-fire experience that quarterbacks need to be successful at the NFL level. With Brady back, expectations should be even higher for this current roster.

Thus far, the Buccaneers re-signed center Ryan Jensen, running back Leonard Fournette, cornerback Carton Davis, wide receiver Breshad Perriman, offensive linemen Aaron Stinnie, and Josh Wells, and defensive lineman William Gholston.  You have to just love it when the offensive, defensive lines get addressed,  and these were good moves for the Bucs secondary as well.

As for Fournette, he should be the starting “bell cow” running back, and it’s rare to see a three-down running back in today’s NFL, especially one who combines speed and power like Fournette. Re-signing Godwin was both a big, and right move. The Bucs may just have the best starting receiver group on week one if Godwin remains healthy.

Speaking of the receivers, as for the new editions, the Buccaneers have added wide receiver Russell Gage as well as offensive lineman Fred Johnson and safety Logan Ryan. These moves show that it was never really a thought that the Bucs would have to tear down this championship roster and start a complete rebuild after the divisional-round loss. Having the team go 3-14, 4-13, 5-12, 4-13 again, and getting high draft picks by rebuilding the team with a new vision, style, etc was never in the cards.

Before Brady announced he would return for a 23 season,  the Bucs still were likely to win the NFC South thanks to their roster. The defense, offensive line, running game, top five receiving corps are a foundation the Bucs can build on after all. General Manager Jason Licht has assembled a quality team through the draft and a good foundation for a championship football team. Thanks to the strong roster in place, and Brady being the catalyst, the Buccaneers are once again contenders.

After the divisional-round loss, and with Brady’s future in question, the general thought was the Buccaneers would rebuild. They never did, instead choosing to reload, and now that the GOAT is back, so are the Bucs. They aren’t going anywhere.