Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 position group grades

Next position groups for the Buccaneers

Tight ends

Our tight end position is probably the one on our team with the most uncertainty. Will Gronk be back? Probably, but no one knows for sure until a deal gets signed. Cameron Brate is currently slotted as our TE1, followed by Cade Otten and Ko Kieft. Brate has been a solid contributor, but hasn’t broken to a star level. Cade Otten is a receiving TE and Ko Kieft is a mauling blocker, but each of them still have a lot to work on in their game.

Overall grade: 6

Offensive line

Tackles Donovan Smith and Tristan Whirfs are one of the best outside duos in the league. Ryan Jensen, aside from being incredibly entertaining to watch, is a beast in the middle holding it all together.

New addition Shaq Mason was one of the best run blocking guards in the league last year. The other guard position is a bit of a question mark. Does it go to Aaron Stinnie, last year’s backup? Does rookie Luke Goedeke step up and take control of the job? That major question mark, along with the lack of depth, makes me bring my ranking down, but I’m still ranking this group highly.

Overall grade: 8

Defensive line

Uh oh….. we lost Ndamakong Suh… on top of Suh, we lost the depth Steve Mclendon provided. Time to panic? No…. Honestly, we still sit in a very good spot. Vita Vea is a force at defensive tackle. Will Gholston is criminally underrated. New free agent signing Akiem Hicks can push to the backfield, assuming he stays healthy.

Logan Hall was a beast in college and will provide a great rotational piece that can fill in at any spot on the line. Rakeem Nunez-Roches has been a good depth player that we can call on when needed. We have solid talent at the top of our depth chart, a high potential but unproven rotational piece, and veteran depth.

Overall grade: 7.5