It is only Week 7 and the Buccaneers are about as banged up as a team can be. The defense will struggle without veteran defensive back Carlton Davis.
It is funny how fast the Buccaneers have fallen from the top of the NFL. Even after the tough start, the Bucs still looked like a team that was firmly in control of their division and potentially the conference a month ago.
That confidence should be gone from just about everyone now.
This team has done little to show anyone that it is capable of performing in the playoffs. This is not a jab to any one person, but the new coaching staff is obviously not the best at minimizing all of the issues that are popping up.
We’ve seen it mostly on offense so far, but the biggest issues are due to injuries, and the same thing has caused what looked like an easy matchup against the Panthers to turn into something with a few more question marks when you add in that Tampa will be without Carlton Davis.
We've downgraded CB Carlton Davis III to OUT and activated T Josh Wells from injured reserve.
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 22, 2022
This team just can’t catch a break. Players at the most important positions are going down every week, and it is hard to argue that there is a more important position than a starting corner on defense in the modern NFL.
The Bucs might have Jamel Dean, who has been playing well, but Dean is going to be it as far as proven options due to various injuries.
A secondary that has already struggled at times this season is not going to get better with the loss of a player like Davis.
Even a bad coach with bad weapons in a dysfunctional franchise can find a way to exploit a depleted secondary. The Bucs are going to have to come out ready if they don’t want to slip to 3-4.
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