3 offseason needs Buccaneers still need to fill, and veteran free agents who could help
By Josh Hill
Buccaneers offseason need: Quarterback
If there’s a position the Bucs are almost certainly going to add to, it’s at quarterback. However it’s not for reasons some outside of Tampa Bay might try to sell it as; the Bucs are perfectly comfortable riding out this upcoming season with either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask under center.
The NFL Draft made that abundantly clear, as the Bucs refused to draft a rookie this year despite being connected to a number of them. Will Levis fell to the Bucs at No. 19 but they passed on the opportunity to draft him, and the same goes for supposed targets in Hendon Hooker, Clayton Tune, and Aiden O’Connell.
Passing on adding a rookie doesn’t mean the Bucs are done adding to the quarterback room, though. Jason Licht said as much in his comments after the draft, noting that the team remains in the market for a veteran in free agency.
Don’t read into that too much, though, as Licht isn’t coding that to say the team is chasing a potential starter. It could turn out that the third quarterback on the roster wins the job but that’s not why he’s being brought in. Tampa Bay is very much in the market for a third-string quarterback, one who preferably brings some veteran knowledge that Mayfield and Trask can benefit from.
So while names like Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, and Carson Wentz will be tossed out by pundit, think more along the lines of Nick Foles and Chase Daniel as potential additions to the Bucs quarterback room.
Either way, the Bucs adding one more quarterback before training camp seems to be both a positional need and a safe bet to make.
Potential Targets:
- Chase Daniel
- Nick Foles
- Mason Rudolph
- Joe Flacco