The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be off to a 6-2 start and look like they're a contender in the NFC but there's always room for improvement, right? When it comes to the Bucs' roster, their offensive line has been a sore spot due to injuries and inconsistencies and that's where Jason Licht should try to home in on ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.
Not many teams are going to be willing to part ways with their offensive linemen due to how hard it is to build up that unit. This obviously makes it trickier for Jason Licht to work his magic but there is one candidate that could make a lot of sense to target.
Jackson Powers-Johnson appears to be on the outs with the Raiders and the versatile offensive lineman could be the home run trade candidate the Bucs have desperately been searching for when it comes to their o-line woes. The Raiders drafted Powers-Johnson in the second round just last year but he's not clicking with Las Vegas' new regime, which could make him a trade candidate before Tuesday's deadline.
Jackson Powers-Johnson could be perfect trade candidate for Buccaneers
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report included JPJ on his list of trade candidates entering Week 9, pointing out that the Raiders' current brass doesn't seem to like the o-lineman. Knox also mentioned how Powers-Johnson had to earn his starting spot in the offseason and then was benched during the Raiders' Week 7 blowout loss to the Chiefs.
These are all reasons that line up for a potential trade and the Bucs would love to have JPJ if the Raiders are willing to give him away. The biggest upside with Powers-Johnson is that he's a versatile player, having spent time at left guard and center during his rookie season in 2024 and faring well in both spots.
The Raiders moved JPJ to right guard in the offseason and while his second year in the league isn't going as swimmingly as his rookie year, he's still shown enough potential that he'd be worth sending a Day 3 pick for. PFF's overall grade for Powers-Johnson through the Raiders' first seven games is 63.7, good for the 31st best guard in the league out of an eligible 82 guards. That's nothing to scoff at.
Considering the Bucs have been working with Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, and Luke Haggard as their left guard, center, and right guard respectively, improvements could certainly be made at those positions. JPJ might not be balling out in his sophomore NFL season but the potential is there and this could be a trade that might not pay off immediately but does in the long run.
It's worth picking up the phone and calling the Raiders for. Maybe they're not willing to part with their former second-round pick but if this current brass, which includes former Bucs John Spytek and Tom Brady, don't see a future with Powers-Johnson, trading him could make sense and Tampa would love to have him.