Week 1 is nearly here, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already racking up wins before the season even starts.
The Bucs' season will begin on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, and the team's first depth chart reveal of the year reminds us that the Bucs aren't a team to be slept on. Not only is there a boatload of talent across the board, but General Manager Jason Licht's strategy is already paying off.
Just take a look:
#Bucs release their depth chart prior to their Week 1 matchup against the #Commanders. Updated depth chart shows Barton as C, McMillan as WR3, as well as Irving as RB2. Palmer is the PR, while Irving and Tucker will handle KR duties. Smith will be the starting NCB. #Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/l5apkpnAJl
— JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL) September 3, 2024
Notice anything?
Tampa Bay will begin the season with three rookies in starting roles on either side of the ball, and a fourth in a special teams role. Bucky Irving is going to get work alongside Rachaad White as the team's RB2, but he'll be one of the first players to touch the ball this season when he returns Tampa Bay's first kickoff of the year.
Graham Barton and Jalen McMillan will be rookie starters on offense, while Tykee Smith will be the team's starting nickel corner. All of that is a massive endorsement of not just the talent the Bucs have but how Licht has carefully constructed a competitive team when nobody expected him to do so.
Buccaneers Week 1 depth chart is another feather in Jason Licht's cap
When Tom Brady retired last February, the popular -- albeit lazy -- take was to assume the Bucs would tank their way back to the top. Seeing as that almost never works, Licht decided to instead do his job and build a winning roster.
He did that and more.
Licht took the talent that was already in-house, paired it with some clutch free agent additions led by Baker Mayfield, and drafted a crop of young players that had an instant impact. He did this all on a budget while hamstrung by over $50 million in dead money and almost no cap space.
Even though that team went to the NFC Divisional Round, somehow Licht found a way to do it again this offseason. He used the money Tampa Bay had to bring back key players like Baker, Mike Evans, and Jordan Whitehead (who was a free agent signing), while making Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs the richest players at their position.
He also drafted Barton, McMillan, Smith, Irving, and others like Elijah Klein, who have helped make the Bucs' roster one of the youngest in the league. Teams don't reset with this sort of ease, but Licht has made one of the toughest tasks—navigating the post-Brady era—look effortless.
Time will tell just how talented this Bucs team is, but on paper they look much better than anyone is willing to give them credit. Even if this season doesn't go exactly the way we want, it's undeniable that Tampa Bay has the right man leading the charge.
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