With the NFL Trade Deadline just a day away, rumors are flying and deals are starting to get made. The question around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is whether the team will buy or sell at the deadline, and how close to which end of the specturum the team is.
Things looked a lot different a few weeks ago, as the prospect of the team being buyers was a lot easier to swallow when the Bucs were 3-1 and leading the NFC South. There are obvious flaws that need to be fixed, but it's unlikely at 3-4 that the team is going to address them through a trade.
With that in mind, the Bucs could be considered seller after losing the last three games and falling to third place in the division. Mike Evans was a name tossed around the rumor mill over the offseason which is something that might pop back up in the final hours before the deadline passes.
Selling makes a lot more sense than buying, but it doesn't sound like the Bucs are going to do much of anything unless they get blown away by an offer.
Todd Bowles reveals Buccaneers trade deadline plans, and fans probably won't be happy
It's not terribly surprising, but Bowles revealed that the Buccaneers are not planning to do anything other than listen at the trade deadline.
No buying, no selling.
Asked about NFL trade deadline, Todd Bowles said the Bucs will be “listeners” — not actively selling or buyers but listening to see if there’s value in what’s offered.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 30, 2023
It's a total non-answer, but Bowles isn't going to reveal any state secrets at his weekly press conference. There have plenty of rumors popping up about the Bucs and their potential plans, but nothing has seemed very serious.
Recently there was talk of the team potentially buying low on Derrick Henry in an effort to fix the run game, but that doesn't seem to have gone anywhere. Tennessee won on Sunday, but there's still a chance there's a fire sale -- especially after trading Kevin Byard to Philly.
The simple fact of the matter is there isn't a trade out there that instantly changes the Bucs fortunes. Seattle traded for Leonard Williams on Monday, but that move legitimately improves a first place team that could contend for a Super Bowl this year.
That's not the Bucs, as much as it sucks to admit.
Mortgaging the future isn't the modus operandi of Jason Licht and the front office, and it would be out-of-character to sell draft picks to chase a ring this season. If the Bucs were closer to contention then there might be a different conversation, but as things stand it doesn't make much sense for the team to be buyers.