It was a busy offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but not in the traditional sense. While most teams got into a rat race gold rush to try and sign top free agents, the Bucs were far more concerned with finding ways to bring back their own guys.
Part of this was that Tampa Bay had top stars like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans slated to hit the open market, but it was also rooted in the fact that the Bucs outperformed expectations last year. A team expected to win no more than a few games ended up winning the NFC South and not playing its final game until the Divisional Round.
There was a lot to be proud of last year, and the guys Tampa Bay worked to re-sign were a big part of that. Jason Licht's work is far from over, as there are still needs that need to be addressed, like on the offensive line and with edge rush help, and it's that unfinished business that has some analysts grading the Bucs harshly.
NFL analysts roast Buccaneers' offseason moves: 'High on their own supply'
On the Around the NFL podcast, analysts Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler laid into the Bucs and their lack of external moves in free agency. While he seemed to approve of bringing back Mike Evans, he called out Jason Licht for saying this was one of the best free agent classes he's ever put together.
"The Bucs are a tad high on their own supply," Hanzus said. "Not all back-to-back-to-back division winners are created equal. It's important to remember that Tampa Bay won these last two division titles despite a .500 record across those two years."
Marc Sessler agreed, and joined in to bury the Bucs by making the argument that they're simply running back an average team.
"I keep hearing the Bucs saying they're running it back, finished with the same record as Dennis Allen and the Saints, in a bad division," Sessler said. " won a playoff game against a team that had fallen off a cliff. You're running back something that will probably give you about eight or nine wins."
New year, same old takes from experts burying the Bucs despite all that they accomplished. We went through this song and dance last season, except it made more sense to pile on Tampa Bay since things looked far less optimistic.
There is some truth to what they're saying, though. Tampa Bay can't run things back the same as they were last year because there was a large portion of the season that was a major disaster. Lest we forget the 1-6 slump the Bucs fell into that almost derailed their year and could have cost jobs from the top of the coaching staff on down.
Of course, it's a pretty bug assumption to think that they're going to repeat the same exact beats from last year. It's also a tremendous underselling of just how important guys like Baker, Evans, Antoine Winfield, Jr., Lavonte David, and others are to what the Bucs have built.
Not for nothing, but Tampa Bay did add outside help, the front office just didn't overpay to make it happen. A deal for Jordan Whitehead -- one of the best safeties on the market and a former Bucs player -- for less than $10 million is a steal. Licht also added some important offensive line depth, with one player already getting hyped as a potential starter.
If the Bucs want to prove the doubters wrong, again, they'll need to avoid the pitfalls that caused them to lose games to Atlanta, Houston, and Buffalo that they should have won. That seems obvious, though, and the road back starts with making sure key guys like Baker and Evans don't get away.
Tampa Bay has checked that box, but let's not pretend like they're finished.