Now that the Super Bowl is over, it's time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start looking toward the future and what moves can be made this offseason to improve the roster.
Unlike last offseason, the Bucs have money to spend and more wiggle room to make meaningful moves. Key areas of the roster need attention, most notably the offensive line, which failed to fully correct course after being in shambles during Tom Brady's final season.
A few areas of the defense could use some work too, although it'd be more like spackling than anything major. Safety is once again a dangerously thin group heading into the offseason, but Todd Bowles loves his defensive line depth and could look to add some peices up front.
What better place to look for some upgrades than players who just played in the Super Bowl but could be potentially looking for work this March?
4 Super Bowl players Buccaneers could target in free agency
Nick Allegretti, G/Chiefs
One clear area of focus for the Buccaneers this offseason will be rebuilding the offensive line, with specific attention being paid to the interior.
Aaron Stinnie and Matt Feiler are free agents this offseason and there's a chance that neither of them comes back. A case could be made for the Bucs bringing back Stinnie but even if he returns there will be competition for the starting left guard role.
That's where Nick Allegretti could come into play.
Kansas City has Joe Thuney occupying the left guard role which could lead Allegretti to seek out a starting spot somewhere else. He earned an 81.5 PFF pass-blocking grade this season, which right away is better than anything the Bucs are dealing with. Feiler was brought in last offseason as one of the few budget free agent signings the Bucs made but he ended up getting replaced by Stinnie not long after the season started.
Protecting Baker Mayfield is going to be key to Tampa Bay's success next season and getting an upgrade at left guard next to Tristan Wirfs should be near the top of the list.
Randy Gregory, DE/49ers
Tampa Bay should focus heavily on upgrading key areas of the offense, especially with how that unit struggled at times and with a new offensive coordinator trying to right some of the wrongs. That doesn't mean the defense should be neglected, as we saw more than a few times how that side of the ball kept the Bucs in games they otherwise might not have had a chance to win.
Calijah Kancey was a revelation as a rookie, living up to the billing and showing the type of promise that suggests he'll be an important piece in the trenches for the foreseeable future. Things aren't so solid on the other side of the line, as Logan Hall is entering a prove-it year after taking much longer than Kancey to settle in.
The success of Kancey puts pressure on Hall to finally step up, which should also have the Bucs looking for depth behind him to cover their bases. Randy Gregory fits the bill, as he's another guy who was highly touted and showed flash but still needs to develop into a true No. 1 guy.
Coming to Tampa Bay could change that.
Gregory played behind Nick Bosa in San Francisco and established himself as a decent depth piece in that defense. He also showed high-end talent while with the Cowboys, which is the guy the Bucs would be betting that Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers can help him tap back into. It would put pressure on Hall to elevate his game and would give the Bucs both excellent rotational depth and a potential replacement in case things don't go the way everyone is hoping.
Mike Edwards, S/Chiefs
Part of the pain in the Bucs taking their salary cap medicine last season was watching free agents walk, even at affordable prices. Mike Edwards was one of those guys, as he left to sign a one-year deal with the Chiefs for $3 million. In any other year it felt like Tampa Bay easily could have matched that and brought back a nice pice of the secondary, but it was simply awful timing.
Perhaps this offseason will present an opportunity to right that wrong.
Edwards is a free agent again, but the Bucs have more wiggle room in the budget to go out and make some moves. Bringing back Edwards is one that makes a lot of sense, as it reunites Bowles with a familiar face and adds important veteran depth to an otherwise young safety room.
Ryan Neal is likely gone, which leaves second-year players like Christian Izien and Kevon Merriweather as depth along with Dee Delaney. Edwards would slot in as a perfect compliment to Izien at strong safety and act as a sort of mentor with him on a number of different levels. He's played in Bowles' defense before, winning a Super Bowl back in 2020, and now brings knowledge from Kansas City and leaving to win a ring elsewhere.
Izien was a stud last year and earned the starting role moving forward, but Edwards has a place in Tampa Bay as a key piece of the safety room. Having him back also potentially helps soothe some of the frustration that Neal caused for fans last season.
Jon Feliciano, OG/49ers
Protecting Baker Mayfield is going to be key to the Buccaneers success moving forward, which means everything on the offensive one outside of Tristan Wirfs should be up for debate. A major focus of the offseason needs to be how the Bucs can upgrade, whether by coaching up young players like Cody Mauch or looking to free agency for outside help.
San Francisco 49ers guard Jon Feliciano checks a few different boxes in this department.
He finished last season with an 85.4 PFF run-blocking grade, which is absolutely what the Bucs are looking for out of offseason upgrades this year. The run game has struggled for two seasons, and changing both backs and coaches didn't seem to help much. Despite how poorly things went, Rachaad White established himself as a big-time weapon, which makes getting things right with the run game even more important.
White has been compared to Christian McCaffrey, so getting a guy who blocked for him all the way to winning Offensive Player of the Year seems like a pretty decent move to make. An injury took him out of the Super Bowl early, which only further highlighted his importance. Brock Purdy had to throw away a key pass on third down in overtime due to pressure from Chris Jones on Felciano's side of the line.
Had he been in the game, things might have gone differently.
What that also emphasizes is how important Felciano was in pass protection. He played on the right side in San Francisco, which would mean moving him to left guard with the Bucs or moving Mauch, but it's clear that Feliciano fits the bill for the type of guy Tampa Bay needs to target in free agency.