Bucs Are Already Expected To Miss 2024 NFL Playoffs

It is that time of year when after the first waves of free agency pass, a flood of mock drafts pop up across the NFL landscape in the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft. Besides these mock drafts, some start to look ahead at what some of the big moves that have already been made mean for next season.

As one might expect, it does not bode well for the Bucs.

Known for being counted out, Tampa Bay is once again expected to drop from the playoff picture. Last year, it was because the Saints signed quarterback Derek Carr. This year, Kirk Cousins joined the Falcons, and they are already being pegged as the division favorite.

It looks like Bucs general manager Jason Licht will need to make more room in his filing cabinet to keep some new receipts.

CBS Sports Projects Bucs To Miss Playoff Cut In 2024

CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin recently went over six NFL teams that he projects will miss the playoffs next season. With murky quarterback situations and other factors, some of Benjamin’s choices make sense.

The Browns have a huge question mark at quarterback with Deshaun Watson failing to return to his Texans’ form.

The Rams again are relying on a 36-year-old Matthew Stafford to point guard the offense. Oh, and Aaron Donald retired.

Putting the additions of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields aside, the Steelers are a team with plenty of question marks on both sides of the ball.

All of these points are understandable, but in rounding out his list he picked the Bucs. After making the playoffs for the past four seasons and bringing back all of the key pieces of a team that made it to the divisional round, his outlook was pessimistic on the team “running it back.”

“Surprisingly, they have the longest playoff streak of any team on this list. And yet that speaks mostly to the painful lack of competition in the NFC South. They did excel at retaining key players this offseason, but are we giving them too much credit for “running it back” as opposed to upgrading a borderline wild-card lineup?”

Interestingly enough, Tampa Bay’s mention is the only one that does not discuss any players or positions specifically but instead points to a lack of competition within the division. If the worst thing the Bucs did to their playoff chances was bring back their biggest free agents, that speaks to the overall great offseason they have had up to this point. The team did not make any flashy moves in free agency, instead opting for depth signings that increase the floor at some positions of need.

While each of the teams listed also has not added a rookie class to the mix, one can foresee Jason Licht finding another crop of rookies to have prominent roles after seeing what he has accomplished over his past two draft classes. With this and recent success to point to, it makes the Bucs a surprising pick.

For the premise of Benjamin’s story, there are only so many teams to pick from, but one can wonder if the Bills would have made more sense with how their offseason has gone so far and the fact that their division will be a lot more competitive next year.

Tampa Bay will have a more formidable foe in their division as well, but they remain the top dog until they’re not.

Bucs Still In The Driver’s Seat In The NFC South

When looking at all of the teams within the NFC South, the Bucs currently have the most star power across their roster.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On offense, Baker Mayfield was re-signed after putting together an impressive bounce-back season. The offense has plenty of potential to improve in his second year under center, and the transition of Dave Canales to Liam Coen looks to be a smooth one with the two having previously worked together with the Rams.

Having a pair of 1,000-yard receivers to throw to in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to throw to doesn’t hurt, and Rachaad White showcased that he has plenty of playmaking ability out of the backfield.

While the run game and offensive line do need to show improvement from last season, they were able to be one of the final eight teams standing with a 32nd-ranked rushing offense. It can only go up from there.

Defensively, it is a unit still led by Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and Antoine Winfield Jr. at each level. There are questions about the supporting cast around them, but there is also plenty of potential in young guys such as Calijah Kancey, YaYa Diaby, and Zyon McCollum, among others.

The secondary effectively swapped out Ryan Neal and Carlton Davis III for Jordan Whitehead, Bryce Hall, and Tavierre Thomas, shoring up a passing defense that finished the season ranked 29th. With the roster coming into focus, it is clear that the Bucs have worked on improving their weaknesses while still having plenty of room to build on their strengths.

The same cannot be said for the Panthers and Saints. To be fair, the Panthers are in the midst of an organizational overhaul with Canales and Dan Morgan hired on to be the team’s head coach and general manager, respectively. They have made some free-agent signings to remain competitive, but by being in the early stages of a rebuild, it may take a couple of years before they become a threat in the division.

For the Saints, it remains to be seen how much better the team can get. A core that once had four playoff appearances of their own from 2017-2020 is only getting older, while they have been mired in salary cap constraints for years which has only made it more difficult to retain young talent and hit the reset button.

That leaves the Falcons, who are coming off three consecutive 7-10 seasons, as the biggest threat standing in the Bucs’ way.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

There is no question they have improved their offense, with Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore joining a group that already boasts recent top picks Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson. Adding Raheem Morris, Zac Robinson, and Jimmy Lake to lead the coaching staff have each been regarded as positive moves, but it remains to be seen how all of these moving parts gel together.

Putting all of this together, the Bucs head into next season in the driver’s seat of the NFC South. Coming off three straight division titles, they still have plenty of key contributors from their 2020 Super Bowl team with a promising young core surrounding them.

The Falcons are the team many are excited about, but recent seasons have shown that Tampa Bay can hold their own and exceed expectations.