Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport X account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to SR each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.
QUESTION: Pass rush is still a glaring issue. What do you think the front office will do before the deadline? Feel like they need a stud to make a real push in the postseason.
ANSWER: Is the pass rush still a glaring issue? Or is it on the way to being solved? I don’t know what game you were watching, but I saw six sacks on Sunday against a very good 49ers team, and three of them came on third down. Two of those sacks ended drives with 49ers field goals, two of them drives with punts, one ended a drive with a failed fourth down conversion and the other ended a drive with an eventual interception.
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby led the Bucs with two against the 49ers, inside linebacker Lavonte David had one, cornerback Jamel Dean even had one, defensive tackles Vita Vea and Elijah Roberts split a sack, as did outside linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive tackle C.J. Brewer. The sack by Dean was his first in the NFL.
Bucs DT Elijah Roberts and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today
A week ago, things looked a little bleak. Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t record a single sack against Sam Darnold in Seattle. Now, the Bucs are tied with the Colts and Chargers with 16 sacks. Only five NFL teams have more, led by the Broncos, which have a team-high 30. Diaby leads Tampa Bay with three sacks, followed by Vea and David with 2.5 apiece. A total of 11 Buccaneers have at least half a sack. That’s how a Todd Bowles usually performs with blitzing defensive backs getting in on the sack action.
Would it be great if this team had a true stud pass rusher or two like Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul in 2020, or Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp in 2002 who helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowls LV and XXXVII, respectively? Of course. But let’s see how the next few weeks play out first before the NFL trade deadline on November 4. Maybe Roberts keeps ascending as a rookie interior pass rusher. Perhaps Diaby makes strides toward becoming a double-digit sacker.
Let’s see if Sunday’s pass rush was a sign of things to come in Tampa Bay or if it was just a blip on the radar. Because after a season-high six sacks against San Francisco, the pass rush is not a glaring issue right now. We’ll see how the defense fares against the Lions and Saints over the next two weeks.
QUESTION: What is the timetable for the return on these injuries? Because oh boy, have we been hit hard.
ANSWER: The Bucs have indeed been hit hard by the injury bug, especially at wide receiver, offensive line and at cornerback this year. It’s ridiculous how Baker Mayfield does not have his top four receivers at his disposal right now. Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula) missed the San Francisco game due to injuries, and of course Jalen McMillan (neck strain) is already on injured reserve. Then on Sunday, rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka left the 49ers game with a hamstring injury. The good news is that Ebuka was not walking with a limp after the game, so perhaps his injury isn’t too bad.
Tampa Bay was able to weather the storm at wide receiver thanks to the first career touchdowns by Kameron Johnson and Tez Johnson against San Francisco. Kam Johnson, who in theory is WR7 behind Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson, actually led the Bucs with a career-high 64 receiving yards, catching all four of his targets. The Bucs have done an incredible job of stacking talent at the receiver position, which I profiled in Friday’s SR’s FAB 5 column.
Bucs WRs Tez Johnson and Sterling Shepard – Photo by: USA Today
And I’ll admit that I slept on Kam Johnson in my column. Plus the Bucs have wide receiver Ryan Miller on the active roster, in addition to Garrett Greene on the practice squad. Sources tell me that Greene, a former college quarterback, is raising eyebrows in practice on a regular basis.
Kindle Vildor has filled in nicely at cornerback for Jamel Dean against Seattle and for Zyon McCollum versus San Francisco, and recorded his first interception in Tampa Bay. Reserve Charlie Heck has played okay filling in for Luke Goedeke at right tackle and has gotten better, while Luke Haggard has been serviceable at right guard as Cody Mauch’s replacement. Yet Haggard left the 49ers game with a shoulder injury, which will prompt the Bucs to start either Elijah Klein or Dan Feeney at Detroit next week.
Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams has a great story on the current injury situation in Tampa Bay and which Bucs might return in Week 7. I’ve been told to not expect right tackle Luke Goedeke to return from his foot this week even though he is eligible to come off injured reserve. I would suspect that Evans and Godwin, along with McCollum, could be in play for a return in Week 7.
QUESTION: Bucs are 5-1 with two games to go before the bye despite all the injuries. The organization and fans have to feel great. Does Jason Licht push some chips in and make a move before the deadline? Who would make sense for the Bucs as a trade deadline target?
ANSWER: I’m not sure if the Bucs will make a trade or not before the deadline on November 4. And I’m not sure if general manager Jason Licht knows right now if he’s going to make a trade or not. What I do know is that he has only made one deal at the deadline, and that was acquiring backup nose tackle Steve McLendon from the Jets in 2020. Licht sent a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for McLendon and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft.
The Bucs were off to a hot 4-2 start, but lost Vita Vea due to a broken leg in Week 5 at Chicago that season. Sensing the team could make a real Super Bowl push, Licht added a key depth piece due to Vea’s injury. Licht did not make a trade for a receiver last year after losing both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. to significant injuries in a Week 7 loss to Baltimore. The reason? Tampa Bay was 4-3 at the time and wasn’t a serious Super Bowl contender, and Licht knew it.
Former Bucs DT Steve McLendon – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
This year at 5-1 and atop the current NFC standings, this team is a serious Super Bowl contender, so I think Licht might be more inclined to do a deal. But that is going to depend on a few things. First, how healthy are the Bucs after the next two games entering the bye week, which is in Week 9 – just prior to the trade deadline? Is there a position that requires adding a key player beyond the current depth on the roster?
Second, what is Tampa Bay’s record heading into the bye – 7-1, 6-2 or 5-3? Again, the better the record, the more inclined Licht might be to add a player via a trade.
Third, which players are available at positions of need and what is the compensation? Keep in mind that Licht and his front office have been excellent at drafting over the last couple of seasons and truly value draft picks. Licht has shown he can find starters and key contributor even on Day 3, so it would take the right deal for the right player to part ways with a draft pick or two.
Remember that Licht has never surrendered more than a third-round draft pick for any trade. And that was for pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul in the 2018 offseason when he fleeced the Giants for a Day 2 pick. Every other trade he’s ever done has been for Day 3 picks, so do not expect any blockbuster deals for premier pass rushers that involve first-round picks.
QUESTION: Just how deep is Tampa Bay’s receiving corps? Because it’s getting scary thin with all of these injuries.
ANSWER: The Bucs receiving corps is crazy deep. I’ve never seen this position loaded with this much talent. Hall of Famer Mike Evans and legendary Chris Godwin Jr. aside, the Bucs legitimately have four other starting-caliber receivers on this team who could play the role of a No. 1 receiver – Emeka Egbuka – or a No. 2 receiver – Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson.
When the entire unit is healthy, Shepard is WR5 and Johnson is WR6 in Tampa Bay – and that’s just nuts. Kameron Johnson showed why this team believed in him despite an injury-riddled rookie season last year, coming through with four catches for 64 yards and his first NFL touchdown.
Bucs WR Kameron Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Tampa Bay also has Ryan Miller, who has proven to be a reliable target and a tremendous blocker on the perimeter. And from what I’m hearing, undrafted rookie free agent Garrett Greene is turning heads on a regular basis as a practice squad receiver. Not only have Jason Licht, Mike Biehl and Rob McCartney done a sensational job of stockpiling this unit with talent, but credit wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon for rapidly developing his young players, too.
As I wrote in my SR’s FAB 5 column on Friday, this wide receiver corps is stacked and already stocked for the future beyond Evans (32), Shepard (32) and Godwin (29). Tampa Bay’s WR room is easily the best in the league due to the strength of its depth.
Bucs WR Depth Chart – When Healthy
WR1 Mike Evans
WR2 Chris Godwin Jr.
WR3 Emeka Egbuka
WR4 Jalen McMillan
WR5 Sterling Shepard
WR6 Tez Johnson
WR7 Kameron Johnson
WR8 Ryan Miller
WR9 Garrett Greene
WR10 Dennis Houston
