Looking back on a 2024 season in which Todd Bowles’ Bucs won six of their last seven games to finish 10-7 and clinch a fourth consecutive NFC South championship, the team’s core players are always going to get a lot of credit.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. Mike Evans reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark again and hauled in 11 touchdowns despite missing three and a half games. Rookie running back Bucky Irving ran for 1,000 yards as Tampa Bay’s run game skyrocketed from dead last in the league in 2023 to top five in 2024. Plus, Tristan Wirfs and Vita Vea both earned Pro Bowl nods.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today
The team’s stars, especially on offense, deserve their credit. But when Casey Phillips asked Bowles on this week’s edition of The Todd Bowles Show what he was most proud of from the Bucs’ 2024 season, the head coach gave some shine to some of the unsung heroes of the team’s run to another division title. In particular, Bowles highlighted some of the guys who stepped up when Tampa Bay dealt with some key injuries throughout the season.
“I’m proud of the players that really stepped in when guys got hurt and really kept this team afloat,” Bowles said. “Guys like [Christian] Izien, guys like [Kaevon] Merriweather, even [Justin] Skule if you take away the Detroit game, he played some good football. Obviously, [Sterling] Shepard coming in, Ryan Miller, those guys doing a very good job stepping in and keeping us afloat and helping us get to the playoffs.
“And the coaches just adjusting no matter who we brought in and brought up off the practice squad or anything like that and getting those guys ready to play and taking the time to make sure those guys are prepared and playing the right way.”
Todd Bowles Had To Rely On Depth More Than He Would’ve Wanted To
While Todd Bowles was able to step back and appreciate the job that a lot of his depth players did when called upon throughout the 2024 season, it doesn’t erase the fact that Tampa Bay’s third-year head coach had to rely on depth far more than he would’ve wanted to this year.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Every team deals with injuries, but the Bucs were up there with some of the most injured teams this season, specifically when it came to impact players.
The team had Luke Goedeke, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Cade Otton, Calijah Kancey, Jamel Dean, Tykee Smith, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead all miss multiple games during the season, leading to a heavier reliance on some of the depth players Bowles mentioned. No one would’ve planned it that way, but several Bucs did an admirable job when they had to fill in at different points.
However, others did a less-than-admirable job, and it’s ultimately part of what held Tampa Bay back in the regular season and certainly in the NFC Wild Card Round. That’s why, this offseason, upgrading depth at some of these key positions is going to be crucial for general manager Jason Licht and his staff.
Perhaps no position group needs some refreshed depth more than the Bucs’ secondary, though investing in more depth at receiver, outside linebacker and inside linebacker will have to be on the to-do list as well.
The good news for Tampa Bay is that there’s a good bit of salary cap space to work with, and more can be created with some moves that are likely to come as the offseason gets going. There are areas of the roster where the Bucs need to improve at the starting level, of course, but if they can do that and shore up depth in some other areas, they should be in position to compete at a high level in 2025.
