PR Roundtable: Which Bucs Assistant Has The Toughest Job In 2024?

A brand new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts each Tuesday in the course of the Buccaneers offseason and common season. Every week, the Pewter Reporters deal with one other powerful query. This week’s immediate: Which Bucs assistant coach has the hardest job in 2024?

Scott Reynolds: Kevin Ross Should Assist Bucs CBs Get Extra INTs

Bucs CBs coach Kevin Ross – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs anticipated beginning cornerback tandem of Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum totaled precisely zero interceptions final 12 months. As a complete, Tampa Bay’s protection produced simply 13 picks in 2023 and the gamers that produced seven of these INTs – cornerback Carlton Davis III (two), linebacker Devin White (two), defensive again Dee Delaney (two) and out of doors linebacker Shaq Barrett (one) – are gone. The Bucs secondary solely accounted for 10 interceptions last year, and that’s merely not adequate for Todd Bowles’ unit.

Regardless of having largely a veteran group, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross has some heavy lifting to do that 12 months. For the primary time in his five-year Bucs profession, Dean didn’t document a single choose final season. McCollum notched 15 profession INTs at Sam Houston State, however has but to document his first in two years in Tampa Bay. Newcomer Bryce Corridor, whom Ross considers to be “a legit starter,” has simply two profession interceptions in 26 begins with the Jets. So what does Dean, who has probably the most expertise, must do higher in 2024 to prepared the ground?

“Catch the ball!” Ross mentioned emphatically this offseason.. “If he catches the ball he’s All-Professional, he’s a Professional Bowler. All he has to do is catch the ball, and we’ve been emphasizing that in that room. And it actually begins with me. I’ve to extend extra ball drills with these guys. I’ve been requesting these guys catch 50 balls a day throughout [the offseason]. We’ve bought to catch the ball. We might’ve led the league in takeaways had we caught the ball the way in which we wanted to.”

Ross is correct. The Bucs want at the very least six interceptions between the beginning three cornerbacks. That’s what the Gravediggers secondary had in 2020 with Davis (4), Dean (one) and Sean Murphy-Bunting (one). Glad to see this can be a level of emphasis. Now it’s as much as Ross to get his cornerbacks to provide the picks.

Matt Matera: Thomas McGaughey Has New NFL Guidelines And New Gamers To Know

Bucs particular groups coordinator Thomas McGaughey – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not solely is Thomas McGaughey coming to the Bucs for the primary time having to rapidly meet and study his new gamers, however he additionally has to teach them up with a brand new set of kickoff guidelines this 12 months that even he isn’t terribly acquainted with. The NFL is adjusting their kickoff rule to what the the XFL was utilizing and it must be an enormous distinction within the return sport, making it extra vital.

Gamers on opposing groups will line up down the sector on the return staff’s 40-yard line, with the return staff itself on the 30-yard, simply 10 yards away from one another. There’s a “touchdown zone” wherein the kicker can kick the ball to and pressure a return, with the ball going ultimately zone as a conventional touchback. Protection models and blockers can’t begin shifting and making contact till the ball hits the bottom or is caught by the returner.

So McGaughey first has to determine who’s going to be the returner for the Bucs on this vital space of the sport. Rookie working again Bucky Irving must be a superb candidate, as there may be extra studying of the blocks with this new scheme, which units up completely for a participant with working again expertise. Jalen McMillan or Trey Palmer could be used as effectively for his or her velocity and athleticism. Deven Thompkins had the duty final 12 months because the Bucs’ major return specialist and might be within the dialog.

After that, McGaughey has to find out which personnel would be the finest for blocking on returns and tackling on protection models. How does he see this unit in comparison with the way it was ran in earlier seasons? There’s a variety of self-scouting that McGaughey has to do. Not less than he is aware of he’s bought a superb factor with punter Jake Camarda and kicker Chase McLaughlin going.

Bailey Adams: Kevin Carberry Has A Lot On His To-Do Record

Bucs OL coach Kevin Carberry – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

New Bucs offensive line coach Kevin Carberry has the hardest job this season due partly to the truth that he could have probably the most gadgets on his to-do checklist. A kind of duties on his checklist is probably one of many staff’s two greatest query marks heading into 2024, and that’s determining the inside of the offensive line.

This 12 months’s first-round choose, Graham Barton, and final 12 months’s second-round choose, Cody Mauch, will determine into the image a technique or one other. However Carberry and the remainder of the Bucs coaches have to determine that final spot.

Is it Sua Opeta or Ben Bredeson for an Opeta/Bredeson-Barton-Mauch inside? Or is sticking with Robert Hainsey at middle and shifting Barton to left guard one of the best ways ahead for this 12 months? Might sixth-round choose Elijah Klein begin at proper guard and kick Mauch to the left aspect? Carberry could have an enormous say in all of this, and far of the offseason might be spent figuring out the most effective reply.

Discovering the most effective beginning offensive line doable with the group of fellows within the room is on the prime of the checklist for Carberry, however he’ll even be tasked with overseeing enchancment from Mauch, who had his share of ups and downs as a rookie. Carberry may even want to verify proper deal with Luke Goedeke at the very least maintains his stage of play and doesn’t regress. Serving to the third-year professional minimize down on penalties is one other prime precedence.

There’s additionally the straightforward indisputable fact that Carberry has to develop two rookies in Barton and Klein, with Barton switching to a brand new place. And the previous Rams offensive line coach has to do all of this whereas being new to this job in Tampa Bay. Carberry does have a Professional Bowler at left deal with to assist put his thoughts comfortable, and at the very least has expertise from each faculty and the NFL to attract from. However this offseason might be essential for the Bucs’ new O-line coach.

Josh Queipo: Thad Lewis Now Has To Elevate A Properly-Paid Baker Mayfield

Bucs QBs coach Thad Lewis – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

Baker Mayfield achieved the purpose he got down to obtain final 12 months. Engaged on a journeyman quarterback contract he performed well-enough to earn some long-term safety and $40 million assured. The expectations that include that form of monetary funding might be far larger than these positioned on a high-upside participant that the Bucs took a flyer on.

Mayfield ranked High 10 in passing yards and touchdowns final 12 months whereas typically grading out as a High 15 quarterback general. That was in a season that noticed a number of starters miss massive swaths of the season because of damage. Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Justin Herbert and Anthony Richardson all missed important time.

Lewis might want to assist Mayfield in three key areas to assist construct upon that sturdy 2023 and assist elevate Mayfield into a real top-10 quarterback even when all of these different passers return to kind this 12 months. These areas will embrace working with Mayfield to regain the deep-ball success that highlighted Mayfield’s early-career. The Bucs quarterback was useless final in adjusted completion proportion amongst certified starters final 12 months.

Lewis has additionally spoken about how he’s already specializing in getting Mayfield to cease taking pointless hits. “We attempt to inform him, ‘Hey, if it’s going to value us, or value your self, it’s worthwhile to let it go,” Lewis mentioned at a latest press convention.

Mayfield was visibly hobbled late within the season because of varied accidents he suffered from taking additional contact. If Lewis may help Mayfield be smarter about when to not take hits it might enhance the offense by shear advantage of a more healthy quarterback. With a big contract assigned to a participant at crucial place on the sector, Lewis might be underneath a microscope to see if he can get much more out of Mayfield in his second 12 months with the Bucs.

Adam Slivon: Bryan McClendon Is In Cost Of Creating Younger WR Room

Bucs WR Coach Bryan McClendon – Photograph by: USA As we speak

After teaching within the faculty ranks since 2007, Bryan McClendon has made the large leap to the NFL after being employed by the Bucs this offseason. Very like he has performed at varied faculty applications over time, McClendon is now tasked with growing much more younger huge receivers. Whereas Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are long-established stars and among the best duos within the league, he might be trying to deliver alongside a 3rd wideout in offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s offense to take some stress off every of them.

There’s much more added stress in doing in order Godwin enters a contract 12 months, and with him being moved again into the slot, it creates a gap on the different exterior receiver place that may must be crammed by somebody who could make a big effect. Third-round choose Jalen McMillan and second-year receiver Trey Palmer are the subsequent two guys up, and will probably be vital that McClendon brings probably the most out of them to assist solidify the way forward for the receiver corps.

It can be crucial that somebody within the room steps up and that every of them can contribute in varied methods, and that extends to guys like Rakim Jarrett and Deven Thompkins. If every of the younger receivers can proceed their progress monitor underneath McClendon, it is going to solely elevate the offense to larger heights than final 12 months. He has the powerful job of rising a younger place full of promising gamers who must turn into extra well-rounded and take leaps in order that quarterback Baker Mayfield can replicate the success he skilled final season. Whereas the Mike and Chris Present has lengthy performed good numbers, a 3rd co-star will solely enhance the offensive rankings.