Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart 2021: Predicting Week 1 Offensive and Defensive starters
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seen their lowest lows and highest highs over the last few NFL seasons. The Buccaneers were 5-11 in 2018 but won the Super Bowl just a couple of seasons later.
Winning the Super Bowl was great for the Buccaneers, but time keeps ticking and the 2020 season is now a distant memory. With 2021 right around the corner, it is time for the Buccaneers to start looking ahead. The first step is to set up the team's depth chart for 2021.
Here is what it will mostly look like.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 Depth Chart - Offense
Quarterback: Tom Brady, Kyle Trask
Running Back: Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard
Wide Receiver: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden, Josh Pearson
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, OJ Howard (co-starter), Cameron Brate, Tanner Hudson
Left Tackle: Donovan Smith, Brad Seaton
Left Guard: Ali Marpet, Robert Hainsey, Aaron Stinnie
Center: Ryan Jensen, Donell Stanley
Right Guard: Alex Cappa, Robert Hainsey, Aaron Stinnie
Right Tackle: Tristan Wirfs, Josh Wells
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 Depth Chart - Defense
Defensive End: Ndamukong Suh, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Benning Potoa'e, William Gholston, Steve McLendon, Patrick O'Connor
Nose Tackle: Vita Vea, Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Linebacker: Jason Pierre-Paul, Joe Tryon, Anthony Nelson, Shaquil Barrett, Joe Tryon, Anthony Nelson, Devin White, Joseph Jones, Lavonte David, KJ Britt
Cornerback: Carlton Davis, Ross Cockrell, Herb Miller, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, Chris Wilcox
Safety: Antoine Winfield Jr, Mike Edwards, Jordan Whitehead
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 Depth Chart - Special Teams
Kicker: Ryan Succop
Punter: Bradley Pinion
Punt Returner: Scotty Miller
Kick Returner: Tyler Johnson
Long Snapper: Zach Triner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart Analysis - Offense
Quarterback
The Buccaneers will enjoy having Tom Brady for at least another season. The 43-year-old quarterback is looked as dominant as ever, throwing 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2020. His tally of 40 touchdown passes last season was the second-most he's managed in a single campaign, trailing only his historic 2007 season where he threw 50.
If Brady were to go down to an injury, the Buccaneers would call upon 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask, who should be able to step in for a few games if needed. The rookie led a dominant offense in college and should feel right at home leading the Buccaneers' stacked offense.
Running back
Leonard Fournette will not be the starter in the 2021 season for the Buccaneers. Ronald Jones is coming off a year where he averaged 5.1 yards-per-carry and rushed for 978 yards. Fournette didn't play up to his potential in 2020, recording only 367 yards and earning a 59.8 PFF grade.
Giovani Bernard will be a decent third option for the Buccaneers. However, the Buccaneers will be hoping that they would not need to lean on him in the playoffs in a big way.
The roster will be a little light with only three running backs, but if there is an injury, the free agency pool is better than in most previous years. They'll be able to grab someone who can fill a backup role for a while if needed.
Wide receivers
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be the primary receivers for the Buccaneers. Evans has been one of the top receivers in the league for years. Godwin had a great season in 2020 hauling in 65 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned a grade of 80.3 per PFF.
Scotty Miller, who tallied 501 yards and three touchdowns and earned a 66.9 PFF grade in 2020, will be a decent third option for the Buccaneers. Lastly, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden and Josh Pearson should be able to step up when needed.
Tight end
Rob Gronkowski and OJ Howard will essentially share the starting role in 2021. At 32, Gronkowski is in the twilight years of his career and will be watched closely this upcoming season. If he starts to slip, OJ Howard will become the main tight end for the Buccaneers.
Cameron Brate and Tanner Hudson will step in if needed to help with jumbo running formations.
Offensive tackle
Donovan Smith will be covering Tom Brady's blindside in 2021. He played 962 snaps in 2020 and raked in 11 penalties while also giving up six sacks. He earned a PFF grade of 72.1 in 2020.
Tristan Wirfs will be the starter at right tackle for 2021. He played over 1000 snaps in 2020 and posted a PFF grade of 81.8. During the season, Wirfs was almost perfect as he only incurred three penalties and one sack.
Backing up those two will be Brad Seaton and Josh Wells. Wells has seen the field in the NFL before, unlike Seaton, who has been a practice squad player since 2017. In 2020, Wells played 111 snaps and gave up two sacks. Hopefully, the Buccaneers won't need their backup tackles in 2021.
Offensive guards
Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa will be the starting offensive guards. Marpet is expected to be as spectacular in 2021 as he was in 2020. He didn't allow a single sack and drew only three penalties. He also posted an 86.7 grade per PFF. Cappa is also expected to be great. He played 1070 snaps in 2020, gave up two penalties and posted a grade of 69.0.
Rookie Robert Hainsey and wild card Aaron Stinnie will be the backups.
Center
Ryan Jensen will start at center, with Donell Stanley acting as his backup. Jensen is the "weakness" in the Buccaneers' offensive line based on what he did in 2020. He played 1061 snaps and gave up four penalties while allowing four sacks. He posted a 64.9 grade for 2020.
Donell Stanley was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and the odds are that the Bucs would not want to see him on the field.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart Analysis - Defense
Defensive End
Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston will be the starters on the left and right side, respectively. Suh was decent for the Buccaneers in 2020 but appears to be on a pre-retirement slide. At 34, it seems this could be his final season.
William Gholston posted a 64.2 PFF grade and earned three sacks in 2020. Put simply, he is not exactly dominant but he can compete with offensive lines.
Behind those two, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Benning Potoa'e, Steve McLendon and Patrick O' Connor will serve as backups for the Buccaneers. This position could see big changes during the 2021 season depending on how Suh and Gholston play.
Overall, this is arguably the weakest position group for the Buccaneers heading into 2021.
Nose tackle
Vita Vea is the star of the defensive line for the Buccaneers. He is coming off a year with a 90.1 PFF grade. Granted, he only has two sacks but his job isn't to get to the quarterback. His main job is to push the center into the quarterback or the running back to create pressure. Rakeem Nunez-Roches will be Vea's backup in 2021.
Outside linebacker
Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett will cover up for the struggles of the interior defensive line of the Buccaneers. Jason Pierre-Paul posted a 69.2 PFF score in 2020 and earned 11 sacks. Meanwhile, Shaquil Barrett earned eight sacks and a 70.7 PFF grade in 2020.
Joe Tryon and Anthony Nelson will back them up but the Buccaneers absolutely cannot afford to lose Jason Pierre-Paul or Shaquil Barrett in 2020.
Middle linebacker
Devin White and Lavonte David will start in 2021. Devin White was one of the top linebackers in his draft class in 2019 but he has struggled in the NFL with the Buccaneers. His PFF grade has consistently been in the 40s. That said, White did tally 95 tackles in 2020.
Lavonte David carries the load in the middle of the field. He earned 94 tackles and posted a grade of 81.5 in 2020. Joseph Jones and KJ Britt will back them up. It would not be a surprise to see Jones push for the starting role over White in 2021 if he does not turn it around quickly.
Cornerback
Historically, cornerbacks have been an issue for the Buccaneers. But they might be turning that narrative around. In 2021, Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting will take on the top wide receivers of the league. Davis is solid but not a top-tier lockdown cornerback. That said, he earned a 67.6 PFF grade and four interceptions in 2020 which is quite good.
Murphy-Bunting is struggling a bit at this point in his career. He earned a 55.9 grade according to PFF, and earned one interception in 2020. He's only 24 years old but the Buccaneers will be hoping for improvement from him this season.
Behind them, Ross Cockrell, Jamel Dean, Chris Wilcox, and Herb Miller will take on lower-end receivers and step in for relief when needed. They should be able to handle lower-tier receivers well.
Safety
Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr. will be the starting safeties for the Buccaneers in 2021. In 2020, Whitehead was solid, earning a 66.3 PFF grade. Meanwhile, Antoine Winfield played about as well, earning a 67.1 PFF grade. They should be able to act as great double-teamers with cornerbacks and keep receivers in front of them on every play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart Analysis - Special teams
Scotty Miller will return punts and Tyler Johnson will return kickoffs. It would be smart for the Buccaneers to keep their top receivers out of these dangerous roles.
Bradley Pinion is not a terrible punter but he certainly does not shock teams with his ball placement. In other words, he pales in comparison to Johnny Hekker and Michael Dickson, two of the top punters in the league.
Zach Triner will be the long snapper and Ryan Succop will be the kicker. Triner is a reliable player and while Succop isn't perfect, he's a stable solution. He missed three field goals and five PATs in 2020.