Arguably no team is “starting over” more this NFL season than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they have gone from one of the league’s marquee franchises to an afterthought now that Tom Brady is retired.

A Closer Look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 NFL Season

Great to have you back, Krewe #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/XYtT7CCHPM

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) July 30, 2023

• NFL Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles — 7:15 p.m. ET (ABC)
• NFL Week 4: at New Orleans Saints — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 5: BYE
• NFL Week 6: vs. Detroit Lions — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 8: at Buffalo Bills — 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 9: at Houston Texans — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 10: vs. Tennessee Titans — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers — 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 12: at Indianapolis Colts — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 13: vs. Carolina Panthers — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 15: at Green Bay Packers — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars — 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 18: at Carolina Panthers — TBD (TBD)

Starting Over

The Buccaneers had the worst ATS record in the NFL last season (4-12-1). That .250 cover percentage was tied for the worst by any team in the last eight seasons.

Brady had never finished with a losing record as an NFL starting QB but the Bucs finished last year at 8-9 when they lost 30-17 in the regular season finale in Atlanta. Brady was pulled early from that one because the result didn’t matter. Tampa Bay won the NFC South despite that losing record. TB12’s final NFL game would then be a home 31-14 Divisional Round loss to Dallas on Jan. 16. Brady had been unbeaten career against the Cowboys.

Brady threw a career-high 66 passes, completing 35 of them for 351 yards, including second-half touchdowns of 30 yards to Julio Jones and 8 yards to Cameron Brate. He was sacked twice and also threw a costly interception — a second-quarter, end-zone pick from the Dallas 5 that prevented the Bucs from potentially taking the lead when they were only trailing 6-0. That really changed the game.

Mayfield Has Arrived

So now it’s likely Baker Mayfield’s team for 2023 as the former No. 1 overall pick is expected to beat out Kyle Trask for the starting job. Mayfield, 28, landed in Tampa Bay this offseason after signing a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the squad in March. Trask, the Buccaneers’ second-round pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, sat behind Brady the last two seasons.

Mayfield has looked to be the leader since minicamp, but the coaching staff and front office have cautioned against making early predictions. Coach Todd Bowles said they won’t name a starter until sometime during the preseason, which gets underway Aug. 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“People can have in their head, ‘Well, it seems like it’s for sure going to be this person or it’s not going to be this person,’ but until we’re out there, anything can happen,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun just to really focus on how this is going to play out.”

Mayfield had a nice finish to the 2022 season after he landed with the Rams following a messy stint in Carolina. But he still ultimately finished last in the NFL in Total QBR (24.6) and completion percentage over expectation (minus-6.9%, per NFL Next Gen Stats tracking). Trask has thrown a total of nine career passes in the NFL.

Can the Roster Live Up to Expectations?

Regardless, the offense will look different than the scheme the club ran under former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich the last four years, with the Bucs hiring longtime Seahawks Pete Carroll assistant Dave Canales to replace him this offseason. Seattle had the sixth-most passing attempts in the league last year from outside the pocket (97 compared to the Bucs’ 20, which was last in the league).

Rachaad White takes over the starting tailback role in his second year in the league. He has set a goal of becoming the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin in 2015. White was on the field for just 39 percent of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps as a rookie in 2022, but with Leonard Fournette now off the roster following his March release, the path to primary early down duties is clear. Also projected to work in White’s favor is the fact Canales is expected to place more emphasis on the running game. Tampa finished last in the league last season with 75.6 rushing yards per game.

Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 last season, has been participating fully in training camp. Barrett has not only had to work through the pain of the injury, but also the devastation of losing his 2-year-old daughter Arrayah, who drowned in the family pool in April.

However, first-round rookie defensive tackle Calijah Kancey went down grabbing his right leg after a drill during Sunday’s practice and was carted off the field. For now, it’s being called a calf strain but the team is waiting on an MRI. It could be a race against time to be ready for Week 1. Kancey had 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in two years at Pitt and has been compared to former Pitt star Aaron Donald of the Rams.

Will 2023 Any Different from Last Season?

Tampa Bay has one of the easier schedules in the league as its opponents combined for a .483 winning percentage last year, but the Bucs are 6.5-point underdogs for Week 1 at Minnesota and might not be favored on the road all year. The Vikings won the NFC North for the first time since 2017 and earned the third seed in the conference playoff field with a 13-4 record but were upset in the playoffs by the Giants and cut loose Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook this offseason.

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READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide