The roster overhaul is complete. So say hello to the baby-faced Bucs

TAMPA — It was less than 20 months ago that Tom Brady walked out of the Raymond James Stadium locker room for the final time.

He would barely recognize the place if he came back today.

With the Bucs making their final preseason cuts this week, more than half the team has been replaced from Brady’s final season. If you want to go a step further, more than 70% of the roster has been remade since Bruce Arians stepped down as head coach prior to the 2022 season.

The NFL has always been a league of turnover, but the Bucs have been working overtime to revamp a roster that began aging quickly after winning the Super Bowl in the 2020 season. Some future Hall of Famers are gone, along with Pro Bowlers and a ton of 30-somethings. They’ve been replaced by a younger, cheaper, less heralded group of job seekers.

“The advantage is they can run in practice every day. You don’t have to hold too many people out,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “The disadvantage is, obviously, the experience. And them understanding and knowing things as they get ready.”

There were no major surprises among the final cuts, but Bowles did explain some of the more interesting choices for roster composition.

With new offensive coordinator Liam Coen preferring to use one tight end and three receivers for his base offense, it may seem unusual to carry four tight ends and only five receivers. Especially since two of the receivers are rookies (Jalen McMillan and Kameron Johnson) and Trey Palmer is a second-year player.

“We will play some more two tight end (sets), as well, so we need tight ends. They’re all up-and-coming,” Bowles said. “Ko (Kieft) can play some fullback, as well, so just for different personnel groupings we needed him.”

As usual, a lot of the final decisions came down to special teams contributions. With the NFL adopting new rules on kickoffs to cut down on full-speed collisions, Bowles said the Bucs needed to keep in mind that more linebackers, tight ends, running backs and possibly defensive linemen will be used in kicking situations.

“It becomes more (about) versatility. How versatile can you be at the back end of the roster (on) special teams?” Bowles said. “It kind of comes down to that because when you get injuries during the season, you have a guy that can go in and play. So, that’s important for us.”

Altogether, there are 13 new faces on the roster in 2024. Seven are draft picks, two were undrafted free agents (Johnson and cornerback Tyrek Funderburk) and four were relatively low-cost veteran free agents (guard Ben Bredeson, defensive lineman Earnest Brown, cornerback Bryce Hall and defensive back Tavierre Thomas).

Bowles said the Bucs will keep an eye on other teams as cuts are announced around the league to see if there is a possibility of an upgrade at certain positions.

“I’m not going to say we’re done (with moves), but I’m not going to say we’re going to go out and just take anybody,” Bowles said.

After employing more than 20 players who were 30 or older in 2022 — including 13 who started games — the Bucs have only three 30-somethings this season. Lavonte David is the oldest at 34 followed by William Gholston (33) and Mike Evans (31).

“The biggest thing is how many young guys we have in the building. Young guys are getting so much better coming into the league,” said receiver Chris Godwin, who is beginning his eighth season in the NFL. “I’m excited for those guys to get their opportunities. We’ve got a couple of young guys in our (receiver) room that this is going to be their first NFL regular season. I remember that time for me and how exciting that was.”

John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.

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