When looking back, six key offensive starters in four drafts, including Winston, looks pretty darn good. Howard (first round) and wide receiver Chris Godwin (third round).
But that class of '15 now will be more remembered for two second-round cornerstones of the offensive line, left tackle Donovan Smith and left guard Ali Marpet. Licht also signed tight end Cameron Brate as an undrafted free agent.Īfter a shaky 2016 class, the Bucs rebounded with tight end O.J. 1 overall, Licht's hand was forced into taking Jameis Winston, at that time seen as a can't-miss franchise quarterback. Licht's first draft in 2014 wasn't very good overall, but it did land a key Buccaneers star: wide receiver Mike Evans at No. The 2020 Buccaneers and the NFL Draft: From big splashes to pirated stars
SUPER BOWL PICKS: Against the spread | Straight-up predictions Here's a breakdown of how they were constructed under Licht, proving they were smart to be patient with him as a the personnel decision-maker. But Brady and those offensive reinforcements wouldn't have helped put the Bucs over the top without a solid, all-around foundation. With players such as Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown and Leonard Fournette arriving along with Brady, it might seem to those away from Tampa Bay that the Bucs were more mercenary and less methodical in developing a championship-caliber roster. That's what set up the opportunity of "going all in" with the signing of Brady to make the overdue jump to an 11-5 record. Since Jason Licht became the team's general manager in 2014, there has been a quiet stockpiling of talent, mainly through the draft and some through free agency. The Bucs went through three more head coaches until Bruce Arians was hired in 2019.īut they've building to playing in a home Super Bowl for half that time. When leaving the Patriots as a free agent, he picked a team that was ripe for a big breakthrough - all the way to playing the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.īefore Brady arrived to turn Tampa Bay into a wild-card team turned NFC champion, it had missed the playoffs for 12 consecutive seasons, going back to the end of the Jon Gruden era. Tom Brady didn't choose to sign a two-year deal with the Buccaneers on a whim.