One year ago, the Saints walked into Tampa and changed the shape of the Buccaneers’ season. What looked like a routine home win for a team chasing the NFC South turned into a 24-20 New Orleans upset, and the ripple effect hit hard.
Tampa Bay was 7-5 entering that Week 14 game and still in control of its division fate. After the loss, the slide got ugly fast: 7-6 became 7-7, then 7-8, then 7-9, and even a win in the finale couldn’t save the Bucs from a tiebreaker that knocked them out of the playoffs for the first time this decade.
The Saints didn’t make the postseason either, but they finished last season with something to build on. Their late-season surge was driven by rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who looked far more like a spark than a stopgap. Over New Orleans’ four-game winning streak, Shough threw four touchdown passes without an interception, completed 71% of his throws, and twice topped 300 passing yards.
That performance is a big reason Shough is set to open this year as the starter again. It also gives New Orleans a real chance to avoid another offensive slog, because last season’s numbers were brutal. No NFC team scored fewer points than the Saints, who finished with 306, or 18 per game.
The front office attacked the problem in a major way. New Orleans brought in guard David Edwards on a four-year, $61 million contract and added running back and receiver production with Travis Etienne Jr., who posted 1,399 all-purpose yards last season, on a four-year deal that could reach $52 million. Then came the draft move that may matter most: with the eighth pick, the Saints selected Arizona State receiver Jordan Tyson.
Tyson was the top receiver in the class behind Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, who went third overall to the Tennessee Titans. He joins a receiver room that already includes Chris Olave, who turned 26 in June and has three 1,000-yard seasons already on his résumé.
If Tyson and Olave click the way New Orleans hopes, this offense has a much different ceiling than the one that dragged the Saints through last year. And if that happens, the Bucs may be the team looking over its shoulder again.
In Other News...
Young Buccaneers Have A Real Chance To Shake Up The Depth Chart
The Buccaneers head into their first preseason game against the Jets carrying plenty of interest beyond the usual August box score, especially after a week of joint practices gave the staff a longer look at the roster. Training camp has already put a few young players in the spotlight, and this is the stage where those practice reps start turning into something more meaningful as roster decisions begin to come into focus.
Bauer Sharp, Garnes, Walker and Patterson are among the names worth tracking because each has shown enough in camp to suggest there could be a path onto the depth chart. Preseason games are where that promise has to travel with them, though, and for players fighting for spots, the difference between looking intriguing and looking indispensable often comes down to what happens once the pads come on in game action. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Face A Preseason QB Decision Against The Jets
The Buccaneers first joint practice with the Jets brought an unwelcome twist to a preseason week that was supposed to be about ramping up for game action. Backup quarterback Jake Browning went down after being rolled up on during the opening session, leaving his status for Tampa Bays first preseason game in question and forcing the team to quickly adjust its quarterback plans.
Todd Bowles said the Buccaneers would turn to second-year quarterback Connor Bazelak if Browning is unable to go, with rookie Jalon Daniels also expected to get on the field. For a team using the preseason to sort out depth and see who can handle live work under pressure, the situation adds a little more urgency to a game that already mattered for evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Fans Have Every Reason To Mock Carolinas Latest Move
The Panthers added another familiar name to the NFC South mix by signing tight end Darren Waller to a one-year contract, a move that fits Carolinas recent habit of taking low-risk swings on players with real upside. For Buccaneers fans, it is the kind of transaction that invites a little side-eye, especially when it involves a former Pro Bowl talent whose resume still carries more reputation than recent availability.
Waller did find the end zone six times last season with the Dolphins, so the ceiling is still easy to see if he can stay on the field. The problem, as Carolina is well aware by now, is that his recent career has been defined just as much by injuries and limited playing time as by big-game potential, which leaves this latest gamble looking a lot like another hope-based bet in a division that rarely gives out many clean breaks. [Read more 🡒]