Did the Tampa Bay Bucs Get It Right With Tom Brady?

Two of the offseason’s biggest moves happened in the AFC East. First, the Buffalo Bills traded for Stephon Diggs. Buffalo needed someone to either thrust QB, Josh Allen, into greatness or prove it’s time to move on from him. Bills fans hope the second AFC move will get him there. The other move, of course, is Tom Brady moving on from the New England Patriots and signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With all the talent that is housed by the current Bucs offense, it was time for the team to move on from Jameis Winston. While the quarterback has been hit and miss, he’s missed just as much as he’s hit. With 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, the offense has shown their upside but it also reflects Winston’s poor decision making. Even when Winston has been at his best, statistically he’s been good but it never really leads to consistent wins.

That’s where Tom Brady comes in.

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By now, everyone knows Tom Brady’s resume. He’s one of the most winningest quarterbacks in league history. He’s set the records. He’s won the championships. He’ll more than likely get Tampa Bay to a 10 win season. With his two year contract, the Bucs commit enough time to Brady to allow them to groom his eventual replacement. While Brady brings the allure of a future Hall-of-Fame and potential Super Bowl back to Tampa Bay, they might be putting all their eggs into one basket.

One of the most important areas Tamp Bay will have to invest in their offensive line. Jameis Winston took 47 sacks last year but could’ve been contributed to his lack of decision making. If not, the Bucs will have to find a way to resolve their sacks before the regular season. Brady’s success is in large part by getting the football out of his hands quickly to his speedy slot-style receivers and big body tight ends.

Tampa Bay does have solid receivers for Brady to hit if plays can develop fast enough, but the Bucs have WRs who speed and cuts get them open. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, these types of receivers often need a few seconds longer to let plays develop and spread the field. In his prime that never hurt Tom Brady as his record-setting season came with Randy Moss stretching the field as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Bucs aren’t built like the 2007 Patriots, yet.

Another major concern for the Bucs is what will they do post-Brady. As it stands right now, once Winston is gone, it leaves them to win two journeyman QB Blaine Gabbert and stalled QB Ryan Griffin. Neither will replace Brady’s productivity if he goes down or once his contract is up.

This year’s draft is deep at quarterback but with Tom Brady on the roster, they’ll have to build around him. With that being said, at best they’ll get a quarterback in the third round needing a lineman and address some key positions on defense. If not they’re picking those positions in the later rounds where it’s less likely they’ll get an instant playmaker.

Then, if Brady does turn the Bucs around, they’ll still need their quarterback of the future in next year’s draft. By bringing the team up to a 10 win team and potentially a playoff spot, there’s a good chance they’ll draft late in next year’s draft as well. If Brady doesn’t get it done, Tampa will again try to address their needs around Brady thinking he’s plenty of quarterbacks to get it done. By doing so they’ll again address their quarterback needs in later rounds.

Right now, Tampa Bay is financing their future for Tom Brady to maybe bring them a championship within his two-year stint. When it’s all said and done, a quick fix sounds perfect but with the free-agent pool full of quarterbacks this offseason, Tampa Bay could’ve invested in the long haul. If their gamble doesn’t pay off, they’ll be right back at the bottom of their division when Brady hangs it up.