Tune in to the ?Ultimate Betting Show? on NESN on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET for daily training camp previews. Next up: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2023 season with a relatively talented group of players. However, there’s one absence that should loom pretty large.
It’s a new era in Tampa Bay following the retirement of Tom Brady. The legendary quarterback has hung ’em up — seemingly for good, this time — and now the Bucs find themselves in a bit of a transitional period.
There’s not much buzz surrounding Tampa Bay entering the 2023 campaign. Such is life when you go from Brady to a trio of Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask and John Wolford under center. Again, there’s some talent in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs are pushing back against the notion of this being a rebuild.
The NFC South looks wide open, so perhaps the Buccaneers could sneak up on some people, especially if Mayfield is able to perform as he did for the Rams late last season. But without anything resembling a franchise QB, this could be a major step back for the Bucs.
2022 in review
8-9 overall (lost in wild-card round)
4-13-1 ATS
6-12-0 over/under
Key offseason additions
RB Chase Edmonds
K Chase McLaughlin
DB Ryan Neal
OT Matt Feiler
Key offseason losses
QB Tom Brady
G Shaq Mason
RB Leonard Fournette
TE Cameron Brate
Look ahead to 2023 (via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Super Bowl: +7500
Conference: +5000
Division: +750
Win total: 6.5 (under -142)
To make playoffs: Yes +360 | No -500
2023 award contenders
Offensive Player of the Year: Mike Evans +17000
Defensive Player of the Year: Antoine Winfield Jr. +15000
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Calijah Kancey +2500
Coach of the Year: Todd Bowles +5000
2023 outlook
It’s probably not going to be a very fun season for Bucs fans, but that’s kind of what you get after selling your soul to the devil in exchange for Tom Brady. Quite frankly, the offense was a major issue, and it cost coordinator Byron Leftwich his job. Dave Canales takes over there, and Tampa Bay hopes he can work similar magic after helping Geno Smith revitalize his career in Seattle.
The Bucs’ defense is their strength. They have studs at all three levels and invested significant draft capital on that side of the ball. Bowles is a defensive-minded head coach, too. This unit could look downright dominant at times, especially in a division where Derek Carr, Bryce Young and Desmond Ridder are expected to call the shots for their respective squads. All are probably better than Mayfield, but none of them are likely to contend for All-Pro status or anything like that. The Buccaneers could be a pest in the division, assuming the defense plays to its capabilities.
Bettors might want to get out in front of the totals, hammering the unders early in the season. It probably won’t be long before we’re seeing totals in the low 40s for Bucs games. And if you think this team has a sliver of a chance at the playoffs, it might be best to bet them to win the division at +750, for twice the profit of a “make the playoffs” bet. A sub-.500 record could get the job done in the South, but no sure thing the division gets a wild-card team despite how down the NFC looks. If you wanna get really crazy, Bowles’ 50-1 Coach of the Year odds are the longest in the league.
