Todd Bowles and Jason Licht spoke with the media this week before the NFL Combine got underway in Indianapolis. Licht started by recapping the season, calling it “a fun season.”
“In some regards, it was a very, very fun season. We dug ourselves a hole and got out of it, and it was great to see with our young players. I’ve never seen a more cohesive group. The chemistry in the locker room is off the charts. And I think that played a huge role in it.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated by the Washington Redskins in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, and if the Bucs are to stay competitive, they will need to shore up the defense.
The Bucs will be scouting some players this week in Indianapolis who can hopefully help the team stay competitive and return to the Super Bowl.
Licht also said that the Buccaneers are in talks with wide receiver Chris Godwin and linebacker Lavonte David. With free agency beginning on March 12th, Licht is confident that a deal with Godwin can be reached. He reiterated that the team is monitoring Godwin’s injury.
“The facts are he had a serious injury and missed a lot of time,” Licht said. “There’s still some uncertainty with any injury like that at this point. We’ve just got to make a good decision.”
Licht is hoping that the Bucs can sign Godwin to a new contract. “Hopefully, we can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization, to all of us individually, but to the organization as a whole. I mean, nobody has been more resilient than him.”
Todd Bowles is hoping that Lavonte David decides to return for another season. “He hasn’t let me know one way or the other. Hopefully, he can come back.”
The Buccaneers did make a roster move this week, choosing not to resign safety Jordan Whitehead. Not resigning Whitehead will save the Bucs $4.5 million against the cap. Bowles said the Bucs would play Tykee Smith at safety, and Christian Izien would replace Smith in safety. Bowles said that they have been discussing these moves this off-season.
“He’s very comfortable at safety but he’s our best nickel. Safety obviously stays on the field 100% of the time, and with the nickel, probably 75% of the time, and he wants to be on the field all the time. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to play nickel, but he can play more in the base defense.”
Licht did address the clock management issue, which has been a point of contention for Bucs fans.
“He’s very transparent about wanting to improve on those things,” Licht said. “I remember when I was working for the Eagles back in ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, the same criticism was on Andy Reid, and he’s one of the best coaches of all time.”
Licht sounds confident that Bowles will improve his clock management. “The good ones adjust and the good ones know how to improve themselves, and I think Todd is looking to do that.”
Bowles also said he is looking for ballhawks to help improve the Buccaneers defense.
“Right now, for me? I want Ballhawks, whether that’s a down guy, a defensive lineman, or whether he bats balls down or gets strip sacks. Whether that’s an outside linebacker, who does it. Whether that’s a linebacker, who can punch the ball out or get turnovers. Whether that’s a safety who can hit and jar the ball loose and get turnovers. Whether that’s the corner with a nose for the ball, we need ball hawks. We need turnovers.”
The Bucs had only seven interceptions this past season, which ranked 28th in the NFL. This was the Bucs’ lowest total since the 2019 season. One reason the total was so low was the pass rushers’ inability to consistently pressure the quarterback.
James Pearce Jr. of Tennessee, Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M, and Mykel Williams of Georgia should all be available when the Buccaneers pick at number 19 overall.