With the NFL season just a few weeks away, Andy Benoit is previewing every NFL team in reverse order of last season’s finish. Up today: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 5–11 in 2017.
1. Bigger names than ex-Giant Jason Pierre-Paul and ex-Eagle Vinny Curry changed teams this offseason. But few, if any, will mean as much to their new clubs. Last year a feckless pass rush left the Bucs with a league-low 22 sacks and the NFL’s 32nd ranked pass defense. Coordinator Mike Smith’s classic two-deep zones simply had no chance. True, Pierre-Paul and Curry are not saviors.