Four Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will shine as rookies in 2022

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the heavy betting favorites when it comes to Super Bowl victory odds. Find out why four rookies could be the key to going on another deep playoff run.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have transformed their franchise as fast as any ever has in the history of the sport. Mired in obscurity for much of the past two decades, Tom Brady came to town and the rest is history. His first season in Tampa led to a Lombardi trophy, giving the team their second Super Bowl ring and Brady his seventh. Things did not end as well in the 2021 season, but there were still a number of positives to build upon.

First and foremost, Tom Brady continued to play at a high level in his 22nd season as an NFL quarterback. Many argued, myself included, that Brady deserved the league MVP award. Alas, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers took home his second straight MVP instead. As far as the team goes, they went out swinging against the eventual champions — the Los Angeles Rams.

Following a disappointing playoff loss, Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL. At long last, Brady’s time atop the league had come to an end. Teams around the league rejoiced as their “boogeyman” was finally gone and out of the picture. Well… for awhile at least. Brady got the itch to return, a surprise to very few, and he officially filed for reinstatement on March 13th.

A couple key contributors from their 2021 season were brought back for another run with Brady in 2022, but a few found new homes. Carlton Davis, Leonard Fournette and Chris Godwin re-upped with the Bucs, but they did lose starting guard Alex Cappa to the Cincinnati Bengals. Ali Marpet decided to hang ‘em up and Ryan Jensen recently suffered a major injury that is expected to keep him out for the entire upcoming season.

The offensive line will be shaky some weeks, but with Tristan Wirfs and Shaq Mason leading the way, there’s still plenty of reason for optimism around the unit. The Bucs signed three veteran pass catchers next. Julio Jones and Russell Gage add their names to a wide receiver group that features Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Kyle Rudolph was brought in to serve the role vacated by Robert Gronkowski, who opted to retire following the 2021 season.

The final major change of the off-season took place with the coaching staff. For awhile, it seemed like offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was destined to become the new head coach in Jacksonville. The move ultimately fell through, but surprisingly Bruce Arians retired abruptly, leaving the franchise in limbo. Rather than promoting Leftwich or making an outside hire, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles took over the reins. He will be looking to prove that the front office made the right choice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Four rookies that will shine in 2022

As you can tell, the Bucs are still in very good hands. They have a loaded roster and a coaching staff that consists of tons of invaluable experience. All of this sounds great, but in order to get past the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams, they’ll need some assistance from their rookie class. There are four players that the team drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft that realistically could play crucial roles.