Bucs Hoping To Unearth “Real Gems” With Rookie Class

Earlier this week, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht spoke to the media leading up to the start of training camp. Over the past calendar year, a lot has changed in terms of player personnel.

From having the oldest roster in the NFL last season with the average player age at 27.1 years old, a dramatic shift has been underway as the team let plenty of age walk the plank in favor of a new wave of rookies.

Of the current 90-man roster prior to cutdowns, 27 players, or 30%, are either drafted or undrafted rookies. While there is a lack of NFL experience among them, there is plenty of room to develop, grow, and find a path to regular playing time.

Younger Roster Does Not Faze Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Adam Slivon/PR

The talk of having a younger team does not faze head coach Todd Bowles. In fact, he was quick to point out the benefits of having younger players.

“They can practice more, you’ve got fresh legs, obviously, but it varies,” Bowles said. “Even when we won the Super Bowl, we had young guys in the secondary. You’re going to have to play young guys when they come into the league.

“As long as we can teach them the game – and they can understand situational football – it doesn’t matter how old you are. If you’re a good player, we’re going to play you.”

The talk of the offseason has been how the Bucs have extracted plenty of value from a 2023 NFL Draft mine lacking much high-end, blue-chip talent. Similar to the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s, the Bucs will look to strike it big if some of their prospects pan out.

Expect A Lot Of Rookies To Make The Team

Of course, there are the team’s eight draft picks, with Calijah Kancey and Cody Mauch leading the group. Beyond the players selected in April, over 20 players on the roster joined as undrafted free agents.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, DT Calijah Kancey and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A handful have been impressive and slipped through the cracks after being projected to be drafted. Most notably, that includes running back Sean Tucker, wide receivers Rakim Jarrett and Kade Warner, cornerback Keenan Isaac, and safeties Chris Izien and Kaevon Merriweather. Bowles commented further on the talent of the entire rookie class.

“In the spring, it’s been one of the more talented rookie classes that I’ve been a part of, free agent-wise and draft pick-wise,” Bowles said. “Looking for a lot of guys to have a chance to make this team.

“It’s been as competitive as it’s been since I’ve been here as far as depth from every position. There are a lot of guys that could have been drafted that didn’t, that came on as free agents, that have really impressed in mini-camp.”

For a team with its sights set on an NFC South three-peat, it will have to be done differently this season. No longer is it a veteran-laden team that sets the tone. Now it is almost solely on the younger contributors to step up and figure it out.

“We’ve lost a lot of guys that were staples on this team, but we’ve added a lot of guys that work hard,” Bowles said. “The chemistry, culture, and camaraderie is a little different – not going to say better – but it’s different. You can win a lot of ways, and you can find a lot of ways to win. I think we found that way in the past, and we’ve found a different way now that we think is going to work for us. I’m excited to see how it comes together.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht Did Some Dollar Store Shopping

Mining for gold is just one analogy in the Bucs’ attempt to find value this offseason. General manager Jason Licht had another for what the cap-challenged franchise had to overcome to fill out the roster in the draft and free agency.

“It makes you go out and have to get real deals,” Licht said. “Shop at the dollar store, and sometimes you find a real gem. We’re hoping that’s the case where right now we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ve found some real gems.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Adam Slivon/Pewter Report

Both Bowles and Licht share the same sentiment about the rookie class, and it is likely that plenty of guys will get an extended look over the next couple of weeks as training camp commences.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about that – both my staff and myself and Todd – about how impressed we are with the rookie class,” Licht said. “Not just the drafted players but the undrafted players. I think there could be quite a few undrafted players that make it as well.

“That’s just a testament to the scouting department [doing] a fantastic job digging those guys out. We’ve got some players in the secondary; I know we’ve talked about [Chris] Izien, [Kaevon] Merriweather, and [Keenan] Issac. Players along receiver, we’ve got [Taye] Barber and [Rakim] Jarrett, [Kade] Warner.”

Licht has been the general manager since 2014, but this crop of rookies has made him more excited than previous yields.

“I don’t think since I’ve been here we’ve had this many undrafted free agents coming out of the spring that we’re excited as we are watching going into training camp,” Licht said.

While plenty of eyes will be rightfully fixated on the quarterback competition, one should also note just how impactful the Bucs’ rookie class will be. Plenty of players have impressed already, and it is only a matter of time before there are more who make a name for themselves this summer.