There is nothing better to do in the offseason than put on your teaching glasses, pick up the red pen, and look over each team’s offseason. Especially right before training camp, the dust has settled on everything, and it allows for a clear image to be seen of every team.
That philosophy is what ESPN’s Seth Walder worked with when he released his latest offseason grades for every team. Within the grades, Walder also included his favorite and least favorite moves of each team from the past couple of months.
For the Bucs, Walder gave Tampa Bay’s offseason a solid B+ grade. He did highlight the best move they made was sticking with re-signing fan favorite Chris Godwin Jr., while their worst was signing the low-risk, high-reward Haason Reddick.
He explains, writing, “The biggest move was keeping Godwin. The 29-year-old was scorching hot in the seven games he played in 2024 — averaging 2.5 yards per route run — before a dislocated left ankle knocked him out for the season. I think it’s important to not overweight that seven-game sample (we have a much larger sample of Godwin being good but not elite), but the Bucs didn’t pay him elite money. His three-year deal cost $22 million per year (with $44 million fully guaranteed), which is a fair amount but a bit off the pace of the game’s best No. 2 receivers. It made sense to bring him back at that price. . .Tampa Bay also took what I thought was a worthwhile gamble on Reddick at one year, $14 million. Reddick is coming off a lost season that featured a long contract standoff, 10 games played and only one sack. But Reddick has been an elite pass rusher (he posted double-digit sacks every year from 2020 to 2023) and could help Todd Bowles’ defense if he bounces back.”
Godwin coming back to play alongside Mike Evans will allow for the offense to maintain it’s rhythm that it had with previous coordinators. While they have Jalen McMillan and rookie Emeka Egbuka waiting in the wings, the team has made it clear they are still heavily invested in the veterans of the wide receiver position.
As for Haason Reddick, I believe this move should stop being criticized, in my opinion. The Bucs swung for the fences with it, and if he hits, the Bucs defense takes a massive step in the right direction. Could he fizzle out? Sure, but we aren’t even to training camp yet, so we all need to take a deep breath.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What grade did ESPN give the Buccaneers 2025 offseason?
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
