Depth Is A Secret Weapon?
June 17th, 2025
Is it possible the Buccaneers roster is so loaded that national analysts are throwing in the towel on picking it apart?
Joe’s starting to get that vibe.
The NFL Daily crew of Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, NFL Network’s Patrick Claybon and Jourdan Rodrigue of TheAthletic.com set out to identify a “secret weapon” for every team.
They failed miserably when it came to the Bucs, Joe believes.
Rodrigue went with Emeka Egbuka. Um, what exactly is “secret” about a first-round pick from a high-profile receiver factory like Ohio State?
Rosenthal didn’t put a lot of time into his take, it seems. He said “just great depth at the skill positions” is the Bucs’ secret weapon.
Rosenthal detailed the Bucs’ running backs depth but also seemed to take a backhanded slap at Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. “They don’t have two great receivers, they have four to five really promising ones,” he said.
Joe knows there’s only one secret when it comes to the Bucs offense, especially with all starters returning. That’s the young dude holding the playsheet, Josh Grizzard.
Half of Tampa doesn’t know how to pronounce his name and Joe would bet a few bucks that if the Bucs’ rookie offensive coordinator walked through, say, the Countryside Mall in Clearwater, nobody would stop him for a high-five or scream “Go Bucs!” in his direction.
National NFL analysts, other than Ryan Fitzpatrick, tend to just gloss over Grizzard’s status because the Bucs’ offense was great last season and Todd Bowles has had a track record of hiring capable coordinators. Grizzard is a true NFL secret — and hopefully, a weapon.