Ranking Bucs positions.
It’s one thing to be a spreadsheeter. It’s quite another to pretend you’re some sort of football Nostradamus.
But that’s just what Mike Clay of BSPN did. Clay, a spreadsheeter, claims in his voodoo economics of stat crunching and wishful thinking, he predicted the Bucs 2020 team to go from rotten to damn good.
Gee, that year the Bucs signed Tom Brady. Who could have ever guessed having Brady on your team might just make it a playoff team? Who’d a thunk?
Clay revealed this ephiphany he had five years ago as he ranked every position group in the NFL. For the Bucs, here are the position groups and where Clay [has them ranked](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45908900/2025-nfl-season-positional-group-best-worst-quarterbacks-cornerbacks-receivers) in the NFL.
Quarterback (9), running backs (12), receivers (3), tight end (not ranked), offensive line (8), interior defensive line (not ranked), outside linebacker (not ranked), off-ball linebacker (not ranked), cornerback (14), safety (not ranked). _Overall:_ 9th.
Clay did confess that had Godwin been healthy, he would have been hard-pressed not to rank the Bucs as having the No. 1 wide receiver room.
Naturally, Joe has some thoughts.
\* Quarterbacks: Nine is about right.
\* Running backs: It seems No. 12 is awfully low. Given how Rachaad White is a weapon in the passing game, and Sean Tucker could likely start for some teams, Joe would have Bucs running backs no lower than No. 10.
\* Receivers: No quibble with No. 3 without Godwin.
\* Tight ends: Clay only ranked the top-16 at each position. No, Joe doesn’t think the Bucs’ tight end room is in the top half of the league.
\* So a guy who used to work for the PFF tribe doesn’t know his head from a hole in the ground when it comes to an offensive line. Figures. The Bucs had a top-five line last year and the entire line returns. Now if you are factoring in no Tristan Wirfs, well, OK. With Wirfs the Bucs might be top-three at worst.
\* Defensive interior: Remember that this Clay once worked for the PFF tribe. And the PFF tribe brainwashes anyone connected with them that their dumbass grades are Gospel and that anyone who doesn’t sing the same hymns is beneath them and their dumbass grades. So Joe is going to guess Clay dinged the Bucs for not cutting Calijah Kancey. And yeah, that’s a stupid thought. Joe is pretty confident the defensive interior line is the strongest group of the defense.
\* Outside linebackers: No way Joe can have this unit in the top half of the league. No, not even with Haasson Reddick.
\* Off-ball linebacker: Not even a unit led by Lavonte David can bring Bucs inside linebackers to No. 16? _#Fail_
\* Cornerbacks: No. 14 seems awfully generous for corners on a team that had the bottom-five pass defense the past two years running.
\* Safeties: Joe cannot argue with the Bucs not being ranked here. The entire Bucs pass defense stunk, including the safeties, last year.
Joe is beginning to sweat injuries. First it was Chris Godwin. Then Tristan Wirfs. Now Antoine Winfield. Bucs can’t have any more injuries to its star players.