Bucs’ Biggest Challenge
July 30th, 2025
Stay healthy.
Joe always harps on this because it is true. It’s hard to put any faith in a team with a lousy pass defense. Especially in a passing league.
And this, types Jeff Chadiha of NFL.com, is the biggest challenge the Bucs will face in their quest to make a Super Bowl run.
In particular, Chadiha points at the Bucs’ secondary.
Tampa Bay had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last season, ranking 29th in passing yards allowed and producing just seven interceptions. The team responded by aggressively addressing the most obvious concern in the draft: cornerback. Second-round pick Benjamin Morrison will compete with veterans Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum on the outside, while third-round pick Jacob Parrish has a real shot at earning the job at nickel. The Bucs will face a series of talented receivers in the first month of the season — Atlanta’s Drake London, Houston’s Nico Collins, New York’s Garrett Wilson and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith — so the young players will have to grow up in a hurry.
To Joe, health is the biggest obstacle for the secondary. Antoine Winfield was a shell of himself last year due to injuries. And we all know Jamel Dean’s issues staying on the field.
If Winfield can return to his All-Pro self, and Dean can find a way to start, say, 15 games, the Bucs pass defense should take a sharp upward path. And yes, as of July 30, Dean will start at outside cornerback.
July 30th, 2025 at 7:23 am
Speaking of receivers, did you see Darnell Mooney got injured? Totally changes the week 1 game. Imagine if we just had 1 more turnover per game whether that is a punt, or INT, we would have had a way better win/loss ratio last year. I think if this defense steps up we will make big strides
July 30th, 2025 at 7:39 am
Making ‘in game’ adjustments would help. When something is NOT working, change things a bit.
July 30th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Most likely this will be Dean’s last year in Tampa. If he can’t stay healthy what’s the point at throwing money away at an older flawed player. Trade him for a future draft pick.
In the NFL it’s not for long
July 30th, 2025 at 8:23 am
Yes the pass defense was brutal last season, it often seemed like in game adjustments by the coaching staff were not a priority –
It also seems to me that if your DC loves to play zone… Having 6 total sacks from the starting edge rushers is a fail. I believe the last time Tampa had a player with double digit say they won the Superbowl, that can’t be a coincidence, especially with the same DC – so an improved rush from the outside combined with better more consistent play from the DBs should make a massive difference in the pass defense –
Tampa also needs to figure out how to get off the field on 3rd and 4th downs, they weren’t good at that either last season…
July 30th, 2025 at 8:32 am
Dean is soft.
July 30th, 2025 at 8:41 am
Try, I dont know, just maybe, stop putting DBs 10 yards off the LOS, and just maybe, not have DL covering pass catching RBs and slot receivers, find ILBs that run faster than 4.7, SVD ran a 4.63 and hes our great hope for the middle of the field, not trying to negative, cant do everything in 1 offseason, but if this season our pass degense is bottom 3rd, better pray Baker doesnt regress too much
July 30th, 2025 at 8:52 am
in a passing league “Tampa Bay had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last season, ranking 29th in passing yards allowed and producing just seven interceptions.”
let that sink in.
July 30th, 2025 at 9:02 am
Staying healthy was certainly a challenge last season, but not the only challenge. This defense has a coordinator that was below average as a full time coordinator trying to do the job on a part time basis. The injury challenge may not be as great this season. The coaching challenge remains the same.
July 30th, 2025 at 9:10 am
If we don’t pressure the QB, our pass defense will fail. It would also help if we became more aggressive with our scheme.
Seems like opposing WRs get wide open way too often.
July 30th, 2025 at 11:27 am
Repeating for the 1734th time, if the DBs continue to give 12 yard cushions while pass rushers drop into coverage, a group of HoF DBs in their prime would give up yards like Halloween candy.
What does Todd do differently, and can the players grasp their assignments instead of standing there like deer in headlights?
July 30th, 2025 at 11:36 am
Also, expected Bryce Hall, and he was gone before season.
Can’t ignore lack of edge pressure. Kancey missing at beginning. SirVocea hurt.
All if those also explain poor pass defense.
July 30th, 2025 at 11:38 am
We have veteran QBs that can play, while the Rookies get up to speed.
But the sooner we can replace Jamel Dean, the Better.
July 30th, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Izien outplayed Winfield last year.
If Winfield sucks again, he needs to be cut and we can use the money for our other players.
July 30th, 2025 at 1:18 pm
Injuries are always a problem with the Bucs defense, especially the secondary. Bowles has seen better days as a DC, think that the Bucs need a full time DC that isn’t always stuck with soft zone coverage or 5 or 6 man blitz’s which rarely work. Asking DLs to cover is crazy, doesn’t work. Philly got to the SB with a strong 4 man rush. Just sayin…
July 30th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
It wasn’t just last year.
Pass defense has been bad for several and gotten a bit worst I think over the last 3 years. I mean we’ve made some rookie QBs look all pro.
Honestly, I don’t know if it’s scouting defensive players for the draft, coaching players once they get here, strength and conditioning or if it’s designing a defense that doesn’t match the abilities of players on the roster. How can we hit on so many offensive linemen in the draft and suffer the opposite on the defensive side of the ball?
I will say this – I cannot find a HC who was also the DC on a Super Bowl winning team over the last 15 years. Plenty of HC’s with previous DC experience. Maybe it’s asking 1 guy to do too much.
July 30th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
Boomer – who is asking him to do both? Of course Licht and the Glazers would support hiring a DC if Bowles was so inclined. Bowles is delusional. He thinks he is the best DC in the league even on a part time basis. Results be damned! It must be injuries, poor tackling, poor effort, etc. it certainly cannot be my fault.
July 30th, 2025 at 2:16 pm
“I cannot find a HC who was also the DC on a Super Bowl winning team over the last 15 years.”
Raheem Morris.
July 30th, 2025 at 3:33 pm
It is commonly accepted that calling offensive plays is more difficult than calling D.
How many teams have HCs calling offensive plays or designing the offense?
Also – FYI – we have 2 DCs not named Todd. Todd is listed as HC.
July 30th, 2025 at 4:39 pm
What helps the pass defense is a good pass rush!! That brings us to the most overrated de-lineman in NFL Veta Vea! 17 mil a year for a defensive lineman who spins in circles like a toddler on the play ground. Hasn’t had a good year since nadomican suh. Cut ties and spend 17 mil elsewhere!
July 30th, 2025 at 5:58 pm
Boomer, spot on. Mr Twocoach is competitively disadvantaged. He has at most half the time his competitors have to do either job. We aren’t surprised by lack of preparation, lack of discipline, blown assignments, poor tackling, and lousy execution in general. Combine that with puzzling in game management decisions, use of timeouts, and a turtle mentality when his defense has proven to everyone that they suck. Still he leaned on them and lost at least four games because of it.
July 30th, 2025 at 6:45 pm
First of all, let’s get it correct.We have been awful and a lot of different areas for a lot of different. Let’s not just start harping on the past defense. Yes, it was bad last year, absolutely atrocious.I mean kirk cousins alone almost passed for 1000 yards and ten touchdowns. And then there’s Bo Nix and Jayden Daniel’s who made us look ridiculous AS ROOKIES nonetheless so yes maybe we should pull the defensive play calling authority away from Todd and let the DC do what he gets paid to do
July 31st, 2025 at 10:58 am
Third downs killed us. We could not stop anyone. TEs RBs WRs were running free.
This is not all on injuries and personnel. I hope Todd has it figured out. Having guys back is sure to help but an overall look at what teams were doing to us needs to happen.
Go Bucs!