Early Look at the Detroit Lions opponents: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston is the future of the Buccaneers franchise by all appearances. He is the new gunslinger with a freakishly strong arm. That throwing velocity has given him confidence, and he does put the ball at risk, much like Matthew Stafford used to. Winston gives his receivers the opportunity to make plays. Of course, that also allows defenders to make plays, and they did 18 times in 2016. Winston threw for over 4000 yards for the second time in his two year career, and he increased his touchdown output to 28. Perhaps, more importantly, he completed more than 60% of his passes.

The Bucs need Winston to limit his turnovers to take the next step offensively. Their Backup is Ryan Fitzpatrick, so the job is not contested, but Fitzpatrick has a history of stepping in and taking over a team when he is not expected to be the starter. If Winston goes down it’s possible the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can salvage their season.

Wide Receivers

Mike Evans is all world. He is a massive man, with more than enough speed and agility to play the position. And play the position he does. Evans represents the most difficult question that the Lions have to answer in the 2016 season. They simply do not have anyone that can match him alone. To make matters worse, the Bucs added DeSean Jackson. Jackson is exactly the kind of speed demon that can make teams pay for overloading the field toward Evans.

Three players will do battle for the third wide receiver spot. Chris Godwin was a third round pick in the 2017 draft. He will likely get an opportunity to grasp the role. Adam Humphries is a better fit as the slot receiver however and had 55 catches for the Bucs last year. Schematically he is a better fit, if less talented than Goodwin. An interesting name to watch in the preseason is Derel Walker. Walker recorded 198 catches, for 2699 yards in his two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football league. He is a dynamic athlete, but a bit undersized for the NFL. The Bucs gave him a $100k signing bonus. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers think he is going to give them something.

Tight End

O.J. Howard turned a lot of heads during his college career. Wishful thinkers wondered aloud if the Lions might select Howard in the first round. He did not last long enough for that to happen and for good reason. Howard is one of those rare college tight ends who can block at an acceptable level for the NFL in addition to his receiving duties. Lions fans are well aware of how steep the learning curve can be, for a highly drafted tight end though, and Howard is not without competition for snaps.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have Cameron Brate on the roster. Brate was a surprise fantasy superstar last season, with 57 receptions and eight touchdowns. The Buccaneers will have a solid one two punch in the red zone and on short yardage plays.