Early Look at the Detroit Lions opponents: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cornerback

Brent Grimes has been breaking the rule that NFL cornerbacks need to be 6′ tall to play on the outside for his entire career. He has had four or more interceptions in four straight seasons. He also defended 24 passes last year and was PFF’s top rated corner in the NFL. At 34 years of age, Grimes has to lose a step at some point but has shown no signs that he’s done yet.

Vernon Hargreaves played a passive game as a rookie in 2016. He was looking to avoid getting beat deep and giving up a lot of receptions underneath. When a corner has 76 tackles, that is not usually a sign that he had a good season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been talking up his need to take more chances and be the player they drafted out of Florida, where he was regarded as one of the best corners in college football.

The rest of their corner group is a blur of mediocrity. If a true third wide receiver emerges in Detroit, that player will have a great day in Tampa Bay. If it has not already happened by this point, look for this game to be Kenny Golladay’s coming out party.

Safety

Keith Tandy started 2016 as a core special teamer but took over a starting role by the season’s conclusion. he had four interceptions in the final five games and was one of the major reasons that the Buccaneers made a late season run at the playoffs. He will need to hold off second round pick Justin Evans though in order to keep the job. Evans is a playmaker as well.

Chris Conte spent most of the offseason working with the ones, but it is difficult to imagine the Tampa Bay Buccaneers giving J. J. Wilcox $4.25m per year to sit on the bench. The Cowboys did not pursue Wilcox after he filled in well for four games in relief of Barry Church. The Bucs beat out the Dolphins, and the Seahawks for Wilcox services.

Specialists

Roberto Aguayo, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers second round pick in 2016 had a rocky rookie season. The Buccaneers have brought in veteran Nick Folk just in case they made a terrible mistake (they did) in drafting a kicker that high. Their punter will be Bryan Anger. They gave the punter a five year $17m extension in December.

The Buccaneers will undoubtedly deploy DeSean Jackson occasionally as a returner. He is incredibly dangerous and can reverse field position at important moments. He is a vital part of their offense, however, and it will likely come down to some combination of Adam Humphries, Ryan Smith, and Derel Walker the vast majority of the time. All of those players are concerning but the Lions have one of the best coverage units in the NFL.

Next: Early look at the Cleveland Browns

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some holes in their roster that will likely keep them from being serious contenders in their division. Atlanta may suffer from the super bowl loser’s hangover season as Carolina did in 2016, but the division will be fiercely contested. Against the Lions, the specific issues that the Buccaneers roster presents could make it a long day for the Bucs. Of course their strengths are in spots that the Lions may have their own problems handling. This game could just as easily be a shootout or a grinder.