The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are stuck in no-mans land. With Tom Brady announcing his retirement, they are heading into the 2023 offseason without a clear-cut starting quarterback. 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask is the only quarterback under contract on the roster.
Filling that void, along with upgrading the roster, will be no small task. Tampa Bay had one of the worst salary cap situations coming into the offseason as they were very far over the salary cap.
That, in addition to not knowing the direction that the team would take, made forecasting their offseason plans very difficult. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Buccaneers went into a remodel and used the 2023 season as a gap year to reset. On the other hand, the NFC South is so weak that a few tweaks could have the team back in the playoffs.
Thus far, the team has toed that line. The Buccaneers traded offensive guard Shaq Mason to the Houston Texans and re-signed fellow guard Aaron Stinnie. They re-signed cornerback Jamel Dean to a four-year, $52 million contract. Given how much money some of the other cornerbacks around the league are making, that’s a solid deal.
With Dean back in the fold, the team has retained a starting cornerback for two straight years after agreeing to a deal with Carlton Davis last offseason. But, adding some more depth wouldn’t be the worst thing.
That is what makes cornerback Eli Apple the best fit in free agency this year for the Buccaneers. Apple should come at a relatively affordable price after making $3.5 million with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. That alone will put him on the team’s radar.
While Apple hasn’t lived up to the expectations of being the No. 10 overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2016 NFL Draft, he performed admirably last season. His 56 percent coverage success rate was 37th among qualified players last season, so he is certainly a solid No. 2 option and would be an elite third corner.
Still only 28 years old, there should be a few more good seasons in Apple as he enters his prime. Being the starter on a team that has back-to-back AFC Championship appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl is certainly worth something.
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