Ronde Barber Exclusive: Buccaneers Need To Draft Defensive Playmakers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Ronde Barber feels the team needs to add some defensive playmakers in order to get to an elite level.

The Buccaneers have been a solid team since Todd Bowles took over as head coach prior to the 2022 season, winning three division titles since he took over. However, they’ve gone 1-3 in the playoffs and proven to be more of a second-tier NFC team rather than an elite one.

With that being said, they have defeated elite NFC teams in recent seasons such as the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. However, they have yet to advance past the divisional round and lost a home playoff game against the Wild Card Washington Commanders this past season.

As the Buccaneers enter the 2025 NFL Draft with the 19th overall pick in the draft, it’s obvious to Barber that they need to add an edge rusher or a cornerback.

“My guess would be if there’s a corner there that they love, they’ll take him,” Barber told Casino Beats in an exclusive interview. “If there’s an edge guy there, they’ll take him. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they took a wide receiver there. The Bucs have done a good job the past five or six years, maybe even longer than that since Jason Licht’s been here drafting guys.”

Barber: Bucs ‘Don’t Need To Change Anything On Offense’

The Buccaneers clearly have the talent on the offensive side of the ball with Baker Mayfield establishing himself as an elite quarterback in the NFL since joining Tampa Bay. Mayfield has clinched back-to-back Pro Bowl bids while leading the Buccaneers to the fourth-most points per game in the NFL last season.

That’s not even mentioning arguably the best receiver in the NFL over the past decade in Mike Evans, alongside Chris Godwin and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

However, they’re clearly lacking something on defense where they ranked 16th in turnovers forced and 16th in points allowed per game.

“They don’t need to change anything on offense,” says Barber. “Baker and his weapons, Mike (Evans), Godwin, Cade Otton’s turned into a really good reliable tight end. They have an offensive line that’s gonna be together for a long, long time. That side of the ball is pretty good. You add in Bucky Irving and the way he plays as a rookie. They need to find a way to get stops on defense.”

Barber: Pass-Rush Was ‘Non-Existent’ At Times In 2024

Barber mentions how the Buccaneers need to get better on the “second level of their defense” where they learn how to get stops on defense in key moments of the game. It’s worth noting that Tampa Bay lost against Washington in the playoffs by allowing the Commanders to drive 10 plays and 51 yards for a game-winning field goal as time expired. 

“There were so many games this year — yes, they made the playoffs and they won games when it matters — but there are so many games where they just needed one stop in the second half and they were going to win a football game and they just can’t manufacture it,” says Barber. “They need to get better on the second level of their defense.”

That’s where Barber believes the Buccaneers need to zone in on a cornerback or a safety in the draft.

“Whether that’s corners playing better, whether that’s safeties playing better or whether that’s influenced by getting a pass rush, which is sometimes non-existent for the Bucs,” says Barber. “I think that’s where you start on that side of the ball, and I’m sure that’ll be the emphasis this offseason, draft and preseason. They signed Haason Reddick for a reason on a one-year deal, he can prove it. And he could provide something that really hasn’t been there the past couple years.”

Barber says that Jason Licht — who has served as the team’s general manager since 2014 — says the team tends to draft guys who want to play for the Buccaneers rather than based upon positional need.

“They draft not necessarily for need or a position of availability, they draft guys that they know they want to be Buccaneers,” says Barber, who played all 16 years of his career in Tampa Bay. “They’re going to be long-time guys, guys like Chris Godwin, who stayed and could’ve gotten a lot more money going somewhere in free agency.”

The Hall of Fame defensive back again hammers home that he wants to see the Buccaneers hone in on a defensive player, specifically a cornerback or an edge rusher.

“They want guys that want to be in Tampa, but want to play football away from all those distractions,” says Barber. “So start there, especially in the first round. You don’t want to miss it in the first round. I’s hard for me to say who they’re going to take, but if it was me, I’m definitely looking at corner, definitely looking at edge rusher.”

Barber also leaves open the idea of the Buccaneers targeting an inside linebacker with longtime defensive captain Lavonte David entering his age-35 season.

“It wouldn’t hurt at some point in this draft to find an inside linebacker,” says Barber. “Lavonte is 35 years old, he’s going into year 14. At some point he’s going to have to find somebody to mentor to take over his position. I don’t think there’s an inside linebacker that you take in the first round there, but I would go that route as well.”

The post Ronde Barber Exclusive: Buccaneers Need To Draft Defensive Playmakers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

 Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Ronde Barber feels the team needs to add some defensive playmakers in order to get to an elite level. The Buccaneers have been a solid team since Todd Bowles took over as head coach prior to the 2022 season, winning three division titles since he took over. However, they’ve gone 1-3
The post Ronde Barber Exclusive: Buccaneers Need To Draft Defensive Playmakers appeared first on CasinoBeats.