Bucs Mount Rushmore – Current Roster

For this weekend’s Pewter Report Roundtable, the crew tackles one other powerful query. This week’s immediate: Bucs Mount Rushmore – Present Roster.

All the Pewter Reporters unanimously agree that Lavonte David, Mike Evans and Tom Brady comprise three of the 4 present gamers on the legendary Bucs Mount Rushmore. So we’ll be debating who’s the fourth and last present Buccaneer to be included.

Scott Reynolds: Wirfs’ Profession Is Off To A Legendary Begin

That is an attention-grabbing subject as a result of every of us are going to choose the identical three gamers – Mike Evans, Lavonte David and Tom Brady – for Bucs Mount Rushmore. However who’s that fourth participant? That’s definitely not so apparent. There are fairly a couple of different nice Tampa Bay gamers on the present roster. The one I’m going to decide on is without doubt one of the latest ones – proper sort out Tristan Wirfs.

Wirfs made his first Professional Bowl and was named first-team All-Professional in simply his second season within the league. That’s an unbelievable feat. And there may be extra coming his method so long as he stays wholesome. Not even the legendary Paul Gruber, who’s within the Bucs Ring of Honor, obtained any of these league honors. Former Bucs linemen Davin Joseph and Donald Penn every made a pair of Professional Bowls. Lengthy-time middle Tony Mayberry is essentially the most adorned Bucs linemen with three consecutive Professional Bowls from 1997-99.

Sadly, Wirfs confirmed how essential he’s to the workforce when he wasn’t obtainable within the NFC Divisional Playoffs towards the Rams. Wirfs suffered a extreme ankle sprain and that negatively affected the Bucs offense, which solely produced three factors within the first half of the 30-27 loss. If Wirfs performs maybe Brady is pressured much less and the Bucs win. I’ve already gone on file as saying Wirfs is already essentially the most gifted offensive lineman in Tampa Bay historical past. He’ll be a Corridor of Famer at this fee. Put him up there on Bucs Mount Rushmore with Brady, Evans and David from this present roster.

Matt Matera: Barrett Smashes Data And Comes Up In Enormous Moments

Shaq Barrett is getting into his fourth yr with the Bucs. In his three seasons prior, he has emphatically made his presence felt in additional methods than one. There are different gamers on this workforce which might be extra tenured than Barrett. However for his manufacturing and place in workforce historical past, Barrett claims the fourth spot on this listing behind Tom Brady, Mike Evans and Lavonte David.

Barrett coming to Tampa Bay earlier than the 2019 season will go down as one of many biggest free agent signings in Bucs historical past. He made a right away influence with a league-leading 19.5 sacks, breaking the franchise file. It could be extraordinarily tough to prime that, and although Barrett recorded eight sacks in 2020, he saved his greatest for the playoffs on the finish of the Bucs’ Tremendous Bowl run.

He had a hat trick of sacks within the NFC Championship, after which tallied one other one within the Tremendous Bowl together with a sensational 10 pressures. Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul modified that Tremendous Bowl with their capability to create stress with a four-man go rush. You can argue that Barrett was the perfect participant in that recreation. He adopted that up with a 10-sack Professional Bowl season, plus an interception within the playoffs towards the Eagles. With JPP gone this yr, Barrett can additional carve out his Bucs legacy with each on-field manufacturing. And being a mentor to Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and the opposite younger go rushers that Tampa Bay has.

JC Allen: Gronkowski’s Greatness Deserves A Place On Bucs Mount Rushmore

Whereas Rob Gronkowski just isn’t technically on the Bucs roster proper now, that’s only a formality. In his two seasons in Tampa Bay there is no such thing as a doubting the influence Gronk has had on the group, particularly on the sector. Whether or not it’s as a receiver or a “blocking tight finish,” he has been a serious a part of the Bucs success. His two “tuddie” efficiency within the Tremendous Bowl helped propel the Bucs to their second championship. He’s the best tight finish of all time, and when you may have participant that distinguished on you workforce he belongs on a Mount Rushmore listing.

Gronk presently sits eighth all-time in yards on the place with 1,425, however with a season like he had final yr he might simply vault close to the highest of that listing. The long run Corridor of Famer racked up 802 yards in 2021 taking part in in simply 11 video games. A repeat of these numbers would transfer him as much as fifth all time. If wholesome, it’s seemingly Gronk is ready to stack up extra yards in a full season. In actual fact, a 1,000-yard season would depart him with the third most yards in Bucs historical past behind solely Jimmie Giles and Cam Brate.

The 12-year veteran additionally has the fifth-most touchdowns for a decent finish in franchise historical past at 13. He’ll simply surpass O.J. Howard at 15, however catching as much as Brate (33) and Giles (34) is probably going out of attain. Nonetheless, he might transfer into third all-time, passing Dave Moore (24) with a powerful season discovering the top zone. Ending 2021 with an 86.7 receiving grade from Professional Soccer Focus, Gronkowski continues to be a authentic weapon within the passing recreation. Gronk’s additionally an instrumental a part of the Bucs offense as probably the greatest blocking tight ends within the recreation. He’s a harmful element to the offense and Tom Brady’s go-to man in powerful spots and rounds out my Bucs Mount Rushmore.

Josh Queipo: Shaq Barrett Brings The Strain

Once you construct a workforce, standard knowledge says you prioritize the quarterback, playmaker, offensive sort out and go rusher positions. Tom Brady and Mike Evans examine off the primary two legs of that concept. And as Scott Reynolds argues, Wirfs is in for the sort out slot. However let’s not neglect what go rusher Shaq Barrett has accomplished to assist remodel this Todd Bowles Bucs protection.

When the previous Bronco arrived in 2019, Jason Pierre-Paul was recovering from a serious offseason damage. Barrett took that chance to determine himself as not solely the highest go rusher in Tampa Bay, however probably the greatest within the NFL. He led the workforce – and the league – with 19.5 sacks and 6 pressured fumbles. That earned him his first of two Professional Bowl berths in Tampa Bay. The final got here in 2021 when he had 10 sacks and an interception in serving to the Bucs win a franchise-best 13 video games.

Barrett creates constant stress that throws forces opposing offenses change their recreation plans. He has averaged 12.5 sacks per season since arriving in Tampa Bay. His capability to create a constant go rush has helped elevate all the protection behind him. A go rush is constant to success in at this time’s NFL and Barrett is the lone established go rusher on the Bucs protection. Because of this, he must be the fourth bust on the workforce’s present Mount Rushmore.

Bailey Adams: Doubling Up On The Receiver Place With Chris Godwin

I really like this query as a result of it has so many potential solutions. There are a few guys within the combine from the offensive line, maybe a pair from the entrance seven and possibly even one or two from the secondary. All issues thought of, my reply would possibly’ve been Ali Marpet had he not retired. The previous Hobart star was an important piece of the puzzle from day one in 2015. Then, he served as a central determine in Tampa Bay’s success over the past two seasons and at last obtained the popularity (and the Tremendous Bowl ring) he lengthy deserved simply earlier than using off into the sundown. So, now that I’ve spent a lot time telling you who I thought of and why, let’s get right down to my precise reply. Chris Godwin deserves his place on the Mount Rushmore of the Bucs’ present roster.

I do know, I do know. Doubling up on receivers on this train would possibly really feel wasteful. However Godwin is that essential. He’s so key to what Tampa Bay does on offense. The 2017 third-round choose broke onto the scene in 2018, posting 59 catches for 842 yards and 7 touchdowns. He then put collectively his first Professional Bowl season in 2019, catching 86 passes for 1,333 yards and 9 scores. One other 840 yards and 7 touchdowns adopted in 2020 earlier than a 98-catch, 1,103-yard and five-touchdown season final yr earlier than struggling a season-ending knee damage in December. Godwin is the Bucs’ fourth-leading receiver in franchise historical past with 4,643 yards. His 29 touchdowns rank fifth in workforce historical past, and his 342 receptions rank third. He’s already a Buccaneer nice. And he simply signed for 3 extra years this offseason.

The entire of Godwin’s physique of labor has been spectacular. Nevertheless it was these 2018 and 2019 seasons that set the stage for the final couple of years. Establishing himself as a stud 1B to Mike Evans’ 1A was key within the greatest free agent acquisition in franchise historical past. Fellow Mount Rushmore member Tom Brady doesn’t come to Tampa Bay with out the attraction of getting Evans and Godwin as his prime two receivers. And the workhorse angle we’ve seen from Godwin, in addition to his spectacular manufacturing, has solely continued with the best of all time below middle. It’s solely proper, then, that Godwin makes it two receivers within the Mount Rushmore of present Bucs.