Who is the most underrated player on the Buccaneers?
By: Jake Rajala
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have Gronk, but they still have Tom Brady and a lot of confidence entering the 2022 season. If they want to win their second Super Bowl in three years, I believe they will still need unheralded profiles to shine. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three underrated players that could take the next step.
Cameron Brate
The pressure is absolutely on the former Harvard man Cameron Brate after Gronk retired. Brate hauled in four touchdowns as the TE2 last season, but he could certainly have his sights set on 10+ touchdowns in his new role in 2022. The Bucs also don’t have AB (62 targets in 7 games a season ago). I believe the Bucs TE that has two years remaining on his contract could have career-high numbers in many categories next season.
Jamel Dean
The Bucs CB Jamel Dean could be the x-factor in each of the Bucs pivotal clashes against the Saints. Dean has been a modest CB — as PFF gave him a 74.5-grade last season. At one point in the 2020 season, he was graded as the best CB by PFF. The Bucs have a lethal front seven, but they desperately need the young CB to be consistently dominant moving forward.
Ryan Succop
The Bucs kicker Ryan Succop wasn’t an overly sexy kicker last season (83.3%), but he was certainly clutch. He made a nice game-winning field goal in Week 1 – after Brady made a beautiful drive. Succop had a 90.3 FG% in 2020, so he’s certainly capable of being a high-end kicker. The Bucs may have Brady, but they will need their talented kicker to have a 2022 campaign that is similar to his 2020 season.
