The Bucs come into the season after selecting the best quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft. Former Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston gets to stay in the warm Florida weather. His job will be a lot harder in the pros. He’s no longer surrounded with five-star recruits, although Tampa Bay does have some blue chippers at wide receiver.
The NFC South was an embarrassment last season. Carolina won the division and made the playoffs with a 7-8-1 record. It didn’t help that Tampa Bay went 2-14 either. The Bucs wouldn’t need to improve much to contend within the division.
Winston goes into the season as the starting quarterback. Rookie quarterbacks haven’t fared well historically, but a few have done very well. Can Winston be an outlier?
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.