2020 Buccaneers Training Camp Preview: New Faces, New Expectations

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The NFL offseason is a time when hope is in the air. All 32 teams believe they have a shot at the playoffs, and with a bit of luck, a Super Bowl run. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no different, but this year is not the norm.

In years past, the goal was simply to make the playoffs, but in a year with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, it would be considered a failed season. With new faces, come new expectations.

Tom Brady

Training camp with Tom Brady will look drastically different than years prior. Brady is the most successful quarterback in NFL history and knows what it takes to win. Players will feed off his energy, creating a new sense of urgency.

Like we saw with his private workouts earlier in the summer, Brady will also act as a player-coach and will not hesitate to run a drill until it is perfect. It is one thing to have an experienced and proven coach, but it’s another to have that in a player.

COVID-19 will drastically change how training camp looks in 2020, but the addition of Brady will bring buzz to the building like never before.

Rob Gronkowski

There are few players in the NFL who have fun like Rob Gronkowski. His personality should fit right in with an extroverted Bruce Arians. Personality is one thing, but Gronkowski is also one of the most successful tight ends in NFL history, who made his name alongside Tom Brady.

This is will be critical in camp and at the start of the regular season. If Brady struggles to build chemistry with his new weapons, he always has the reliable Gronkowski to fall back on.

Gronkowski can also be a valuable teacher for fourth-year Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard, who had a down year in 2019.

LeSean McCoy

One of the Buccaneers’ more recent signing, LeSean McCoy, came as a surprise to many fans late in July. The 32-year-old back was mediocre in Kansas City last year, mostly in a rotational role with fellow back Damien Williams.

With multiple running backs landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list, McCoy will be a valuable asset in training camp. He brings experience to the passing game and can be a mentor for the inexperienced Ronald Jones II.

Are you noticing a theme here? With new veterans, come valuable mentors and teachers for the younger Bucs on the roster. In the past, veteran signings came with the hope of an experienced roster, but we all know how that story ended.

Buzz is certainly in the air within the Tampa Bay area, and with new faces, come new expectations.

 

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