Players and coaches for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of their final break before training camp gets the 2025 season started in earnest. That means one last chance to relax and recharge before the hard work begins, and this week specifically many of them will joining the rest of the nation in celebrating Independence Day.
In addition to barbecues and fireworks, we have another Fourth of July week tradition here at Buccaneers.com. This is when we look ahead to the upcoming season with a series of Roundtable discussions and make a few bold predictions.
In 2025, the Buccaneers will try to become the first team ever to win the NFC South crown in five straight seasons, though their ultimate goal is even loftier than that. They will be challenged in that quest by three teams in the division that will be relying on young and promising quarterbacks: third-year man Bryce Young in Carolina, second-year passer Michael Penix in Atlanta and – probably, although there will be a competition – rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough in New Orleans. How those quarterbacks perform in comparison to how Baker Mayfield follows up his first two sensational seasons in Tampa, will probably determine how the division standings shake out in the end.
There are plenty of other topics worth discussing about the Bucs' 2025 season, however, and we've picked five of them for this year's Fourth of July week introspection. Today, we kick things off with a look at which players on the Bucs' 2025 roster could take the biggest steps forward in their careers. Team Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix, Buccaneers.com Contributor Gabriel Kahaian and I are each going to choose one candidate and make our case. We'll then tackle a new topic each day of this week through Friday.
Here is the full schedule for this week's Point-Counterpoint series:
Monday, June 30: Which Buccaneer will make the biggest leap in 2025?
Tuesday, July 1: What player would you steal from another NFC South roster?
Wednesday, July 2: What headline would you like to read at the end of the preseason?
Thursday, July 3: What specific statistical goal would you like to see the Bucs achieve in 2025?
Friday, July 4: Which Buccaneer will have the most surprising accomplishment in 2025?
Last year, for instance, one could argue that veteran guard Ben Bredeson had a career year after coming over to the Buccaneers. He had started for a full season for the first time the year before with the Giants, but since New York's offense in general was much maligned in 2023 it was hard to get a good read on just how well he had played. He did get signed in free agency by the Buccaneers, but landed only a relatively modest one-year deal. In Tampa's offense, Bredeson proved to be a key cog in what was one of the NFL's best offensive lines, starting all 17 games and blocking for a vastly improved rushing attack and the NFL's fourth-ranked offense overall. As a result, he was a much more sought-after commodity in free agency this offseason and ended up with a more lucrative multi-year deal to stay in Tampa.
Who might make such a leap on the Bucs' roster in 2025? Let's hash that topic out right now! Since we are not going to be duplicating answers, order matters, and through a random draw we came up with Brianna going first, Gabe second and me third. We'll rotate that order from one Roundtable to the next. Take it away, Bri!
Brianna Dix: TE Devin Culp
There are many intriguing options that I could have gone for with this prompt but with the team's increased focus on explosive downfield plays and an uptick in vertical shots to complement the intermediate passing game, Devin Culp is poised for a big year. His ability after the catch makes Culp a vital asset to spark the offense in 2025.
Culp developed during the second half of his 2024 campaign and accumulated 41 snaps. He plays with outstanding body control and can win in contested catch situations. He flashed with circus grabs during his collegiate tenure at Washington and helped set the tone for the Huskies. Culp has the speed to push the field vertically and could see an increased role to create mismatches in 2025 for Tampa Bay.
Culp ran an impressive 4.47-second 40-yard dash (third-fastest time among all players weighing 230 pounds-or-more) at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2024 and has the capability of spreading out across the formation. He presents an upside as another strong pass-catcher for Baker Mayfield to target downfield. Lined up out wide in a one-on-one battle, Culp would be a friendly target to help spur the aerial attack. He developed in his understanding of the system last season and this year, Culp has shown confidence throughout OTAs/minicamp. Now that he is comfortable in Josh Grizzard's scheme, Culp has refined his route-running with nuances at the top of routes and has adjusted tempo to sell certain concepts. He came on at the end of last season and I think he could very well be on the cusp of a breakout year in 2025.
Gabriel Kahaian: LB SirVocea Dennis
Early this March, Tampa Bay rejoiced with the news that linebacker Lavonte David would be returning for his 14th year. The Bucs can breathe easy heading into 2025, knowing they have one of the best to ever do it in their locker room for another season. With K.J. Britt's departure to the Dolphins, there seems to be an open spot in the starting lineup next to David and SirVocea Dennis is in prime position to earn the job.
The linebacker aggravated an existing shoulder injury in Week Four, pushing him to surgery that prematurely ended his 2024 campaign. Despite the sample size, Dennis impressed. Within the first two weeks of the season, he recorded 18 tackles, adding a sack and a tackle for loss in the process. Dennis achieved these numbers while playing in less than 50% of the defensive snaps for the team. Even though it has been a while since he has seen the field on a game day, Dennis has been a popular name throughout summer programming.
When asked about who impressed during OTAs, Todd Bowles highlighted Dennis. Bowles noted that the third-year linebacker is in the best shape of his career. Additionally, his pass coverage ability has shined on the field, with him presciently stepping into throwing lanes. Week One is still a long way off, but for a team that allowed the third-most passing yards in 2024, the idea of having a linebacker who can disrupt the passing game is an exciting prospect.
It's not just the coaches taking notice of Dennis' potential — his teammates see it too. Free-agent addition Anthony Walker Jr. sees the promise in Dennis. In just a short time working together, Walker already believes Dennis will be "a great player in this league for a long time." Dennis will have ample opportunities in 2025 to live up to the hype.
Scott Smith: S Tykee Smith
Unlike Bri, I don't see a ton of options to answer this question, especially with Dennis and Culp already off the board. Rookies aren't eligible for this exercise – they don't have an existing NFL foundation from which to make a leap. The way Emeka Egbuka and Jacob Parrish have performed since arriving in Tampa I could see them having big seasons, but that would be a great debut, not a leap. A big season from edge rusher Haason Reddick would be more of a comeback than a leap, as well. Yaya Diaby's progression over his first few seasons in the NFL is more like a steady climb. Jalen McMillan might be a prime candidate, especially the way he finished his rookie season, but with Egbuka and Tez Johnson added to the mix and Bri predicting more work for Culp, I'm not yet sure what sort of volume jump McMillan is going to get.
So I'll go with second-year safety Tykee Smith. I think he only needs one thing to make a sizeable jump from his intriguing but incomplete rookie season: full-season health. As a rookie, Smith definitely showed flashes of Antoine Winfield Jr.-like big-play ability, something the Bucs are desperately looking for on defense, but he missed a few games due to injury and eventually played 612 defensive snaps. That was still enough time for him to contribute 54 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two quarterback hits.
If Smith is on the field for 17 games, his snap count is probably going to be more like the 1,100 defensive snaps Zyon McCollum had last year. I say this because I'm convinced the coaches want to get Smith on the field, one way or another, for as many defensive snaps as possible this year. Most likely, that will occur through him taking over the open starting safety spot next to Winfield, whereas last year he primarily played out of the slot in nickel packages. Get Smith on the field more in 2025 and I'm confident he's going to have a very impressive sophomore leap.
