I was forwarded a lot of good questions for this mailbag and I'm going to try to get to a few more than usual. Therefore I'm going to keep the intro brief this time around.

I did get a handful of questions about the NFL Scouting Combine – which player impressed me most, overall takeaways, that kind of thing – and I'm going to skip those. To be honest, I didn't go to the Combine this year so I don't think I have any unique insight. I've reviewed the results, of course, but there are much better sources to comment on the players' performances than me. I mean, I'm blown away by Sonny Styles, as an example, but that's not telling you anything you didn't already know.

I do have one reaction to the Combine, however. I am absolutely blown away by some of the broad jump results. The 40-yard dash and the vertical leap tend to get a lot more attention, and probably for good reasons, but I'm most amazed at how far some of these guys can jump from a standstill. There were nine different players who cleared 11 feet in the broad jump. Eleven feet! That's almost four yards. I just measured 11 feet from the door of my office nearly to the opposite wall (don't office-size shame me) then stood at the line and stared back. It's inconceivable to me that somebody could jump that far without a running start.

I did a little searching and was reminded that UConn cornerback Byron Jones ripped off a 12-foot, 3-inch broad jump at the 2015 Combine. That was believed to have broken the world record set by Norway's Arne Tvervaag in 1968, though I don't know if that was ever made official. But who cares – 12 and a quarter feet! That is over four yards. These guys are built differently.

If I do go back to the Combine next year I'm going to try to get a pass to get inside the bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium and spend all day watching the broad jump.

And now, on to your questions.

Hey Scott! First time questioner here. Given Jason Licht's history with the Bucs and how we tend to operate during the draft, how do you feel about us trading up for a specimen like Sonny Styles? Do you believe Jason and company would be willing to do that for a player of his caliber, especially needing help in that position. Thanks Scott! Love the work you Casey and Bri do keeping us in the know with anything Buccaneers. - Cory M., via App submission

You mentioned my colleague Bri, or Brianna Dix, and she I and were talking about this very thing earlier today. She was contemplating if she could make that very sort of trade happen in the mock draft she'll be publishing next week. I was skeptical that it could work, and I'll explain why.

First, though, purely from the standpoint of do I wish this could happen – hell yeah! I already thought Styles would be the perfect addition for our team right now, and then he just blew away the Combine. An absolute elite athlete with very good size at a position of great need for the Buccaneers…he could be the next great Tampa Bay linebacker, the successor to Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David.

Second, we know that Jason Licht is not afraid of trading up in the draft. He has done that multiple times through his first 12 drafts as the Bucs' G.M.; most commonly, that has been on Day Two when he's made small jumps up the list to make sure a very coveted player that was still on the board wouldn't be picked right in front of the Bucs. Some players picked under those circumstances include guards Cody Mauch and Ali Marpet and tackle Luke Goedeke. Licht also did it in the first round in 2020 to make sure nobody leap-frogged him for Tristan Wirfs, trading up one spot from 14 to 13 to get the Iowa tackle. We'll never know if that was a necessary move, but it was worth it at the time for peace of mind.

The problem here is the cost. What if I told you that it would cost, at minimum, the Bucs' second-round pick this year, and possibly their first-rounder next year? I personally believe that Styles has firmly established himself as a top-10 pick despite the perceived positional value. I'm working on my next mock draft right now and I currently have Styles connected with the Washington Commanders at pick number seven. It also wouldn't surprise me if the New York Giants jumped at the shot to draft him at number five.

So let's be generous and say we have to get from 15 up into the top 10. Using the Jimmy Johnson draft value chart, moving up to the sixth pick would cost the equivalent of the 35th overall pick; moving up to number seven would cost the 45th pick; going up to eight would cost the 55th pick and going up to ninth would cost the 60th pick. Those are all in the second round. Moving up to 10th is the equivalent cost of the 68th pick, which is early in the third round, but the Cincinnati Bengals are picking 10th and if Styles makes it that far I don't think they would even entertain a trade before grabbing him.

We also have some real-life comparable deals. I went back 15 years and found a handful of deals that are somewhat similar. In 2021, the Miami Dolphins traded up from number 12 to number six with Philadelphia to get wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and gave their first-round pick in 2022. In 2018, Arizona traded up from 15 to 10 with Oakland and it cost them third- and fifth-round picks. In 2016, Tennessee traded up from 15 to eight with Cleveland it cost them a third-rounder that year and a second-rounder in 2017. In 2013, the Rams traded up from 16 to eight with Buffalo and the cost was a second-rounder, a third-round flip and a seventh. In 2012, Dallas moved up from 14 to six with the Rams and gave up a second-rounder. Same thing for Jacksonville in 2011 when it moved from 16 to 10 with Washington.

You get the point. It's going to cost at least the Bucs' second-round pick and probably more, and given the multiple needs on defense, I'm not sure I'm willing to give that up. If you are, then I can understand that. And maybe you should take a big swing every now and then in the draft.

Also, thank you for the kind words, Cory. I'll pass them on to Casey and Bri.

Am I the only Bucs fan who thinks we should take a shot at recruiting Maxx Crosby and stealing him from the Raiders? - Loretta B., via App submission

Oh goodness, no, you are far from the only Bucs fan who would like to see a trade for Maxx Crosby. I hear that all time and it's not surprising. Over here you have a Tampa Bay team that clearly has a big need for an impact edge rusher, and over there you have a player who clearly fits that bill and reportedly would like to be traded to another team. It's pretty easy to connect those dots and I don't blame you or any other Bucs fans for wanting that to happen.

That said, the Bucs can't actually "recruit" Crosby. Since he's still under contract with another team, any contact from a Bucs official would be considered tampering and could lead to significant penalties. The Raiders and Buccaneers could discuss the possibility of a trade (which also could not officially happen until the new league year begins on March 11) or the Raiders could give Crosby and his agent permission to seek a trade.

The Buccaneers haven't had a double-digit sack artist since Shaq Barrett in 2021, while Crosby has hit that mark in three of the last four years and has averaged almost exactly 10 sacks per season in his first seven years in the NFL. He's also an outlier at his position in that he almost never comes off the field. His defensive snap percentage (which only applies to games in which he played) has not fallen below 94% in any of the last four seasons. He's not only productive, but a relentless tone-setter. He'll be 29 when the 2026 season begins, suggesting he still has multiple productive years ahead of him.

There are multiple hurdles, of course, for any team interested in acquiring Crosby. First there's the matter of if the Raiders are actually willing and motivated to trade their best defensive player. When Las Vegas General Manager John Spytek – of recent Buccaneer lineage! – was asked at the Combine if he expected Crosby to be a Raider in 2026 his answer was, "I do, yes." Second, if Crosby is given agency in choosing his destination in a trade, would the Buccaneers be on his preferred list. We don't really know the answer to those questions right now. Third, any team acquiring Crosby would have to account for his hit on the salary cap. Crosby's base salary for 2026 is $30 million on a deal he signed just last year.

Finally, there's the matter of just how much the Raiders would be asking for in a trade of Crosby. Would it be multiple first-round picks? Are the Bucs or any other team willing to pay that price?

Because of all of those questions, the safest prediction is usually going to be that it won't happen, but I can tell you for sure, Loretta, that you are definitely not the only Bucs fan to have this idea.

Who is your favorite Buc of all time? - Eddie H., via App submission

Wow, that's a tough one. There are a lot of candidates. I think I would have to choose somebody who played during my tenure with the team, so I wouldn't pick someone like Lee Roy Selmon, even though I'm fully aware that he was a phenomenal player and one of the nicest people you would have the good fortune to meet. I could go with Derrick Brooks or John Lynch from the earlier part of my days here. Mike Alstott would rank very high, as would Warrick Dunn. Hardy Nickerson, too. I'd put Davin Joseph and Joey Galloway on a list of favorites, and of course the current roster includes such top considerations as Lavonte David, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Baker Mayfield's great.

But I'm just covering my bases because I do have a single favorite Buccaneer player, and that's Rondé Barber. As I sit here typing this right now, directly above my monitor is a framed #20 jersey signed by Rondé that the team gave me for my 20th anniversary on the staff. I'm not big on collecting memorabilia, but I'll always hold onto that one.

Rondé was everything you would want in a player: talented, of course, but also driven to be the best and, once he found himself in the NFL after a slow start, utterly confident in himself. He was a leader and a good friend to his teammates.

You could argue for a handful of people as the best defensive player in franchise history, and when we came up with the list of the 50 greatest Buccaneers with the help of fans last year, Brooks and Selmon were one and two. That makes sense, but I'd put Barber into the argument, too, along with Lynch, David and Warren Sapp. I'm not sure, however, that there is another player who created more big moments than Rondé. I saw him intercept three passes in one game. I saw him return two picks for touchdowns in a single game. I saw him score 14 times among the most by any player in NFL history. I saw him create the single most important play in franchise history (confirmed last year by a fan vote).

Just as importantly, I always appreciated how Rondé treated everyone in the building, not just his fellow players but everybody on staff. (To be fair, that was also true of many of the other names I listed above.) On top of all that, I've been fortunate to work with Rondé in some media capacities in recent years and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He knows how to make you feel comfortable on camera.

So Rondé Barber is my number one, but my list of favorite Buccaneers is quite long.

Hey so my question is this: who in the secondary do you think will have the biggest impact this upcoming year? And who is your top draft prospect for us to draft? - Zac P. via App submission

Well, that's two questions, Zac, but who's counting? I actually feel pretty good about the Bucs' secondary for 2026, and when you're talking about impact players it's hard not to choose Antoine Winfield Jr. knowing that he can put together the type of season he did when he was a first-team AP All-Pro in 2023. But I'm going to make a bold prediction and go with Tykee Smith instead. In fact, I already made a bold prediction about Smith's 2026 season earlier this week in the last entry in our Roundtable series.

Last week at the Combine, Head Coach Todd Bowles said that Smith was the Bucs' best defensive player for about three-quarters of last season before he suffered a shoulder injury. Assuming a full season of healthy play, I think Smith could take his game to another level and have a Winfield-type of season. My prediction in the story linked above is that he would finish with at least three of interceptions, sacks and forced fumbles, a combination of feats that only one other Buccaneer has accomplished, and that would be Winfield in 2023.

When I think of an "impact" defender, I think of guys consistently making splash plays throughout the season. We've seen some of that from Smith, and now that he's fully settled in as a safety, I think we will see more.

As for the top draft prospect for the Buccaneers, I assume I have to be realistic, right. I mean, I would love for the Bucs to get David Bailey, Arvell Reese or the man we just discussed above, Sonny Styles, but that seems unlikely at this point. I think I'd most like to see the Bucs come out of the first round with an impact edge rusher. If Rueben Bain were available, I would jump on that. Assuming he's already off the board, I guess I would go with Texas A&M's Cashius Howell. I know the discourse around him at the Combine was mostly about his arm length, but he also ran a blistering 4.59-second 40-yard dash and reached the highest MPH during drills of all the edge rushers in Indianapolis. Howell was highly productive in college and I think he can do it at the next level, as well.

What's the status of Walker coming off his injury? - Shawn B., via App submission

Shawn is referring to outside linebacker David Walker, a fourth-round pick by the Buccaneers a year ago who was sidelined for his entire rookie season by a torn ACL suffered early in training camp. Prior to that injury, Walker was shining in offseason practices and the first part of camp and looked like he was going to be a major part of the team's OLB rotation as a rookie.

The good news is that Bowles said in Indianapolis that Walker will be ready to go for training camp. Given how early Walker sustained his injury, he may be able to participate in some spring work, as well. Bowles said that was a possibility, but even if he starts up in training camp instead, that's very encouraging.

It's also worth considering when we discuss what the Bucs could get in this year's draft. If Walker is as good as he appeared to be before his injury, getting him back would almost be like having an additional draft pick.

What percentage chance do you think the Bucs go offense in the first round again? Hopefully low. - Wesley M., via App submission

The impetus for this question is obvious. Just last year the Bucs' biggest needs appeared to be on defense and there was a general consensus the team would go with a cornerback or an edge rusher. Instead, they chose wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round, then hit cornerback in Rounds Two and Three and picked up Walker in Round Four. Other than the Walker injury, that worked out pretty well. The addition of Egbuka, in fact, proved to be critical when Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan all missed significant time due to injury. Egbuka had a 938-yard, six-touchdown season as a rookie and his future appears to be very bright.

Will the Bucs surprise everyone again this year and defy almost all the mock drafts by going with an offensive player? What about Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, particularly if Cade Otton and Ko Kieft are not re-signed? You can't rule it out.

That said, if I'm guessing, I would say the chances are pretty low this time around. Jason Licht noted at the Combine that the defensive front seven is a major focus for the Bucs this year as they navigate free agency and the draft. It made sense for the Buccaneers to stick with the best player on their board last year when Egbuka was available, but I think they are going to have some defensive options this year that they won't want to pass up.

The Bucs still have a loaded receiver and there isn't going to be a running back worthy of that high of a pick after Jeremiyah Love comes off the board. I mentioned Sadiq, which is actually a player I have seen mocked to the Buccaneers on occasion. It's not going to be a quarterback. With Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson coming back from injuries, all five of the starters who made up an extremely good offensive line in 2024 are under contract for 2026. Famous last words and everything, but I'm not expecting another big surprise like last year.

Do you think we will be big spenders in FA? Prolly not since cap constraints? - Zeke S., via App submission

There are indeed some cap constraints. According to Spotrac, the Buccaneers currently rank 16th among the 32 teams with roughly $11.3 million of cap space for 2026. There are 12 teams with more than $32 million in space, nine with more than $40 million and six with more than $60 million. The Bucs would probably have a hard time coming in with the top bid on most the high-end potential free agents.

There is also the matter of Tampa Bay's own pending free agents, and Licht said at the Combine that the Bucs "have not shut the door" on bringing back any of them. Obviously, we're all wondering about the futures of Mike Evans and Lavonte David; the Buccaneers would absolutely welcome them back with open arms, but any new deals will further cut into that available cap space. That would be nothing new, though, as the Bucs have long prioritized holding on to their own good players.

I could see the Bucs doing a little bit of shopping in free agency, and later this week I'll publish a list of six suggested targets that could fit well with the team and the cap. But "big spenders?" It doesn't seem likely.

Would you say it is smart to restructure contracts or is it too risky to inflate your cap later down the line? - Wendell C., via App submission

As always, it's a balancing act, and some of it has to do with where you think your team is in terms of a window of contention and the ages of your core players. For instance, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week at the Combine that he intends to borrow from the future to be bigger spenders this offseason. That can come in the form of backloaded deals and other contract restructurings, and Jones cited "where we are with Dak [Prescott] as well as the receiving duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb and recently-re-signed running back Javonte Williams.

You saw this with the Buccaneers, too. Through most of the 2010s they signed players almost exclusively to "pay as you go" contracts, one without big signing bonuses that create cap hits in subsequent years. Then, after landing Tom Brady in 2020 and winning a Super Bowl, the Bucs shifted gears and, in order to keep a championship core intact and chase more titles, started handing out deals that did have bonuses and down-the-road cap implications. They restructured many deals, converting salaries into signing bonuses, to achieve the same effect.

In a way, it does make sense to use this option from time to time, because the salary cap just keeps going up by leaps and bounds. The per-team cap increased by another $21 million this year, continuing an annual trend that has seen it rise from $182.5 million in 2021 to $301.2 million just five years later. When you take a large cap hit and move it down the road, there's a good chance it won't hurt as much in later years. As recently as 2022, a $40 million cap hit would have represented roughly a fifth of your budget. This year it would only be about $13 percent.

You have an all-expenses-paid, week-long vacation to anywhere outside of the United States that you have not visited before with first-class plane tickets. Where are you going? - Cossete K.

I think I'm going to Australia. For one thing, if I'm going to have first-class seats for once in my life, I might as well use them on a very long plane flight. Specifically, I want to visit some of the country's most majestic waterfalls, of which there are many. I really love waterfalls. Also, other than the giant spiders, there is a lot of Australian wildlife I'd like to see, and I hear there are some pretty great beaches as well. I feel like Australia would just be so much different from the places I have had the chance to visit so far.