Buccaneers Offense Trying To Match High Expectations in 2025
Buccaneers Offense Trying To Match High Expectations in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It won't be easy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to match their offensive output from last season. Indeed ... if only because of a 41-touchdown year from Baker Mayfield in 2024, there are numerous reasons why a slight decline in production could be on the way.
Advertisement
From an aging receiving core to an offensive line needing to perform well, Tampa Bay's success on the offensive end could somewhat see some struggles in 2025.
The biggest reason is a new play-caller, though.
Josh Grizzard has taken over the team's offensive play-caller role at just 34 years old. He's the third offensive boss in as many seasons. That kind of instability can make things hard for any offense to maintain consistency.
Tampa Bay is looking to continue to move forward with confidence, however.
"We were a really good offense last year but we still have room to improve and I think he's going to do whatever it takes to get us there," Buccaneers tight end Otton said at OTAs.
Advertisement
Maybe there is reason to believe that the Buccaneers can be even better in 2025 than they were in previous years. Mayfield's development as a quarterback has been strong, and the offense has far more weapons than most other teams in the league.
This will come down to Grizzard, though.
If he can pick up where Liam Coen and Dave Canales left off, the Buccaneers should continue to have one of the best offenses in the league. ... And be a Super Bowl contender over the course of this season.
Related: Baker Mayfield Shows Bucs Commitment With Major Life Move
Related: Buccaneers Offensive Lineman Favored for NFL's New Protector of the Year Award
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Michigan football makes strong case to 4-star LB Nick Abrams in exclusive visit interview
Michigan football makes strong case to 4-star LB Nick Abrams in exclusive visit interview Michigan football is coming off of a big recruiting weekend where it's starting to make moves for some of its top targets on the board for the 2026 class. One of those targets is Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School four-star linebacker Nick Abrams II. Abrams is being courted by some of the best of the best as it pertains to schools across college football. Oregon, Alabama, and Georgia loom large, but he got another chance to take in Ann Arbor and all the Wolverines have to offer. Rated highest by On3, he's listed as the No. 163 player in the country, regardless of position, as well as the eighth-best linebacker and fifth-rated player from the state of Maryland. Coming off of his official visit (he also visited Ann Arbor unofficially on April 12), Abrams spoke with WolverinesWire about his time with the staff and his experience in general. Here is everything he had to say. What were your big takeaways from visiting Ann Arbor this weekend? Yeah, the visit was great, everyone was super welcoming. I think from the get-go, they let me know how much of a priority my family and I are. It was great just getting a lot of our questions answered, talking with Coach B.J., being able to continue to see how I would fit in the defense. And then talking with Coach Wink, how his system is great for linebackers, the versatility, the chess pieces, how they're able to be moved around. And then I think another important part was talking with Coach Sherrone Moore, just being able to see his vision, and then see how he sees me in that vision and that light, and how they kind of used a high praise saying that I could be the face of their defense. So it was important to get those questions answered and talk with them and really get a grasp of how interested they are in me and my family. How appealing is that to you to hear that you could be the face of the defense? And given Wink Martindale and his system and scheme and his experience, how much does the idea move the needle? Yeah, so I think it's very appealing to hear what they had to say. Obviously, in this new world of college football, your brand is everything. So just the fact that they see me in the light where I could head one of the best programs of all time in college football. So that's some high praise that kind of humbles me. And then playing for Coach Wink is something that is kind of appealing, his ability to be able to coach the best. He said he's coached 20 years in the NFL and then 20 years of high school and college. He's won a Super Bowl ring. He's coached probably the greatest linebacker of all time. So like, just that, knowing that and seeing and using what he's teaching every single day, it actually is very appealing to me. You're a big academic guy, too, right? How much time do they spend on showing you the academic side of Michigan? What did you learn kind of coming out of the visit from an academic perspective? Yeah, so they, I think Michigan speaks for itself. They didn't really have to sell anything to academics. You kind of just know coming in that you're going to get a great education. You're going to be at the top of the top. Your classmates are going to be probably CEOs of companies or their parents are going to be CEOs of companies, you know. So they didn't really have to sell that point at all during the visit. You kind of just go into it knowing that when you go to Michigan, you're going to a high academic school, you're going to one of the best universities in the country and you're going to be able to have a major that's going to take you wherever you want to go. Do you know what you want to study at the next level? Yeah, I want to study either finance or real estate. We kind of walked into the Ross School of Business on my unofficial visit a couple of months ago. We kind of did a more deep dive into academics at the Ross School to see what we saw in some of the buildings, some of the classrooms, and stuff, so, but yeah. What was something that you learned that maybe you didn't know going in? To be honest, I didn't really learn a whole lot more. I think they did a great job on my unofficial visit. Really just getting all the introduction stuff, and really just doing a great job covering everything that they need to cover in terms of our questions that need to be answered. It was more just reassurance on my end, just being able to, seeing, OK, yeah, this is the place I remember. I remember all this. I think one thing that I definitely was intrigued about was the culture that they, and the player led culture they have, being able to make suggestions during the game plan and how everything's -- yes, it's not going to be all player led, but they have a lot of say and they know what they want in their locker room and stuff like that. So a lot of our questions were more so answered. I really didn't learn a lot of stuff new. It was just being reassured that this is a program that I could see myself at. When it comes time to make your decision, what are the factors that you're going to be weighing the most heavily between your finalists? Yeah. So I think a big thing is the coaching, the development -- people throw that term around, but really just looking at the track record and how my position as able to put guys in the league, whether they're the highly recruited or they're not highly recruited. Just their consistency when it comes to that. And I think another thing is the culture, the people I'm going to be around, am I able to be myself? Am I able to, you know, maximize my potential, not only on the field, but as a person at the school And then kind of the connections. I think at every school, you're going to have connections, every school is going to have someone, but like what school is going to put in that extra effort to be able to -- you ask for something, you want to get into something new and are they going to be able to provide that for you? So just those kind of things, and then kind of a family atmosphere as well. I want a school where it's kind of player led, where a lot of the locker room, the players have a good say in terms of just ideas and then on the game plan, but then also we're able to be guided by the coach where he's not just a total dictatorship, but wherever he says goes. Do you have an idea of when you want to make your decision? Yeah, I'm committing on July 16th.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's Message for Aliyah Boston Ahead of Big Announcement
Caitlin Clark's Message for Aliyah Boston Ahead of Big Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever's All-Star point guard-center duo of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston is one of the best in the WNBA on the court, averaging a combined 34.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 13.1 assists per game this season. Advertisement The relationship between the two former No. 1 overall draft picks is thriving off the court as well, and Clark is about to spread their message to basketball courts across America. One example of the Indiana teammates' bond is the pregame affirmation that Boston introduced Clark to. To build each other up before taking the court, they repeat the words: "You're going to be amazing because you are amazing." Clark's commercial presence has entered a new stratosphere with the upcoming release of her second signature basketball collection with Wilson on June 23. Clark is the second basketball player, after NBA legend Michael Jordan, to have a full basketball collection with the company. Advertisement But Clark, 23, ensured that Boston's affirmation would become a secret message for those lucky enough to get their hands on one of the four basketballs, which are sure to sell out after their release in two weeks. 'We'll get (Boston) a free basketball," Clark said. "She'll love it. I'm going to put it in her locker.' Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) laughs with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) before the game against the Washington Faith Morgan-Imagn Images Clark's new signature line with Wilson is set to include four different basketballs: Envision, Embrace, Oasis and Aspire. According to USA Today, the indoor/outdoor Aspire ball includes the phrases 'Dream Big,' 'Keep Going' and 'You're Going to Be Amazing Because You Are Amazing,' which only appear in bright red lettering when the ball is in the sunlight. Advertisement Clark was an active participant in the design process, which is how her pregame words for Boston became a part of this special collection. She said she would have loved to have a ball as a kid that included a secret message. The Aspire ball will be priced at $54.95, while the Envision and Oasis balls are both under $50, with Clark conscious of making her products affordable for fans everywhere. The Embrace, Wilson's premium Evo NXT basketball that aligns with WNBA professional standards, costs $124.95. Her first signature ball, released in October 2024 to highlight accomplishments from her record-breaking NCAA career at Iowa, sold out in minutes. Advertisement Related: Caitlin Clark's Boyfriend Connor McCaffery Building Future Alongside Fever Star Related: Hailey Van Lith Makes Promise After Loss to Indiana Fever This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Dealt Reality Check In Tight End Rankings
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Dealt Reality Check In Tight End Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There were a host of reasons why Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson never got near his Pro Bowl production of 2023 last season. Advertisement A knee injury in Week 1, coupled with a concussion, saw Ferguson in and out of the starting lineup, which hindered his chances of gaining continuity. Oh, and his quarterback, Dak Prescott, was ruled out for the year after Week 9. So there were a lot of factors to the "big biscuit's" regression last year, and in Pro Football Focus' latest tight end rankings, Ferguson comes in at No. 17. "Ferguson looked like a tight end on the cusp of cracking the top 10 a year ago before the Cowboys' struggles and injuries caused the decline in production and grading for the third-year Wisconsin Badger," Pro Football Focus writes. "While Ferguson should enjoy a bounce-back 2025 campaign, his 56.6 PFF receiving grade and four fumbles in 2024 are worrisome for his outlook." Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) falls over Cleveland Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks (58)Scott Galvin-Imagn Images PFF is right. After the 2023 season, Ferguson was expected to be a top tight end in football, but as we know, several factors contributed to his poor 2024 output. Advertisement Jake finished 20th in yards (494) and 12th in receptions (59), but perhaps the biggest tarnish on his year was zero touchdowns from 14 games. Yuck. Now, in a contract year, he needs to rediscover his 2023 form quickly, as we know the Cowboys aren't exactly fans of paying tight ends lately (ask Dalton Schultz). Therefore, Jake has a lot to prove in 2025 to earn an extension. And ranking 17th among his fellow tight ends might be the little piece of motivation he needs to get back to being Prescott's ultimate security blanket. Related: Cowboys Offer One-Word George Pickens Scouting Report From OTAs Related: Cowboys Ex Amari Cooper Might Be 'Done' Barring Major Training Camp Change This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.