A brand new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts each Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Every week, the Pewter Reporters sort out one other powerful query. This week’s immediate: Who’s your Bucs sleeper on offense heading into coaching camp?
Scott Reynolds: WR Kameron Johnson Is Producing A Lot Of Buzz
Bucs WR Kameron Johnson – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Tampa Bay’s huge receiver place is loaded with some actually gifted gamers heading into coaching camp. The receiver room is prime heavy with 1,00-yard veterans Mike Evans and Chris Godwin being essentially the most skilled together with newcomer Sterling Shepard, an eight-year veteran. The remainder of the room options 11 others which have little to no recreation expertise, however loads of untapped expertise. Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan, this yr’s third-round choose, are the highest candidates for the WR3 job with Rakim Jarrett main the way in which for WR5.
Ought to the group maintain six receivers – and I feel they’ll – it is going to be a free-for-all with Shepard going towards a slew of unproven gamers for the WR6 function. However control Kameron Johnson, an undrafted free agent out of tiny Barton School. I wrote about him in a current SR’s Fab 5 column after mini-camp.
Final yr he caught 51 passes for 875 yards and 7 touchdowns, and likewise threw a 58-yard landing cross to his quarterback. The 5-foot-8, 190-pound rookie receiver is an athletic dynamo who ran a 4.46 within the 40-yard sprint on the N.C. State professional day and had a 37-inch vertical leap. A number of Bucs gamers have instructed me that Johnson is the one unheralded man who has actually stood through the OTAs and the mini-camp.
Johnson additionally brings kick and punt return expertise to the desk and he’ll be within the combine to exchange Deven Thompkins as Tampa Bay’s return specialist. It’s a crowded receiver room filled with competitors, but when he can keep his pre-camp momentum when the pads come on in late July and shine within the preseason, Johnson might be a shock addition to the 53-man roster as WR5 or WR6.
Matt Matera: G Elijah Klein Has A Likelihood To Begin
Bucs G Elijah Klein – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
It’s not typically that an offensive lineman might be a “sleeper,” however after we’re speaking a couple of beginning place, then it suits the billing. There was loads of dialogue this offseason about veteran free agent pickups Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta competing for the beginning left guard place, however don’t neglect about Klein, both.
The Bucs chosen Klein within the sixth spherical of this yr’s draft. He’s a developmental mission, and we’ve seen Tampa Bay primarily redshirt a rookie earlier than with Alex Cappa. However, Tampa Bay can also be accountable for drafting tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke and proper guard Cody Mauch – all of whom began instantly.
There’s an opportunity Klein can develop quick sufficient and be within the working for the beginning job. He comes from UTEP the place all they did was run the soccer. That’s a plus for the Bucs, who wish to enhance their working recreation this season. He’ll must get the cross blocking down, which can take a while.
Klein was enthusiastic about studying this offense and has gone to flash playing cards to get it down. Tampa Bay hopes that they’ll restrict the quantity of questions alongside the offensive line, comparable to if Mauch is taking a step ahead and can Graham Barton present instantaneous assist at middle? These questions additionally stay about having the best participant at left guard. Bredeson and Opeta have been introduced in, however who’s to say they’re even an improve of Matt Feiler from a yr in the past? Possibly Klein surprises the coaches and will get the nod to start out the season.
Bailey Adams: TE Payne Durham Can Be A Larger Pink Zone Menace
Bucs TE Payne Durham – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Payne Durham was a participant I preferred going all the way in which again to 2023 Senior Bowl week, as the previous Purdue tight finish shortly stood out as a big-bodied goal able to being a risk within the crimson zone. And contemplating Cam Brate’s retirement and the truth that Cade Otton was the one tight finish on the roster who had somewhat-proven upside, Durham felt like a great match.
So when the Bucs drafted him within the fifth spherical of final yr’s draft, I used to be a fan of the choice. However Durham didn’t make a lot of an impression as a rookie, catching simply 5 passes for 58 yards (11.6 avg.) in 13 video games. Alternative — or lack thereof — was partially accountable. He did solely have seven targets on the season.
It took Durham some time to climb from inactive on recreation days early within the season to the Bucs’ TE2 function behind Otton. However he began to point out up later within the season, twice coming only a couple yards shy of his first profession landing. A kind of got here at Indianapolis, when a 12-yard catch set Tampa Bay up on the purpose line. And the opposite was at dwelling towards Jacksonville, when a 25-yard catch acquired the offense to the 2-yard line. Durham additionally had an 18-yard catch within the Wild Card win over the Eagles.
So when coaching camp rolls round later this month, I’ll have an interest to see what strides Durham has made this offseason — his first full offseason within the NFL. His blocking might want to enhance to make sure he will get on the sphere extra typically and has extra alternatives to make an impression. And Liam Coen working extra three-wide receiver units and fewer 12 personnel goes to make it much more tough for the previous Boilermaker to take the subsequent step in 2024.
However at 6-foot-6, 253 kilos, he merely has an excessive amount of measurement to not be an element within the crimson zone. So I’ll be in search of extra out of Durham throughout 11-on-11s and in crimson zone durations, particularly if he will get an opportunity to play with the primary group — and quarterback Baker Mayfield. After which it’s time to make it occur on Sundays contained in the 20.
Josh Queipo: WR Trey Palmer Has The Most Massive-Play Potential
Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photograph by: USA At this time
Bucs huge receiver Trey Palmer ran a 4.33 within the 40-yard sprint on the NFL Scouting Mix final yr. That’s within the 94th percentile for all huge receivers. He’s quick. Like Jimmy John’s quick.
And he isn’t only a observe star. Palmer’s pace interprets to the sport. You’ve got seen how different offenses have unlocked pace like that. The Miami Dolphins are re-writing file books by utilizing comparable speedy weapons like huge receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and working backs Devone Achane and Raheem Mostert.
Former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales sometimes took benefit of Palmer’s pace (see Week 5 vs. Detroit final yr) however was not capable of persistently faucet into his trump card as Baker Mayfield and the rookie receiver typically weren’t in sync on downfield pictures. At one level within the season Canales had Palmer’s common depth of goal at lower than 6.0.
No different receiver on this roster has wherever near Palmer’s capability to get deep shortly. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen has the chance to weaponize that pace and create game-changing performs. Placing Palmer right into a short-motion, speed-release function the place he doesn’t have to fret about working off jams and giving him free entry to the sphere – just like how the Rams have been capable of elevate Puka Nacua’s skillset final yr – might make him a participant nobody sees coming in 2024. And it might land Palmer the WR3 function as a starter this season, too.
Adam Slivon: TE Devin Culp Might Shock In Pads
Bucs TE Devin Culp and TEs coach Justin Peelle – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Shock, shock, one other tight finish.
The Bucs tight finish room stays one of many youngest going into this season, and the group added one other younger participant into the combination after choosing Devin Culp within the seventh spherical. Though he had a quiet senior yr at Washington with their prime three huge receivers getting many of the targets (new Buccaneer Jalen McMillan being one in every of them), Culp’s 4.47 pace stood out on the NFL Scouting Mix and led to him being drafted.
With offensive coordinator Liam Coen having a observe file of involving the tight finish within the offense – see Tyler Higbee with the Rams in 2022 – it might not be shocking to see him discover a technique to make the most of Culp’s skillset. His pace gives a special dynamic than any of the opposite tight ends within the room, and if it exhibits up on the sphere with some huge performs, then he has an opportunity to make an impression and see the sphere through the common season. After Cade Otton performed 97% of the group’s offensive snaps final season, count on the opposite tight ends to offer him extra breaks and eat into that timeshare.
For Culp, his major competitors will come from Payne Durham and Ko Kieft for the No. 2 tight finish spot behind Otton, however with Kieft not seeing the sphere throughout offseason actions to this point, Culp could have already got handed him up on the depth chart. What’s going to separate him and Durham is who’s extra well-rounded and never only a area of interest participant.
The previous Huskie weighed solely 231 kilos coming into the NFL, however he acknowledged again in Could that he’s nearer to 245-250 kilos, which is able to assist him not be as overmatched when requested to dam. He nonetheless is comparatively uncooked on the place, however his model of play can profit the offense and open the sphere up extra for Baker Mayfield to distribute the soccer round, which shall be one thing to control.
