The Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster is going to look quite a bit different from the one it fielded last year.
Head coach Todd Bowles is confident in the team’s rookies, keeping 13 on the 53-man roster — and it certainly shows. According to Spotrac, the Bucs are set to be the fifth-youngest team in the NFL in 2023 with an average age of 25.79. That’s a big departure from last year, when the team was the second-oldest in the NFL with an average age of 27.23
A lot of that may have to do with the departure of quarterback Tom Brady, who was 45 when he retired, but it also comes with an added emphasis on youth. Of the team’s 13 rookies, six are undrafted free agents, and there are players on the roster such as wideout Deven Thompkins who only have a few years of experience in the NFL. It’s a different approach philosophically from last year, where players like Julio Jones and Leonard Fournette were veteran presences on the team.
Tampa Bay will get to see just how that young roster can compete when it faces off against the Minnesota Vikings on Week 1 of the regular season.
