Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a quiet trade deadline

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make any moves at the trade deadline.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a strong first half to the 2020 season. The team has looked like a strong contender to win the NFC and go to the Super Bowl and it would not have been a surprise to see them make a move or two at the trade deadline. The team does not have much in the way of salary cap space, but most teams can get creative when looking to bolster the roster.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline was relatively quiet for most teams and the Buccaneers were no exception. They did not make a trade, but the team did not have to. There is no real gaping hole and it would be wise to keep what draft capital they have left because the team’s salary structure and salary cap situation is going to be tenuous at best in the next one to two seasons.

General manager Jason Licht has done well to strengthen the roster for this season and, without a glaring need, it made the most sense not to do something for the sake of just doing something.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade deadline was quiet simply because it could be.

The Buccaneers made most of their moves for the roster during the offseason and training camp. They already have Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette, LeSean McCoy and recently Antonio Brown as new additions to the team’s offense. Add in rookie draft pick Tristin Wirfs and it would be hard to add yet another member to the offense.

The offense is just starting to gel and still has to work in Brown and continue to have Brady get comfortable with the frequently injured Chris Godwin. If the team had added either a receiving running back or another receiver, this task would have become more difficult.

On defense, other than rookie Antoine Winfield Jr., the defense is mainly the same from last season. The team already had traded for defensive lineman Steve McClendon to help replace Vita Vea who was lost for the season, but not much more was needed.

The defense has been one of the best in the NFL and is currently ranked third in the league. It is best to let the young secondary continue to grow together while the front seven continues to stifle opponents’ running games. Barring any injuries, the defense should be a force throughout the rest of the season without any reinforcements.

If the Buccaneers were to make a move, the most logical place would have been at left tackle where incumbent starter Donovan Smith has struggled in the team’s two losses. Smith is still a solid if not good tackle and it would have been difficult for the team to bring in a player who would be an obvious improvement on him. Add to that the draft capital it would have required and it is probably safe to assume any talks had did not go very far.

The Buccaneers are leading their division and have played much better football than they did last season. They did not do anything at the trade deadline, but they did not need to. The team made all of its moves before the deadline and the proof has been displayed with its first-place record. They did push all of their chips to the middle of the table and go all in, but they just happened to do it before the deadline.