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5 NFL teams that have gotten worse in 2023 NFL Free Agency

By Sayre Bedinger

NFL Power Rankings, Aaron Rodgers: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
NFL Power Rankings, Aaron Rodgers: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /
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NFL Free Agency
NFL Free Agency; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during a wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady retired, the Bucs are worse.

Do we need to say more?

Okay, let’s justify this one a bit. Not only did Tom Brady retire, but this is a Bucs team that is coming off of a disappointing 8-win season and has now lost Brady, left tackle Donovan Smith, offensive guard Shaq Mason, and running back Leonard Fournette (among others). The Bucs have made some solid moves in the 2023 offseason that are worth monitoring going forward, such as signing quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Actually, I really don’t hate that move at all.

But to think this team has gotten better in 2023? No, that’s not the case. At some point, you had to expect that this was a team that was going to get gutted. They were able to keep the core of the roster around almost completely after their 2020 Super Bowl run. After giving it another go in 2021, the roster slowly started to dismantle in 2022 and now in 2023, they are going to look vastly different.

The Bucs are poised to compete for the likes of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye in the 2023 season. They could contend for the worst record in the NFL, but at the same time, could they also be sneaky in a bad NFC South? There’s a chance. They were shockingly able to keep pieces like Jamel Dean and Lavonte David. They still have good pieces defensively when that unit is healthy, and I think offensively, we’re in wait-and-see mode on how well Baker Mayfield can perform with new offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

Overall though, I don’t think there’s really any denying that the Bucs have gotten worse up to this point.

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