There's a lot of interest in Tampa Bay's offense. It had a lot of top performers last year, and now it goes from mistake-prone Jameis Winston operating it to Tom Brady. (We can debate whether safer equates to more productive.) But I think their defense could also be a viable target.
The Bucs Defense last year ranked 3rd in standard scoring systems (1 point for sacks, 2 for takeaways, 6 for touchdowns). That's despite having an offense that kept putting them back on the field in negative situations -- short fields after turnovers and whatnot. They probably won't be that good, but another top-10 finish looks reasonable.
One of the more impressive things this defense has done in recent years is scoring touchdowns. Over the last three years it has 11, more than everyone but the Ravens and Rams. That's just defensive touchdowns, not kick returns. The Bucs haven't brought a punt or kickoff back for a touchdown since 2010. Those touchdowns are very hard to come by in today's NFL, so best not to place as much stock in those scores. Strictly on defensive scores, Tampa Bay has been one of the best.
| DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS, 2017-2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | 17 | 18 | 19 | Total |
| Baltimore | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| LA Rams | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| Tampa Bay | 4 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| Jacksonville | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Chicago | 3 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| Houston | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| Kansas City | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| New England | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| NY Jets | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Seattle | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Cincinnati | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Detroit | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| New Orleans | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| NY Giants | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Denver | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Miami | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| San Francisco | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Arizona | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| LA Chargers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Green Bay | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Carolina | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Dallas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Oakland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Washington | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Indianapolis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Two teams have been better in this area than Tampa Bay: Baltimore (one of the first defenses being selected in drafts) and the Rams (who fired Wade Phillips and should look different in 2020). I like the Bucs as a very late selection.
--Andy Richardson