2 min read • August 12, 2021
Posted in
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense
QB Tom Brady -
Brady underwent surgery on his left knee after saying he has played with the knee injury all season, stemming from his time with the Patriots. It was reported to be an MCL repair, which would be his third surgery on that ligament. In 2008, Brady tore his ACL and MCL and had surgery on both. Then, he endured the complication of an infection and required prolonged antibiotics, then further cleanup of the MCL. He has always worn a brace on his lead leg prophylactically, as many QBs do. Clearly Brady had more than just a simple ACL tear and chances are good that there was some meniscus and/or articular cartilage damage. It is common for players to finish the season before getting surgery, and Brady likely played through the issue, as it never appeared on any injury reports. There is no way Brady played with a completely torn MCL. The sleeve for swelling on Brady’s left knee shown in the parade celebration picture indicates there is no major ligament damage or instability. In 2018, he did suffer an MCL sprain. Anything with Brady is a big story, but this should not be that big of a deal. The tightening of the MCL was not a formal reconstruction and thus should not preclude or limit him from playing this year or even beyond the age of 45. Brady played all 16 games last season and finished with 4,633 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
WR Chris Godwin -
Godwin began the year with a slew of injuries. He missed four games due to a concussion before suffering a finger injury, which required surgery. He also battled through hamstring issues, but was able to put that behind him to finish the year with 65 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. Goodwin is healthy to start this season and should build on his productive numbers from 2020.
TE O.J. Howard -
Howard is a valuable pass-catching tight end, but missed most of 2020 after suffering an Achilles tendon tear in Week 3. The good news is he was not on the PUP list to start training camp. Certainly he will need to work his way back to full strength, but we have some optimism of a strong return, especially as the season progresses. The fifth-year TE finished last year with 11 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He reached at least 400 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons and will look forward to a full season with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.
Offensive Line
OL Alex Cappa -
The Buccaneers’ starting right guard fractured his ankle in last year’s Wild Card victory over Washington. Cappa has made a nice recovery and avoided the PUP list to start camp. Cappa projects to be ready for the start of the season.
Defense
DT Vita Vea -
The Buccaneers’ promising young nose tackle had his season cut short when he fractured his leg in Week 5. He was placed on the IR and missed the rest of the season plus two playoff games before returning for the NFC championship and Super Bowl. He never reached 50% snaps on defense as he was still not 100% when he returned. We do anticipate that he will be 100% this year and should be a force in the trenches alongside Ndamukong Suh. Vea finished last year with 10 combined tackles and two sacks in just five games.
CB Carlton Davis -
The Buccaneers’ number one corner dealt with groin issues late last season that cost him the final two regular season games. Davis was able to return and play the entire playoff run, including the Buccaneers' Super Bowl victory. There should be no lingering issues in 2021. The 24 year old finished last year with 68 combined tackles, 18 passes defended and 4 picks in 14 games and should continue to be the number one CB option in Tampa Bay.
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