The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are staring down a double-barrel with a 10-7 season staring at them from behind. It’s a story of ‘almost, but’. Sure, they’ve added a lot of strength on both sides of the ball this offseason with the drafts and free agency. But is that enough for a turnaround story for the new season? Especially when a free agent recently touted as a “missing piece” remains missing in action.

The Buccaneers roster is already “nicked up.” Not a good offseason sign for a team that went 10-7 last season. But even more concerning (yes, more important 5-7 nicked up players) is the empty seat of a guy who refuses to show up. From the Eagles to the Jets, holdouts and trades. That’s what brought DE Haason Reddick to Tampa Bay. And for a while, it looked like things were finally in order for the Bucs to move forward. Especially when Reddick had said, “I’m excited to be here. – I want to hear the cannon go off a lot this year. – Looking forward to making this a great fit here.” But was that all talk?

In a presser recently, HC Todd Bowles addressed two pressing concerns that ail the Bucs with the OTAs underway.  He started with an update, “some guys are nicked up, and we understand that. So probably it’s about seven of them missing, probably five of them are nicked up a little bit, but we understand where they are in their training, and we keep in contact and everything else.” But even when Bowles is in contact with everyone, Haason Reddick was notably missing from the OTAs. That was the elephant in the room. And as Bowles put it, “I’m sure one of these days we’ll see him.” That’s a little comfort to the fans who want to see Baker Mayfield lead them to victory.

The Eagles and Jets fans are happy to see Riddick missing from the Bucs, one less thing to worry about. But as Mike Florio wrote, “Yes. It’s voluntary. No, the Bucs didn’t add a financial incentive to his one-year, $14 million contract aimed at getting him to show up. Still, there’s a presumption that players who are serious about getting ready for the coming season will participate.” So is the guy serious about playing with the Bucs after all? We’ll know if he actually shows up and meets Bowles’ expectations. And even with injuries and players not showing up, there’s another broken link that analysts feel Bowles has to fix for the roster. And that’s protecting his QB, Baker Mayfield.

Baker Mayfield’s blind-side needs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a not-so-great season. Baker Mayfield has already recorded career highs last year. Although that couldn’t help the team win every single match. But let’s leave the 10-7 season aside. There’s still the matter of the Bucs QB getting the wind knocked out of him with 40 sacks. That’s a flaw in the game plan that needs to be addressed, and soon. Mayfield needs better protectors so he can have another career-best season this year. But who will it be?

As Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes, free agent “Solid bodyguard” Dalton Risner should take the place of Ben Bredeson. Brederson has been hopping around, trying to find a place to stay, and in Moton’s mind, that makes him “a replaceable left guard.” Bredeson allowed a total of 34 pressures last season. So, is it time to cut bait and have him look for another home again? On the other hand, Risner shines through like a lighthouse through the fog. He struggled with run-blocking, big time. But he was the only guy who didn’t allow a single sack last season. That’s exactly the iron wall that Baker Mayfield needs to shine.

While letting Bredeson go and signing Risner might look promising for the Bucs, the time is running out quickly. And if Risner does come to save the day, he will still need enough time to sync with the team to play his best. With so many question marks around the team right now, the front office needs to step up and make some swift moves. What will those moves be?