Buccaneers’ DB Issues Major Warning To Rest Of NFL

Kenneth Teape

July 11, 2023

A lot of people have already written the Tampa Bay Buccaneers off for the 2023 season. Honestly, who can blame them? They won the NFC South last season but had a record of 8-9 and this season they won’t even have the luxury of Tom Brady under center.

Brady announced his retirement earlier this offseason and in the opinion of many, the Buccaneers’ chances of competing this season went out the door as well. But, don’t tell that to players on the team, they don’t want to hear it.

Cornerback Carlton Davis believes that his team is being severely underappreciated heading into training camp. When talking to Tyler Dunne of GoLongTV.com, Davis issued a warning to everyone that is doubting the Buccaneers.

“We’re about to do it to ‘em,” Davis says. “Anybody who feels we’ve lost Tom — and lost something — is going to be in for a rude awakening. A rude awakening. Tom was a great addition for us, but obviously, it’s a team sport. Obviously, you need components to be successful. We still have those components. And I’m only getting better.”

Davis improving individually would certainly help the team out. There are almost certainly going to be some bumps in the road going from Brady to either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask. The future Hall of Famer has proven virtually difficult to replace right away; as the New England Patriots, who had to replace him in 2020 when he joined the Buccaneers.

The defense is going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting and it is something that Davis said he and his teammates are ready for.

“We’re going to wreck shit. Like, wreck shit. Interceptions. Turnovers. Plays will be made. I will say. Plays. Will. Be. Made,” Davis said.

There is certainly enough talent remaining on this roster to at least compete for a playoff spot. Mayfield or Trask will have a nice complement of weapons headlined by wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Defensively, the Buccaneers were surprisingly able to keep most of the band together from last season’s borderline top-10 defense. Davis is certainly not the only player with that mentality and if the rest of his teammates follow suit, this is a team that can surprise some people in 2023.