Potential Buccaneers Breakout Candidates for 2024

The 2024 season is almost upon us and the Buccaneers are looking to once again become NFC South champions and hopefully make another playoff run.

In order to do that, the Bucs stars will have to play like it. Players like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield, Lavonte David and many more will have to do their part, but they could also use some breakout players.

Guys who are getting more opportunity this year have a chance to step up and come into their own. Tampa Bay has no shortage of potential breakout players, so let’s break them down here.

TE Cade Otton
Otton enters his third year with the team and once again is clearly the TE1 for Tampa Bay. With that, he will continue to get opportunities and snaps to prove he can be a starting caliber tight end in the NFL. So far Otton has been a solid piece for the Bucs, but this year they may be able to find out whether there is another level for Otton or if he is simply a solid starter.

If Otton remains what he has been, that is certainly not a bad thing, but him taking another step would be a big bonus for Tampa Bay’s offense. We’ll see if Otton can improve in year 3, but regardless he will have plenty of opportunity to do so.

LB K.J. Britt
Speaking of opportunity, Britt was given a massive opportunity at the end of 2023 and was pretty much the starter at linebacker opposite Lavonte David to close out the year. The Bucs like what Britt brings to the table and he was playing a much better linebacker than Devin White was last year.

With Devin White now elsewhere, the job appears primed to be Britt’s to lose. Tampa Bay does have SirVocea Dennis, but Britt is the front runner right now. The difference between this year and last year is the expectations. Britt filled in for the injured Devin White and never gave the job back, but now there are going to be more and higher expectations for the young linebacker.

If he can continue to build on what he accomplished last season, the Bucs defense will be in much better shape. It is always a bit easier to play linebacker with Lavonte David right next to you, but Britt can do himself a lot of favors by having a good year himself.

CB Zyon McCollum
Perhaps the player that the Bucs are taking the biggest chance on. After trading Carlton Davis earlier in the offseason and not adding a concrete solution at corner, the CB2 job appears to be all McCollum’s. Of course he won’t just be handed the job, but it would be a surprise if he wasn’t the other starting corner with Jamel Dean.

When McCollum was drafted, he was considered by many to be a talented, but raw prospect. He made big strides from year one to year two, but now the Bucs are betting that he will take yet another jump in his development. He has had some success at corner in the past, but in a limited capacity.

There is a real chance that McCollum is playing a ton of snaps for the Bucs. If he can continue to develop and finally unlock that raw talent, Tampa Bay’s secondary should be much improved, but that is a big risk the team is taking because there are times that he doesn’t look up to snuff. If he puts it all together though, the Bucs could have a real solid corner on their hands.

Breakout players are tough to predict because trying to predict any player’s development is difficult, but we can point out a few guys who could be in for big years in 2024.