Early projection has the Bucs winning seven games in 2018

Nearly everyone on the Buccaneers’ coaching staff and in the front office are on hot seats. After finishing 9-7 in 2016 under head coach Dirk Koetter, the team hit a major speed bump last season finishing 5-11.

It was underwhelming all around and several people have begun wondering who is to blame. Many will say it’s playoffs or bust for 2018, while others want to see huge promise for the future.

There is no set record for this regime to stay in their current roles. So perhaps a 10-win season or better with the playoffs will sure things up for them. But that’s all speculative.

It’s hard to get a feel for the team’s outlook this season since it is early on in the offseason. However, that has not stopped ESPN to publish some early projections, courtesy of Mike Clay via Twitter. (Click the image to expand.)

As you can see, the Bucs are projected to get around seven wins in 2018. That will not be acceptable for many. This team had a very good offseason bolstering the defensive line as well as improving the offensive line to only get seven wins? Yeah, that will not end well for this regime.

The team has to show major improvement. While the image above shows improvement by individual players, an overall record of 7-9 will once again leave fans — and maybe ownership — scratching their heads.