The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feel good about their roster heading into the 2025 NFL season. That said, injuries have already crept into the picture with several key starters, including the likes of Tristan Wirfs, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, set to miss time to start the year.

The puzzle of building an NFL roster is never fully complete. Even for the best teams in the NFL, the majority of which will utilize free agency to solve issues as they arise at various points of a given season.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there are still several areas where the team could improve their depth with some upgrades before the 2025 season has even begun despite having already established their final 53-man roster.

Let’s take a look at a few free agents who could potentially make the Bucs’ roster better without necessarily breaking the bank.

At 32 years of age, journeyman OLB Za’Darius Smith is certainly past his prime, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t add some quality depth and experience to a Bucs’ DL that will be without promising 4th round draft pick David Walker this season. That loss, combined with Chris Braswell’s underwhelming rookie season and the uncertainty surrounding Haason Reddick at this point of his career, are all reasons why Tampa Bay could benefit from an established veteran who would have no problem contributing as a rotational piece.

It should be mentioned that despite his reputation for being ‘over the hill’, Smith had the sixth best true pressure rate in the entire NFL last season for the Detroit Lions to go along with nine sacks while filling in for Aiden Hutchinson.

Similar to Smith, Jadeveon Clowney would provide a solid veteran presence to a position group that remains unproven in Tampa Bay. Not only is Clowney still capable of pressuring the quarterback, but he’s also a force against the run. Clowney can be effective off the edge or lineup along the interior to make an impact. That sort of versatility is central to head coach Todd Bowles’ defensive philosophy. With 15 total sacks over the past two seasons and almost 50 solo tackles, there’s no question that Clowney would be an upgrade over Chris Braswell, and maybe even Logan Hall — at least at this point of his career — within the Buccaneers’ rotation of defensive linemen.

Simmons is entering his 10th season in the NFL. Having spent the first 8 seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos, the dynamic safety established himself as one of the best at his position in the entire league over that time. Across three seasons (from 2020-22), Simmons recorded an incredible 16 interceptions.

Although he’s no longer the player he was during that timeframe, he has proven to be a highly intelligent player with great communication skills and impressive durability. Simmons would provide some valuable depth to the Bucs’ safety room, and his tutelage could be valuable for a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Bucs.

In an unexpected move, the New England Patriots released veteran safety Jabrill Peppers last week. Peppers has started 85 games in his career with over 500 tackles, seven picks, six forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries across 8 seasons. Peppers’ 90.1 PFF grade is the fourth-best mark among all NFL safeties over the past two seasons.

The former first-round pick is not only an accomplished veteran, but he’s also still just 29 years old. With Tykee Smith set to change positions and Antoine Winfield Jr. developing a reputation for missing games due to injury, the addition of Peppers would add another valuable dimension and some security to the back end of Todd Bowles’ defense. The only issue is, would Peppers be willing to play in a rotational role based on his pedigree as an established starter in the league?