These 4 NFC teams are better than the 49ers right now
By Peter Panacy
No. 1 team better than 49ers: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Notable offseason additions: OG Shaq Mason, DE Logan Hall*, OG Luke Goedeke*, RB Rachaad White*
Notable offseason losses: TE O.J. Howard, TE Rob Gronkowski, RB Ronald Jones, G Alex Cappa
Quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were oh-so close to defeating the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs, and San Francisco fans can fairly wonder what could have been if Brady and Co. would have faced off against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Plenty of “what if?” storylines there.
At any rate, the Bucs remain legitimate Super Bowl contenders with Brady unretiring during the offseason. And while that alone is reason enough to put Tampa Bay above the Niners in the NFC pecking order, one could make the argument the Buccaneers got stronger where they needed to, too.
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Acquiring former New England Patriots guard Shaq Mason to replace Alex Cappa on the offensive line is arguably a strong upgrade, while the Bucs got both younger and cheaper with the NFL Draft additions of defensive end Logan Hall, offensive guard Luke Goedeke and running back Rachaad White.
That was a priority heading into 2022.
Still, the playmaking cast of Brady, wide receiver Mike Evans and (hopefully soon) fellow wideout Chris Godwin remains potent.
On top of that, the promotion of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to head coach in the wake of Bruce Arians’ retirement, combined with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich staying put, keeps things constant.
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