We’ll begin a series of opponent preview posts for the New Orleans Saints opponents in 2020. First, we’ll start with the most anticipated division matchup of 2020 and the Saints Week 1 opponent, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Our friends over at Bucs Nation took some time to give us Saints fans the scoop on the new home of Tom Terrific.

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Week 1: vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 9: at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notable free agent additions:

Quarterback Tom Brady, Tight End Rob Gronkowski (traded for)

Over/Under:

10 wins — Over. If they were four Jameis Winston interceptions shy of 11 wins, that is immediately improved with Brady alone.

Most exciting rookie:

The Bucs have to be most excited about right tackle Tristan Wirfs. The rookie lineman is a huge upgrade to an offensive line that has been inconsistent at best in recent seasons.

Position battle to keep an eye on:

The depth at tight end is now interesting. With so much promise heading into his NFL career after Tampa Bay selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft, tight end O.J. Howard has been up and down. Cam Brate has had sure-hands and was a red zone favorite of former quarterback Jameis Winston. And now with the addition of veteran Rob Gronkowski, the battle for who will be TE2 and start opposite Gronkowski will be something to keep an eye on.

Biggest storyline heading into training camp:

There are a few but two main ones. How will the acquisition of both Brady and Gronkowski look with no offseason workouts? While they are honestly two of the best veterans at their respective positions to have played the game, one has to wonder how well the rest of the offense around those two adapt to their style of play in such a short time to prepare. Then on the other side of the ball, can the defense continue to build on the successes from their improvement in the second half of 2019? Like the offense, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the team from coming together and continue to build off of the positives from last season.

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:

Ronald Jones II will more than likely be considered RB1 on the depth chart. He has been quietly working on his craft this offseason despite the lack of organized team activities and has shown determination to become that reliable and consistent running back the Buccaneers have yet to really have for many, many seasons.

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

Safety Justin Evans along with defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul and Vita Vea are all questionable for the start of camp.

So what says you, you unbiased Saints fans? Can the Saints disappoint the Buccaneers’ newly found sense of confidence? Vote in the poll. Explain in the comments. Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our new YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisDunnells.