One of the major themes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason was figuring out a way to retain top internal talent. That’s going to continue this year as well, with a handful of key players set to hit free agency when the new league year begins next month.

Chris Godwin is by far the biggest name the Bucs need to bring back, but he’s not the only important piece of the puzzle. In fact, Godwin isn’t the only offensive player who is going to be a free agent this year, as offensive guard Ben Bredeson is joining him in more than one way.

Not only is Bredeson hitting free agency looking to cash in on a fantastic season, he’s doing so as a potential Top 50 player. It’s a bit staggering to think o him that way given how low wattage his signing was last year, but that’s what happens when you have one of the top scoring offenses in the league.

Bredeson’s inclusion as a top free agent is a nice feather in Tampa Bay’s cap, but it also puts pressure on the team to ensure a big piece of the offensive line’s success last year doesn’t slip away.

Buccaneers in danger of losing Ben Bredeson in free agency

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco went through the Top 100 free agents set to hit the market and had three Buccaneers players on there. Two of them are rather obvious, as Chris Godwin ranked in the Top 15 and Lavonte David was inside of the Top 75, however the inclusion of offensive lineman Ben Bredeson shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Prisco had Bredeson ranked No. 34, and thinks there will be a market for him if the Bucs are unable to bring him back.

“This 27-year-old started at left guard in his only season with the Bucs and did a nice job. He signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay last season and started all 17 games. He will have a good market,” Prisco wrote.

First and foremost this is another absolutely glowing endorsement of Tampa Bay’s ability to identify under-the-radar talent. Offensive line help was at the top of the list last year but the Bucs subtly addressed it rather than tossing tons of money at top free agents.

Part of that result was adding Bredeson, who had been fine with the New York Giants but was hardly someone teams were falling over themselves to sign. He joined the Bucs as someone who we thought might compete for a starting role but quickly earned that outright and turned in a fantastic season at left guard.

It’s not surprise that teams around the league will now be targeting him as a potential free agent option, as poaching talent from Tampa Bay has been a bit of and offseason theme. Bredeson is a perfect example of the Bucs doing their homework rather than trying to rush the process or cut corners, so if nothing else this should serve as a feather in their cap.