The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter Sunday’s trip to Cincinnati with plenty to like about their roster, but Week 1 also brings a few sharp edges. Against the Bengals, the Bucs are about to find out a lot about a defense still coming together, an offense under a new coordinator and a roster that doesn’t leave much room for injury trouble.
The biggest stress test may come in the secondary. Tampa Bay’s cornerback group is made up of Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison, with Morrison working as a rotational outside corner.
McCollum is the veteran of the trio at 27, and he has five full seasons of NFL experience. Parrish and Morrison each have one.
That matters because Cincinnati is rolling out one of the league’s most dangerous receiver duos in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase is a two-time first-team All-Pro, while Higgins has 21 touchdowns over his last two seasons in just 27 games. Quarterback Joe Burrow is elite, and he’ll be feeding them the ball.
There are also questions about how Tampa Bay’s young defensive backfield holds up around them. Parrish is making the jump to full-time outside work after spending last season at nickel.
McCollum is trying to bounce back after a poor 2026 finish. At safety, Antoine Winfield Jr. hasn’t had a truly productive season since 2023, and Tykee Smith is entering his second year at the position.
That’s a lot of moving parts against a passing game that can punish even small mistakes.
On the other side of the ball, the Bucs will debut Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator after hiring him from the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. Tampa Bay is excited about the direction, but Week 1 is rarely the cleanest place to sort everything out. One of the key items to watch is Robinson’s push to use wide zone more often in 2026, a scheme built to stretch defenses sideways and open cutback lanes for the backs.
That idea is familiar, but not exactly comfortable for Tampa Bay. The Bucs tried a zone-heavy run game in 2024 under Liam Coen, and it didn’t work the way Coen wanted, which eventually led them to a gap scheme.
That shift helped the team become one of the NFL’s best running teams. Now the question is whether wide zone can work better this time around, especially with a line that struggled with it before.
The formations will be worth watching too. Robinson leaned on the pistol a lot in Atlanta, with the quarterback off-center and the back aligned behind him, but the Bucs have shown plenty of under-center looks so far. It remains to be seen whether Robinson leans on more 12 and 13 personnel with multiple tight ends or stays focused on Cade Otton in 11.
Those are the kinds of answers Robinson is still trying to find, and Sunday may arrive before all of them are settled. That’s part of the concern for Tampa Bay in a hostile road opener against a Bengals team that can exploit hesitation.
Depth is another issue that could become a problem fast. The Buccaneers are carrying only three safeties, so an injury to Winfield or Smith would be a major setback.
Their offensive line depth drew heavy criticism after poor preseason performances, and it isn’t even fully healthy. Tackle Justin Skule has been ruled doubtful for Sunday.
If one of the starters up front has to leave the game, the backup situation could become a liability. That’s not just a Week 1 issue - it’s something Tampa Bay will have to live with all season. But against Cincinnati, a team that can make opponents pay quickly, it’s especially dangerous.
The Buccaneers and Bengals kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday in Cincinnati.
In Other News...
Bucs Week 1 Offense Suddenly Has A Problem Baker Mayfield Must Solve
The Bucs are heading into their Week 1 matchup with Cincinnati with a few early offensive questions already hanging over Baker Mayfield and the new-look attack. Jalen McMillan, Sean Tucker and Justin Skule are all listed as doubtful because of injuries, with McMillan working back from a knee issue, Tucker dealing with a hamstring injury and Skule limited by an oblique problem. Emeka Egbuka, meanwhile, is fully cleared and available, giving Tampa Bay at least one important piece of good news as the team sorts through its depth chart.
For an offense trying to settle in right away, the injury report adds a layer of uncertainty before the first snap is even taken. Todd Bowles and the Bucs have other players with varying statuses as well, so the final picture could still shift before kickoff. For Mayfield, the challenge is less about preseason optimism now and more about adjusting quickly if the available skill-position and protection options look different than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Mock Draft Just Spotlighted Baker Mayfield's Missing Weapon
Bleacher Reports early 2027 mock draft has already put a familiar Tampa Bay need back in the spotlight, projecting the Buccaneers to take LSU tight end TreyDez Green with the 19th pick. It is only a projection, of course, but it speaks to a roster conversation that has lingered around Baker Mayfields offense: the Bucs still do not have a tight end who clearly changes the shape of the passing game.
Green is described as the kind of physical, move-the-chains target who could fit what Tampa Bay wants to do if he keeps developing at LSU. For now, the idea is more about fit than certainty, but the mock underscores how much attention the position could draw as the Bucs look ahead and keep searching for a true weapon in the middle of the field. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Week 1 Roster Shuffle Opens Door For An Unexpected Debut
The Buccaneers head into Week 1 with a roster that looks mostly intact, but the first game of the season has already brought a couple of practical changes. Tampa Bay elevated running back Josh Williams and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from the practice squad for the matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, a reminder that even a healthy-looking roster can shift quickly once the injury report starts to matter.
The bigger ripple may come on the offensive side, where Sean Tucker and Jalen McMillan are likely to be inactive because of injuries. That opens the door for rookie Ted Hurst to move up the depth chart and contribute in his NFL debut, giving the Bucs an early look at a young player who was not necessarily supposed to be part of the Week 1 conversation this prominently. [Read more 🡒]