The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into 2026 with a lot to fix on offense, and the list starts with the obvious. The passing game needs a jolt after losing Mike Evans.
Bucky Irving needs to rediscover the burst he had as a rookie, when he ran for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns. The offensive line has to rebound after a rough 2025.
And Baker Mayfield has to get back on track after a season in which injuries around him forced him to press.
That’s the backdrop for Zac Robinson’s arrival as offensive coordinator, and Bruce Arians likes the fit.
Arians was on the Pewter Report Podcast last week and made it clear he thinks Tampa Bay hired the right guy. He said Robinson has a "great, great future" and praised the way he has grown into the job.
“I don’t think there is any doubt he’s going to help a lot,” Arians said. “When you have at least three years of experience at the job, it’s so much easier.
He knows what he wants to do. He’s failed.
He knows how to correct it. He’s got the answers to the test.
That gameplan he put on Thursday night against us last year was outstanding. To me, that’s when I would have gone straight to him, too [laughs].
I didn’t get asked about it, but I thought it was a great hire for us. I think Zac’s got a great, great future.”
The game Arians pointed to came in December, when Robinson’s Atlanta Falcons beat Tampa Bay 29-28 on Thursday night. Atlanta piled up nearly 500 yards, Kirk Cousins threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, and Kyle Pitts caught 11 passes for 166 yards. The Bucs also coughed up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, a collapse that ended up mattering in their push for the playoffs in 2025.
Now Robinson is on Tampa’s sideline instead of the other side, and Arians clearly thinks that matters.
There’s reason for optimism beyond the endorsement, too. Robinson comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, and his reputation around offense is strong. While with the Los Angeles Rams, he famously got Mayfield ready to play in a game just two days after joining the team.
That connection gives Tampa Bay a familiar starting point as Robinson takes over a unit that still has talent. If he can get the passing game moving again, unlock more from Irving, and help stabilize the line, the Bucs have a chance to look far different than they did a year ago.
Arians has worked with elite quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck, so when he says Robinson is the right man for the job, it carries weight. For Tampa Bay, that’s a pretty encouraging sign as the season approaches.
In Other News...
Mike Evans Is Already Stirring Up Painful Questions For Bucs Fans
Mike Evans move out of Tampa Bay already has the kind of ripple effect that keeps Buccaneers fans looking backward instead of forward. After 12 seasons with the franchise, the veteran receiver has landed with the San Francisco 49ers and is quickly drawing notice in practice, where teammates and observers have been impressed by how seamlessly he has fit into the offense.
The early buzz has centered especially on his work in red zone drills, where Evans has made life difficult for defenders and given the 49ers another proven target near the goal line. For Bucs fans, it is the sort of offseason development that brings an uncomfortable reminder of what they just lost, and why every update from his new team is likely to feel a little more painful. [Read more 🡒]
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For Tampa Bay, the interesting part is less the praise than the placement. Lichts work has helped shape a roster that has stayed competitive and, over time, has given the franchise a steadier foundation than it had before, but any such list invites debate when other executives with strong track records are grouped nearby. The question for Buccaneers fans is whether the national view fully captures how much credit Licht deserves for keeping the team relevant, or whether there is still another tier he can climb with the next wave of moves. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Made A Familiar Bet On Their Biggest Weakness
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For Tampa Bay, the appeal is pretty clear: more depth, more versatility, and another body built to handle the dirty work inside. Nunez-Roches is expected to fit as a rotational nose tackle, the sort of piece who can help spell Vita Vea and stabilize snaps in a spot where the Bucs have been looking for more reliability as training camp approaches on July 28. [Read more 🡒]