Despite all the talent Tampa Bay has packed into its offense, one national ranking has the Buccaneers sitting much lower than expected.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today placed the Bucs 20th among NFL offenses, even though the group on paper looks built to produce. Baker Mayfield is back as the quarterback, and the expectation is that he’ll lean into the same edge that has helped him play his best football when he feels overlooked. He also has a strong receiver room around him, and he has already spoken confidently about what each of his top targets can do.
The backfield should have more juice as well. Kenneth Gainwell was added in free agency to team with Bucky Irving, giving Tampa Bay what should be one of the league’s more dangerous running back pairings. Both backs bring explosiveness as runners and pass catchers, which fits the kind of offense the Buccaneers want to be.
There’s also a new voice calling the shots. Zac Robinson is taking over as offensive coordinator after Josh Grizzard lasted just one season in the job. Robinson’s system is said to be very similar to Liam Coen’s, and that matters because Coen’s offense produced the best season of Mayfield’s career in 2024 while also powering Tampa Bay to the NFL’s fourth-best rushing attack.
Still, Middlehurst-Schwartz sees real reasons for caution. He pointed to Mayfield’s “turbulence” and the injury situations surrounding Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, both of whom have their Week 1 availability in doubt.
"It should come as no surprise that an offense now on its fifth coordinator in five years carries a good deal of volatility into the season. But with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, turbulence is a feature rather than a bug.
The chief concern for Tampa Bay, however, is not so much the variance in Mayfield's play over the course of the season but rather whether its skill-position support might wilt. The outlook for the post-Mike Evans receiving corps remains cloudy amid persisting injury issues for Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, and a ground game that collapsed after Liam Coen's departure needs to be rebuilt.
Along with Zac Robinson's increased dose of wide-zone runs, a stellar starting offensive line that looks healthy after last year's setbacks could provide considerable help on the latter front. But this might be a unit that still tops out in somewhere around the middle of the pack."
That skepticism is understandable on the surface, but the bigger picture points in the other direction. Tampa Bay should get a boost from Gainwell and Robinson in the run game, and the offensive line is expected to be one of the stronger units in football. The receivers are young, talented, and deep enough to give Mayfield options.
A year ago, injuries were a major reason the offense never fully hit its stride. Mayfield dealt with multiple injuries himself, and his top three receivers from 2024 - Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., and McMillan - each missed meaningful time. The line took hits too, with four of the five starters sidelined for at least five games.
If Tampa Bay can simply stay healthier than it did last season, the ceiling looks a lot higher than a middle-of-the-pack label suggests. The talent is there for this offense to be one of the better units in the NFL.
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