ESPN’s latest NFL Future Power Rankings didn’t exactly shower the Buccaneers with love. Tampa Bay landed 19th out of 32 teams in a three-year outlook that stretches across the 2027-2029 seasons, and the biggest reason the Bucs didn’t climb higher was pretty easy to spot: questions at quarterback and serious doubts about the coaching setup.
The rankings were built by a panel of Aaron Schatz, Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, and Seth Walder, with each team graded out of 100 in four areas - quarterback situation, non-QB roster, coaching, and front office - before those marks were averaged together. Tampa Bay’s final number came in at 78.4, which left them in the middle of the pack overall.
The breakdown tells the story. The Buccaneers were graded 79.75 at quarterback, 77 for the non-QB roster, 73.5 for coaching, and 84 for the front office. That front office score ranked fourth in the league, while the coaching number dragged them down to 28th.
Solak pointed to the core of young talent that gives Tampa Bay some real reason for optimism, writing, "Reason for hope: Young, tentpole players such as LT Tristan Wirfs, RT Luke Goedeke, WR Emeka Egbuka and S Antoine Winfield Jr. carry a lot of the water here for the Buccaneers. General manager Jason Licht has an earned reputation as a strong drafter, and he might have hit again with edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Josiah Trotter in the first two rounds this year. -- Solak"
Riddick, though, zeroed in on the uncertainty surrounding Baker Mayfield and the staff around him: "Reason for concern: New season, yet another new OC for QB Baker Mayfield. And there's looming uncertainty as to his future in Tampa.
Despite having never missed a game or start in his three seasons with the team, Mayfield has not been offered a long-term contract that satisfies him. This season marks the final year of the deal he signed in March 2024.
Add in the hold-in from defensive tackle Vita Vea, and there could be some cracks forming in the Bucs' foundation. -- Riddick"
Schatz highlighted just how little Tampa Bay leaned on its tight ends in 2025, noting, "Nugget to know: In 2025, Tampa Bay threw a league-low 16% of its passes to tight ends. The only tight end with at least five targets, 27-year-old Cade Otton, got a three-year extension in March. The other tight ends are all mostly blockers, as the 2025 Bucs had the highest rushing rate (68%) from 12 personnel in the NFL. -- Schatz"
Walder’s bold call was the most aggressive of the four, as he predicted, "Bold prediction for 2027-29: Egbuka will not have a top-20 WR fantasy season in any of the three seasons in question. That's pretty contrarian, considering he is a 23-year-old receiver who ranks WR18 in ESPN fantasy drafts.
But I'm a little wary of Egbuka because he didn't excel in ESPN's receiver scores as a rookie. Most concerning was his 36 open score (and it wasn't high early in the season, either). -- Walder"
There’s a lot to chew on in those grades, but the clearest takeaway is that ESPN is far more skeptical of Tampa Bay’s coaching than of its talent. Todd Bowles is entering the year with the heat turned up, and the criticism lines up with a defense that has been the bigger issue for the Bucs over the past several seasons.
The quarterback discussion is a little more complicated. The constant turnover at offensive coordinator is part of the concern, but the path Mayfield has taken in Tampa Bay muddies that picture.
Dave Canales and Liam Coen each spent one season as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator before moving on to head coaching jobs, while Josh Grizzard was fired after his lone season in 2025. That doesn’t exactly read like a quarterback being set up to fail.
The front office grade also feels generous considering the current contract standoffs involving both the offensive and defensive leaders. Those situations have gotten messy at times, and the delays were hardly hard to see coming. Tampa Bay waited until the last minute to get moving on them.
If there’s one name that feels undersold in ESPN’s hope column, it’s Wirfs. He should probably have had his own line all to himself. ESPN has already described him as being on a Hall of Fame trajectory and one of the league’s top franchise cornerstones, and he remains the kind of player who can anchor an entire side of the offense.
For now, ESPN’s ranking paints the Buccaneers as a team stuck in the middle - not a disaster, but not a club expected to make much noise over the next three seasons, either. Mayfield has said his team is going to "shock a lot of people" this season, and there’s at least a case to be made that Tampa Bay is the best team in the NFC South on paper. The problem is that the Bucs still have to prove they can be trusted when the games start.
In Other News...
Buccaneers May Finally See A Path Through The Vita Vea Standoff
Vita Veas holdout has been one of the more notable tensions hanging over Buccaneers training camp, with the veteran defensive tackle seeking either a new contract or a trade while Tampa Bay tried to sort through its options. For a while, the situation carried plenty of uncertainty, especially with Vea still under contract and backed by a strong recent performance history, even as outside interest in a possible trade continued to circulate.
Adam Schefter recently suggested the mood around the standoff may be changing, saying the sides now appear closer to a potential resolution than they did before. Tampa Bay has also started engaging in extension talks after previously not getting into that conversation with Veas camp, which at least opens a path forward for a player the Buccaneers have not been willing to move despite the trade noise. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Still Have A Real Playoff Path Despite One Clear Concern
Tampa Bay enters the new season with a familiar mix of optimism and uncertainty, having kept much of its core together after finishing last year 8-9 and second in the division behind Carolina on a tiebreaker. Even with expectations trimmed a bit, the Buccaneers still look like a team with enough continuity to make a push back into the playoff picture, especially if the offense can keep building around Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin.
Recent practice work has offered some encouraging signs, with Mayfield, Godwin and Kenneth Gainwell all standing out in those sessions. The bigger issue remains on the other side of the ball, where the defensive front seven still looks like the area most in need of a jump. If that group comes around, Tampa Bay could make its path to the postseason a lot cleaner than it appears right now. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Have A QB Battle That Matters More Than Usual
Baker Mayfields contract situation has added a little more weight to a backup quarterback job that usually gets handled in the margins. Tampa Bay still views Mayfield as its franchise quarterback for now, but with his negotiations paused and free agency looming after the season, the Buccaneers have at least something to monitor behind him as camp and the preseason unfold.
Jake Browning and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels are in the mix for the No. 2 spot, and Daniels gave the Bucs a reason to keep watching after an encouraging preseason debut. Todd Bowles has made clear the job will be settled by competition this summer, which gives Tampa Bay an unusual bit of intrigue at a position that could become a lot more important than the label suggests. [Read more 🡒]