Through three games, the Bucs still haven’t found a clear offensive identity, and the biggest reason is simple: their best playmakers have not been fed consistently.
That issue runs through the backfield and the receiver room, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson addressed both sides of it ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Packers. His message was that the touches will come - but the current reality is that several of Tampa Bay’s most intriguing weapons are waiting for their chances.
Kenny Gainwell is at the center of that conversation. The Bucs gave him a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency, but so far his role has been far smaller than the contract suggests.
He has only 10 carries for 21 yards and six catches for 22 yards, and much of his early value has come on returns rather than as a featured offensive piece. That is a sharp drop from his career year with the Steelers, when he was used as a dynamic weapon, and it has already created frustration around where his 2026 usage is headed.
Robinson said the situation has been shaped by the flow of games, especially when Bucky Irving has been rolling.
“The flow of the game sometimes has dictated that,” Robinson said. “There have been some times when Bucky [Irving] has been rolling, so we wanted to kind of keep Bucky going with some of the limited possessions that we’ve gotten.
So, we definitely want to get Kenny involved. He knows he’s got his responsibility as well to earn those opportunities and show us when he is in there that he deserves the right to play more.
I think that’s the reality, and he knows that as well.
“So yeah, we’ve got to get him rolling. We know that.
[We’ve] had good conversations with him the last couple of weeks. It’s so early in the season still, and I can’t wait to see him kind of knock out the next opportunity he gets to get some more touches.”
That answer puts the spotlight squarely on usage, because Gainwell has already shown he can be more than a specialist. Robinson’s comments make clear the staff wants more from him, but they also leave open the bigger question of why a player on that deal has not been more central from the start.
Sean Tucker’s situation is even stranger. He has not played at all this season after the Bucs restructured his $2.52 million contract to keep him.
The fourth-year back has had a rocky time in Tampa Bay, with moments that hint at bigger possibilities before the touches disappear. The upside is obvious.
The chances have not been.
Robinson said Tucker needs to be part of the plan.
“100%,” Robinson responded about using Tucker more. “[We’ve] got to get ‘Tuck’ going.
He is special with the ball in his hands, as you guys have seen from his time here. So, that’s up to us as coaches - we’ve got to find spots to mix him in there.
Again, some of the rhythm of some of those plays where we’re getting into second-and-longs, third-and-longs, knowing he’s a little bit more, especially, [of a] first- and second-down back. So, I’ve got to mix him in there.
That’s our responsibility as coaches. But [I’m] looking forward to ‘Tuck,’ when he gets those opportunities, taking advantage of them for sure.”
That should sound encouraging, but the proof has to show up on Sundays. Words about mixing him in only matter if the usage changes in a real way.
The same problem shows up at receiver, where the Bucs’ supposed depth has not translated into enough volume for the players who should be driving the offense. Chris Godwin Jr. has been highly efficient, catching 10 of 11 passes thrown his way, but that hasn’t turned into a bigger target share.
Emeka Egbuka still hasn’t fully shaken the second-half slump from his rookie year, and Ted Hurst III has been too quiet overall after flashing with a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Vikings. He was targeted only three times in that game.
Robinson said Godwin’s role should naturally grow.
“I mean, there’s times when, shoot, maybe he is the primary in the route and, again… For football plays to work and for the execution to be at a high level, all things have to click at the right time. I think that’s been kind of the story with some of those where, shoot, could he have had two or three more catches in a game?
You know, probably so, when you watch the tape and you take a look at how things are kind of playing out from an All-22 perspective…But ‘C.G.’ (Chris Godwin Jr.) is a stud.
He’s going to continue to do his thing.
“If the ball finds him, which it will naturally, just with his savvy and all the things that he presents…The ball will find him eventually, and we’ve got to get him rolling for sure.”
Hurst, meanwhile, is now the locked-in No. 3 receiver with Jalen McMillan on injured reserve because of a PCL sprain. Robinson said the ball simply didn’t come his way enough against the Vikings, even though Hurst had his first touchdown and gave the offense a needed spark while the Bucs were trailing 10-0.
“I think similar to the rest of the skill guys, coverage can dictate where some things go at certain times,” Robinson said. “He definitely had some opportunities to possibly get a few more touches, and the ball didn’t find him last week for one reason or another.
But yeah, we’ve got to keep Ted rolling. He’s done a great job, man.
I can’t say enough good things about him. It was great to see his first touchdown on that - it was a big play.
Obviously, we’re down 10-0 [and] we needed a spark. It was great protection, great job by ‘Bake’ (Baker Mayfield) spotting him, and he ran a great route to finish it off.
“So, I’ve got to find ways, really, for all these guys. We’ve got a unique skill group [where] the ball can [be] dished around.
So, it might be a game where somebody gets hot [and] they get a [few] more touches, but Ted has been doing a great job. He’s separating, he’s open, and we’ve definitely got to find him when he is.”
Quarterback Jalon Daniels changes the equation for the Bucs’ offense over the next couple of weeks, but Robinson’s task stays the same: get the playmakers involved and build the offense around them the right way.
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