After a frustrating 2025, the Buccaneers are heading into 2026 with something to prove. And while the spotlight naturally lands on the biggest names, there are several players on this roster who could end up shaping the season in a major way without getting nearly enough attention.
Chris Godwin is at the top of that list. With Mike Evans no longer in the picture, the pressure shifts squarely onto Godwin to lead Tampa Bay’s receiver room, at least for this season.
The strange part is that he’s still being treated like a secondary story by plenty of people, even though his career production says otherwise. Injuries have slowed him down in recent years, and rookie Emeka Egbuka’s rise last season has pushed the assumption that Egbuka will be the centerpiece.
But Godwin is healthy again for the first time in a while, and at 30, he still has plenty left. His work ethic and versatility should make him a key piece for Baker Mayfield, especially with his target share set to climb.
The same under-the-radar label fits Cody Mauch, and maybe even more so after last season. Tampa Bay’s offense took a hit because of the injuries up front, and Mauch was one of the biggest losses when a knee injury in Week 2 ended his season.
He played just one full game, which has made it easy for people to forget how important he is to the line. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Mauch has a chance to remind everyone that the Bucs are a different offense when he’s out there.
At full strength, Tampa Bay’s offensive line can be one of the best groups in the league.
Calijah Kancey is another player who should be getting more buzz. He’s an explosive interior pass rusher, and lining him up next to Vita Vea only makes him more dangerous.
The problem has been availability. Kancey was supposed to be a breakout player last year and even had the potential to lead the team in sacks, but a torn pectoral muscle ended his season in Week 2.
The Buccaneers picked up his fifth-year option, so they’ve got him for the next two seasons. Now it’s on Kancey to start paying that investment back.
His quick first step and compact build make him a unique weapon, and if he can finally stay on the field for a full year, the ceiling is huge.
Antoine Winfield Jr. doesn’t fit the same injury story, but he still belongs in this conversation. He was mostly healthy in 2025, yet he wasn’t quite the same game-changing force he’s been at his best.
That could change quickly. For the first time since his rookie season, he’ll have a strong defensive line in front of him and a group of interchangeable defensive backs around him.
That setup could help him get back to the level he showed in 2023, when he became the first Buccaneers safety to earn First-Team All-Pro honors since John Lynch. Winfield is also set for an even bigger leadership role in Todd Bowles’ defense, and there’s reason to think he’ll be unleashed in a way Tampa Bay hasn’t seen in years.
Then there’s Al-Quadin Muhammad, a free-agent addition who feels easy to overlook with Rueben Bain Jr. in the draft mix. Jason Licht took a careful but deliberate approach in free agency, and Muhammad is a good example of that.
A sixth-round pick by the Saints out of Miami in 2017, he bounced around with the Saints, Colts, Bears and Cowboys before settling into a rotational role with the Lions over the last two seasons. Last year was his real breakout, though, as he posted a career-high 11 sacks for Detroit after Aiden Hutchinson went down.
Muhammad should have a chance to help Tampa Bay’s pass rush in a rotational role, and that’s something this defense needs. He’ll be trying to prove that last season wasn’t a one-year spike, and if he does, the Buccaneers will be better for it.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Just Drew The Criticism Bucs Fans Dread Most
Late in the 2025 season, Baker Mayfield found himself back in the familiar spot of being both the reason for hope and the source of debate in Tampa Bay. Buccaneers fans have largely stayed in his corner, especially with the expectation that a contract extension is coming, but not everyone around the league is viewing his year through the same optimistic lens. ESPN analyst Ryan Clark was among those raising eyebrows, pointing to the kind of uneven play that can make a quarterback conversation turn quickly.
For Tampa Bay, the unease is less about one bad stretch than the broader questions that have followed Mayfield at different points in his career. The concerns center on inconsistency, accuracy, decision-making and turnovers, all of which matter even more when a team is preparing to invest heavily in its starter. The Bucs may still be headed toward a long-term commitment, but Clarks comments are a reminder that the discussion around Mayfield is not nearly as settled as the fan base would like. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfields future in Tampa Bay is starting to feel like one of the quieter storylines worth watching as the Buccaneers move through the offseason. He and Vita Vea are both entering the final years of their contracts, and while Mayfield has made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, the sides still have work to do before anything gets serious.
For now, the Bucs are keeping their flexibility and both players are focused on getting ready for the season ahead. But with camp approaching and no real movement on the extension front, the situation has the feel of something that could linger well into the summer if the sides do not find common ground soon. [Read more 🡒]
Bucky Irving Just Got The Disrespect Buccaneers Fans Will Hate
Bucky Irvings rise in Tampa Bay was one of the brighter storylines of his rookie year, when he gave the Buccaneers a dynamic presence in the backfield and quickly looked like a player the offense could build around. Even with injuries interrupting his second season, there was still enough of a track record to expect his name to show up when ESPNs Jeremy Fowler asked NFL personnel types to sort out the leagues best running backs.
Instead, Irving was left on the outside of the conversation entirely, not even landing in the honorable-mention tier as other backs such as Breece Hall, Quinshon Judkins, Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara drew support. For a player who flashed like a future centerpiece in Tampa Bay, the omission is the kind of slight that tends to linger, especially when the Buccaneers are still trying to figure out just how high Irvings ceiling can be once hes healthy again. [Read more 🡒]