The Buccaneers enter July with a clear question hanging over them: can they turn a promising roster into a real Super Bowl threat?
Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay are under pressure to answer that after a rough 2025 season, one that left the offense searching for rhythm and the team needing a reset. The good news for the Bucs is that the pieces are there. The bigger question is whether they can finally come together in a way that changes the ceiling of the whole operation.
The most obvious place to start is on offense, where last season never fully settled in. Tampa Bay opened fast, but the momentum faded as injuries piled up, the group never quite got on the same page, Baker Mayfield’s play went up and down, and the offensive play-calling lacked experience.
That’s where Zac Robinson comes in. With a proven play caller now running the show, the Buccaneers have a chance to get back to being much more dangerous and much more consistent.
Even with Mike Evans gone, the roster still has the kind of weapons that can make life miserable for defenses. Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin and Kenny Gainwell should all benefit from Robinson’s system, especially with Mayfield throwing behind one of the best offensive lines in the country.
The other major swing factor is the pass rush. Tampa Bay has not been short on opportunities to get after the quarterback in recent years; the issue has been finishing the job.
That’s a problem the Buccaneers attacked this offseason by adding Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad. If the front seven can create steady pressure, it changes everything for the defense.
It gives the linebackers and secondary less ground to cover, and it forces quarterbacks into mistakes that can turn into turnovers.
Health up front may be just as important as anything else. Tampa Bay’s offensive line was not a disaster last season, but it wasn’t dominant either, and Graham Barton was the only starter to stay healthy the entire year.
That has to change if the Bucs want more than a playoff return. Cody Mauch is back after missing the entire season, while Ben Bredeson, Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke all dealt with injuries and time away from the kind of continuity that matters most in the trenches.
If that line stays intact and plays closer to its best, Tampa Bay’s run game should have more room to breathe and Mayfield should have a cleaner pocket to work from. That kind of stability would go a long way toward making the Buccaneers look less like a team with potential and more like one built to chase a third Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Makes High-Profile Ownership Move In Oklahoma City
Baker Mayfield is adding another line to his off-field portfolio, this time in a project that ties him back to a familiar place. The Buccaneers quarterback is joining an ownership group that includes Russell Westbrook and several other notable figures to help launch a professional soccer venture in Oklahoma City, where a new stadium is already rising as part of a broader development plan around the team.
The club is set to begin play in 2028 in the USL Championship, and the early buzz around the project has centered on both the people involved and the scale of the build. A 10,000-seat stadium designed by Populous is under construction, and Mayfield has made clear he is excited about being part of the effort and about investing in Oklahoma City's next sports chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Got Major Love For A Look Fans Always Defended
Sports Illustrateds Mike Kadlick recently took a swing at ranking all 32 NFL teams by their uniform combinations, and the Buccaneers landed at No. 6. For a franchise whose look has always invited strong opinions, that is a notable bit of national validation, especially for a current set introduced in 2020 that traded the louder design language of the previous era for something cleaner and more classic.
The current mix has given Tampa Bay a more polished identity, from the red home jerseys to the white road look with pewter pants and the Creamsicle-style throwbacks that keep the teams history in the conversation. It is also a reminder of how far the uniforms have come since the 2014-19 designs, which drew plenty of ridicule before the redesign brought the brand back to something fans felt fit the franchise better. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie Just Drew A Comparison No Linebacker Can Ignore
The Buccaneers used the 2026 NFL Draft to add more talent on defense, bringing in Rueben Bain Jr., Keionte Scott and Josiah Trotter as part of a class that could shape the next wave of their roster. Trotter arrives with a familiar football name attached, and the linebacker group around him has already become one of the more interesting subplots of Tampa Bays draft haul.
Josiah Trotter, the son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, is drawing plenty of attention for what he might become in the NFL. Former Buccaneers guard Ian Beckles has already put a heavyweight comp on him, and it is the kind of praise that instantly raises the stakes for a young defender trying to carve out his place in Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]