The Bucs are entering a new era in 2026.

It is one without Mike Evans and Lavonte David, and one coming off their first playoff miss since 2019. That reality has forced a reset in Tampa Bay, with general manager Jason Licht and his staff tasked with reshaping the team’s identity, starting with this week’s 2026 NFL Draft.

Leading up to one of the most important times on the football calendar, the Bucs have recently shared an exclusive, behind-the-scenes In the Current episode covering the build-up to draft day.

Bucs Have Evolved Scouting Process To Find Players With “A Nasty Edge”

Scouting is a grind – long hours, little recognition, and constant travel.

As the phrase goes, it is “not for the faint of heart.” The latest In the Current video deepens that understanding by taking a peek into the Bucs war room on February 9 for a pre-draft scouting meeting.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

Leading the way in the meeting was assistant general manager Rob McCartney, who has taken on more responsibility since John Spytek left to become the Raiders general manager. After serving as the team’s director of player personnel for three seasons, McCartney is someone who has continued the team’s “I am that man” mantra modeled after Lavonte David to identify high character, high work ethic players.

“One of the things we’ve been looking for is – we want to get back to being a little bit of a bigger defense,” McCartney said. “With more toughness, with more violence, that’s a word we’ve thrown around a lot in the scouting department this offseason. We want to be violent; we want to go back to being the bullies on both sides of the ball, really.”

After the defense has gotten criticism for playing too soft and filled with nice guys, McCartney pushed back against that sentiment.

“It is reasonable to think we need to evolve and adjust, now those traits [that we look for] don’t mean you have to be nice.”

While the Bucs do not necessarily want to draft prospects with character concerns, they do want to add players who can ignite and provide a spark.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: Vincent Carchietta – IMAGN Images

“We do want players that have a nasty edge to them,” Licht said. “That will win at all costs. That bring some noise.”

That mindset shows up in their offseason moves, as the team went out and added energetic tone-setters like defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, Alex Anzalone, and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Those are players who match the “nasty edge” profile they are prioritizing. Now, Jason Licht and the rest of the front office want to add even more fuel to the fire.

“I think we all know we need that, right?” McCartney added.

Bucs Embracing “Looking Different” In 2026

No football team looks the exact same year-over-year, and the Bucs will look and feel different next season.

No. 13 and No. 54 jerseys will continue to fill Raymond James Stadium, serving as a reminder of how things used to be. Even with a different vibe surrounding the team, Rob McCartney specifically mentioned Tampa Bay’s offense as a reason for excitement.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN Images

“It’s going to look different, but I think there’s a lot of excitement about the pieces that we do have,” McCartney said. “You’ve got really good running backs; you’ve got a playmaking quarterback and knowing that we have a really good offensive line in this place.”

There is a lot of warranted optimism surrounding the offense, especially with Zac Robinson taking over for Josh Grizzard as the offensive coordinator. Pairing that with Jason Licht’s track record of finding about four starters a year through the NFL Draft, and reinforcements are on the way. That has not only raised expectations that many of the team’s draft picks will be on defense, but that this class could reshape the unit quickly, especially along the front seven and secondary.

“First of all, I love my staff, scouting staff,” Licht said at his Wednesday pre-draft press conference. “I wish I had enough time to name everybody, but they do a fantastic job working together. The process – they know exactly what I like and they know what I don’t like. But then I’ll say I was talking to Todd [Bowles] about this too – we were talking about this very thing – just the consensus that we have and the way we work together with our combined staffs and just the camaraderie that we have.

Bucs GM Jason Licht, WR Emeka Egbuka, and HC Todd Bowles – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

“There are no closed doors. We can talk at any time. My scouts can talk to any coach at any time. I think that process has really worked very well. I want to give the coaches some say in this too because I want them to be vested with the players and I want them to like the players that we’re bringing in because it usually leads to a better relationship between them, the player and the coach, and leads to better results.”

Unpredictability is what defines the NFL Draft. It rarely unfolds the way teams or analysts expect. Take what happened last year with Tampa Bay taking Emeka Egbuka, a move that has led to a new future being established at the wide receiver position.

“The challenge is exciting,” Licht said heading in. “It’s going to look different, but we’re very confident that we still have a very good football team. With the additions we’ve made so far and with the draft coming up, we can have an even better football team.”

To watch the full In the Current episode, click on this link or click to watch it from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers YouTube Channel below.