Pewter Report’s PR Roundtable
presented by PrizePicks

Sign up for PrizePicks daily fantasy gaming with code: HMA and get $50 in lineups instantly when you play your first $5+ lineup by clicking HERE.

A new Pewter Report Roundtable column on the Bucs debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: Which Bucs player should become a new captain in 2026?

Scott Reynolds: Chris Godwin Jr. Can Fill Mike Evans’ Role As Team Captain

The Bucs voted wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. to be a team captain in 2023 alongside quarterback Baker Mayfield and future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans, who was a fixture as a captain in Tampa Bay for a decade. The team had eight captains that year before paring it down to six in subsequent seasons. Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs earned a “C” on his chest for the first time and was voted as a captain in 2023 and continued on in that fashion while Godwin was no longer a captain in 2024 or 2025.

But here’s the thing. Godwin doesn’t need a “C” on his chest to lead.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

Some of the biggest leaders in recent Bucs history – guys like center Ryan Jensen, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul – never had official captain status. But that didn’t stop them from stepping, being veteran vocal leader and helping to come alongside the team’s captains in a different capacity.

That’s what Godwin has been doing for years anyways. He’s been leading by example, but also has been a constant presence in the offseason program, hardly missing a day when healthy, and helping Tampa Bay’s young receivers pick up the offensive system. While Evans would typically train on his own in Galveston during the offseason, Godwin was always present and served as an extra coach during the OTAs and offseason workouts.

Now with Evans’ departure in free agency, as well as Tampa Bay electing not to re-sign Sterling Shepard, Godwin serves as the elder statesman of the wide receiver room and as Mayfield’s most trusted weapon on offense. He is more than capable of filling Evans’s shoes from a leadership standpoint this year. And even though he doesn’t need it to lead, expect Godwin to once again earn a “C” on his jersey this spring and summer.

Matt Matera: Alex Anzalone Seems Like A Guaranteed Captain As Lead LB

There’s a reason why inside linebacker is called the quarterback of the defense. It’s likely that it will be Alex Anzalone who is wearing the green dot on his helmet for the Bucs defense and calling out the plays to the rest of his teammates, considering the starting ‘backer next to him is probably going to be a rookie.

It’s the role that legendary Lavonte David had for several years, so with Anzalone as the next veteran in line at that position, it feels like a guarantee that he’ll have the “C” on his jersey. It’s a big responsibility but there’s no doubt that Anzalone is ready for it, as he was a team captain in Detroit, and is the best choice to follow in the footsteps of a legend.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Anzalone understands what comes with the responsibility of being a captain. This Bucs team had a theme all offseason long about changing the attitude, especially on defense. They need a new voice on defense to lead the way and Anzalone is going to bring it.

Adam Slivon: Luke Goedeke Deserves To Be In The Captain Conversation

The Bucs have many solid choices to take the reins as team captains. Even with the obvious choices out there, it is worth noting why Luke Goedeke deserves to be in the conversation. With Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator, Tampa Bay is looking to re-establish its ground game next season and the identity that comes with that. With one of the best offensive lines in football when healthy, making Goedeke captain would drive home the toughness and physicality the team wants to set in 2026.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Goedeke fits those characteristics, and he would help elevate the standard. Not only does he have a gritty attitude and easy-to-get-along-with personality, but he is also pretty good, too. Since getting drafted in 2022, No. 67 has come a long way to develop into a quality right tackle, serving as the bookend opposite Tristan Wirfs. From trash-talking opponents to ribbing Baker Mayfield, he is one of the more well-liked players by his teammates. With that, he would bring accountability and galvanize the troops when needed.

With Mayfield, Wirfs, and Goedeke as offensive captains, the Bucs would have the most fun trio of players to lead the unit. There are other options, such as Chris Godwin Jr., who is well-respected in the locker room and is now the team’s longest-tenured player. Given that Luke Goedeke has risen the ranks and is locked up long-term at over $22 million per year, he is one of the best offensive players who could don the “C” on his chest for years to come, and no one would think twice about it.

Bailey Adams: Tykee Smith Is An Obvious Choice For Bucs Captainship

We’re talking about new captains for the Bucs in 2026 because of the departures of Mike Evans and Lavonte David, right? There are some obvious choices to replace Evans as a captain on the offense, with one of them being from the same position group, of course. But it’s a bit more wide open on the defensive side after David, another longtime captain, announced his retirement.

On that front, why not go with the guy who David specifically pounded the table for when asked about potential successors in leadership on defense? That would be third-year safety Tykee Smith.

“It could be a number of guys,” David said. “A lot of those guys – I wouldn’t take the field if I knew they didn’t have my back and if they didn’t play with the mentality that I had. But you know I love Calijah, Tykee for sure, Yaya – some guys who have played good football for us for a lot of years, but you know I’d probably put my hand up for sure for Tykee.

“Man, that’s like my little brother. I took him under my wing. He was one of those guys who – was one of those young dudes who came straight at me, questioning me and grilling me to see how I move and stuff like that.”

Bucs S Tykee Smith and LB Lavonte David – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Stephen Lew

That really says it all. Tykee Smith plays with an edge, has the right temperament to lead on the defense and has spent the last two years under the wing of a guy like David, who has been a captain and leader for more than a decade in Tampa Bay. Who better to take over as a young, leading voice on that side of the ball?

Josh Queipo: It’s Yaya Diaby’s Time To Lead

There is no veteran starter opposite of Yaya Diaby in the Bucs outside linebacker room this year. Veteran Hassan Reddick, who was a free agent bust in 2025, is gone. Former Pro Bowler and franchise player Shaq Barrett is gone. Former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is gone. It’s been a position that has seen quite a bit of turnover since 2021 yet Diaby, who has been a starter since his rookie season in 2023, has been the lone constant.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

During exit interviews with the media last year Diaby had some pretty eye-opening statements regarding the collapse of the Bucs defense. He’s a vocal player who is not afraid of voicing his opinions. Last year Diaby took accountability and he let it be known that he expected more accountability out of his teammates in 2026. That’s the sign of someone growing into a leadership role as he enters his contract year and fourth season as a starter.

Diaby is willing to call out when things aren’t right. The Bucs need to take one more step on the field, but they could also use his quiet confidence, accountable voice to take another step in the locker room, too. Antoine Winfield Jr. doesn’t have the hard edge that every locker room needs, and he chooses to lead by example as a captain the way veteran defensive tackle and fellow captain Vita Vea does. Diaby’s comments prove that he can be the type of captain that can fill Lavonte David’s shoes and hold teammates accountable. That’s captain material in my book.