In the NFL, Cover 4 refers to a defensive coverage that aims to cover four deep zones on the field. Following that lead, I’m going to provide you with the same coverage of the Bucs – your favorite football team.

Each Wednesday morning I’ll cover four areas as they apply to Tampa Bay: 1. a short film breakdown, 2. a finance angle, 3. a look forward at what’s to come, and 4. a bit of fun.

Film: Zac Robinson Staple Concept – Wide Zone

One of the most fascinating parts of the Bucs’ hiring new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson follows the future of Tampa Bay’s run game. In 2023, the Bucs hired mid-zone aficionado Dave Canales. After spending several years running a duo-based scheme under Byron Leftwich, Tampa Bay unsuccessfully became a mid-zone running team. They were at or near the bottom of the NFL in every major rushing area (32nd in rushing yards per game, 32nd in yards per carry, 26th in EPA/rush).

The following year the Bucs needed to replace Canales after he got a head coaching gig with the Panthers and they once again turned to a mid-zone believer in Liam Coen. Coen also found out quickly that for some reason Tampa Bay struggles to execute mid-zone concepts, and their run game struggled through the first quarter of the season. But unlike Canales, Coen was adaptable. He leaned into a gap-run system centered on pull-lead and counter runs mid-season. The improvement was both stark and immediate. From Week 5 on, they ranked third in rush EPA/play behind two teams with elite running quarterbacks in the Bills and Eagles.

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Fast forward to this year and the Bucs have another zone-believer heading up their offense. Zac Robinson, unlike Coen and Canales, is a different kind of zone connoisseur. He pushes his zone runs further to the outside with a wide zone concept that sets the running back’s aiming point in the C gap just outside the tackle, vs. mid-zone that aims at the B gap between the guard and the tackle.

That brings up several questions.

1. Can Robinson successfully implement a zone blocking scheme where his predecessors failed?
2. Will he be adherent to the wide zone system even if the results don’t match his vision or will he, like Coen, adapt to personnel groupings that have been elite when running the counter/pull-heavy runs?

I took a look at the 2025 Falcons’ most successful runs to see how they created success and how the Bucs can replicate in 2026.

Two things stand out on this play from a blocking standpoint. The nimble movements of center Ryan Neuzil are fantastic on this rep. Off the snap he gives the nose tackle a quick shove to help right guard Chris Lindstrom better positioning before twisting back to the backside of the run to cut off the crashing linebacker. Wide zone has traditionally been executed best by offensive lines with elite movers at center.

The second is Lindstrom’s play itself, after getting the early assist from Neuzil, he locks his inside arm and drives the nose both wide and vertically creating the two-way crease running back Bijan Robinson uses to set up this explosive run.

Can Graham Barton move like Ryan Neuzil? Yes. What makes his potential at center so enticing is that he can move like the smaller, agile centers that have come to define wide zone offenses. He can just do it with 10-20 extra pounds of mass.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson – Photo by: USA Today

Where Neuzil has been better than Barton to this point in their careers is the snap to movement piece. That has been Barton’s Achilles heel through his first two seasons in the NFL. And it’s a critical piece of being successful in wide zone. That will have to change for this concept to take off in the NFL.

As for Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson executing the guard responsibilities, they both have the ability to move laterally. Mauch has gotten bigger and stronger since entering the NFL but did not sacrifice any of his elite agility before going down with a knee injury last year. In theory, they can execute this scheme. In practice the bigger issue has been working together as a unit.

Zone requires a five-as-one mechanism more than gap schemes do. And where the Bucs have struggled previously has been getting everyone on the same page. Footwork is the key for the group, timing and spacing steps to the guy next to you, so everyone is operating at the same speed and tempo.

All of this will come down to offensive line coach Kevin Carberry. His past stints in zone-heavy schemes showed modest success at best. He was the offensive line coach for the Rams in 2021 and 2022 when they ranked 22nd and 20th in EPA/rush, respectively. And he was Coen’s offensive line coach in 2023 when he tried to get the zone run game going in Tampa Bay.

To date he has shown more success coaching up gap-schemes. Robinson has publicly stated he is willing to adapt his scheme to his players. How about his coaches?

Robinson isn’t just a one trick pony though. He can scheme up a good gap-run when he wants to.

This counter staple was a bread-and-butter winner for the Bucs in 2024 and 2025. Each lineman with a specific man to match up with and a specific assignment to execute. Even with the defensive tackle getting an amazing break off the line, Lindstrom was able to pin him just enough for Bijan Robinson to deftly navigate the morphing lane. Substitute Mauch and Bucky Irving or Kenneth Gainwell in and this play still hits given their skillsets.

It’s also something in Robinson’s tool belt. How often he uses it will be the X-factor for the 2026 version of the Bucs offense.

Some additional examples of Robinson leaning away from his preferred run game. It’s all there.

My gut feeling is that Robinson will push to make wide zone work. It’s his wheelhouse and I suspect he believes it will put the passing game in its best position to succeed with play-action boots and shot plays driving the bulk of the offensive success. Those marry well to a wide zone system.

If he does go that route the team will have to “major” in it. That means growing pains early in the season as they gel and learn to move together before hitting their groove sometime around Week 6 or 7 (if they ever hit their groove at all – see Dave Canales circa 2023). But hopefully until that happens, Robinson has enough feel for play-calling that he can pick his spots well enough for those shot plays and occasional change-up gap runs to help the offense along in the early days.

Finance: Graham Barton Valuation

Now two seasons into his career, center Graham Barton will be extension eligible after the 2026 season. It may be hard to believe, but teams and player representation alike already start to create rough valuations of how much a player might cost on a second contract at this point.

Barton’s valuation is an interesting exercise. He has been a part of an extremely successful offensive line. By the end of 2024 Tampa Bay’s line was playing at the highest level in the NFL. 

In 2025, Barton was asked to do something few centers in the NFL could dream of. He kicked out to left tackle for a handful of games while the Bucs waited for Tristan Wirfs to heal up from offseason surgery. He understandably struggled on the edge, but held up well enough to get Tampa Bay through that first quarter of the season.

Bucs WR Sterling Shepard and C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

His re-acclimation to center was a turbulent one, marked by rotating lineups of backup-level talent who Barton hadn’t built rapport with, straining communication on the interior of the Bucs O-line.

By the end of the season, though, Barton was improving and had put himself back on the promising trajectory he was on at the end of his rookie season.

Since entering the NFL, Barton has played just over 2,000 regular season snaps, allowing pressure on 4.65% of his pass blocking reps, and six sacks. On true pass sets that pressure rate rose to 8.00% while earning a 57.9 run block grade from Pro Football Focus.

My projection models put his valuation at about $8.33 million when accounting for an expected rise in the salary cap to $325 million next year. His comps are wide ranging in price but settle in at an average that is almost identical to my projection.

That’s a modest price in today’s market and would match what the Lions just gave Cade Mays in free agency as the ninth-highest paid center in the NFL.

A modest improvement in his play, which should be expected given his age and learning curve, would push that number to a $12.5 million APY. And a strong performance, as I have forecasted for him would push him into the $15 million range.

But for now, Barton occupies the valuation for a middle-tier center.

Forecast: My Way Too Early Bucs 53-Man Roster Prediction – Offense

As we get to training camp we at Pewter Report will put together our 53-man roster projections. But I wanted to get a “Way too early…” projection together. It could show as a great marker of who does and doesn’t show out in OTAs, training camp and the preseason.

QB (2) – Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning
RB (4) – Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell, Sean Tucker, Josh Williams
WR (5) – Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, Ted Hurst
TE (4) – Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Bauer Sharp
OT (4) – Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Ben Chukwuma, Justin Skule
OG (4) – Cody Mauch, Ben Bredeson, Dan Feeney, Billy Schrauth
C (1) – Graham Barton
K (1) – Chase McLaughlin

Jalon Daniels may be an exciting undrafted free agent, but he’s still a project. And for a team that needs to make the playoffs this year, Jake Browning is the more measured option for Baker Mayfield’s backup. Then again if Mayfield goes down, former Bucs offensive assistant Tom Moore would say the team is…well, you know.

Bucs leadership was high on Josh Williams last year. A PED suspension may have knocked some of that shine off, but there aren’t any better options that should challenge him for the final running back position.

I tried to find a way to include Kam Johnson as the returner after he had a strong 2025 in that role, but I couldn’t square it. Now, I could see a world where the Bucs try to stash one of Ko Kieft or Bauer Sharp on the practice squad to get Johnson one of the last roster spots.

Bucs TE Ko Kieft – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With Ben Bredeson’s ability to play center at a high level, I don’t think the Bucs carry a backup center, specifically. Ben Chukwuma’s promising play last year has put him close to a lock this year and Bucs leadership loves Dan Feeney as a veteran backup presence. Justin Skule is the one player I am least confident about on this list.

Check back in next week when I add the defense (which has more difficult choices ahead).

Fun Fourth Down: All-Time Bucs 53-Man Roster – Offense

When thinking of all-time Bucs players or teams the exercise usually centers on creating a starting lineup. We at Pewter Report put together an all-time Bucs fantasy draft some time back where we each tried to fill out a starting offense and defense. But I can’t for the life of me recall a time where someone went through the process of trying to put together a full 53-man roster. So allow me to be the first.

For a team that has historically been known for its defense, the Bucs put together a strong all-time offensive roster.

QB (3) – Tom Brady, Brad Johnson, Doug Williams
RB (4) – Mike Alstott, Warrick Dunn, Doug Martin, James Wilder
WR (5) – Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Carrier, Joey Galloway
TE (3) – Jimmie Giles, Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate
OT (4) – Tristan Wirfs, Paul Gruber, Donald Penn, Demar Dotson
OG (3) – Ali Marpet, Davin Joseph, Sean Farrell
C (2) – Ryan Jensen, Tony Mayberry
ST (2) – Chase McLaughlin (K), Karl Williams (PR-KR)

I went with three quarterbacks because each one defined a winning era in Tampa Bay’s history. Tom Brady’s inclusion despite playing just three seasons is understandable considering he delivered the team its second Super Bowl. The same goes for Rob Gronkowski. 

Speaking of Gronkowski, his inclusion shows the Bucs haven’t had a ton of elite tight end play over the history of the franchise. Cam Brate and Dave Moore were a close battle for the final spot. I went with Brate because of the touchdowns. And don’t look now, but Cade Otton could pass Brate in catches and receiving yards as soon as next year. But he will need to break out as a red zone threat to close the current gap of 22 touchdowns that separate the two right now.

Obviously, Mike Evans leads the receivers. Who the top 3 are in 11 personnel is a fun debate. For me it would be Chris Godwin Jr. in the slot and Joey Galloway as the Z. Keyshawn Johnson and Mark Carrier would come off the bench for me.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

I love the running back group. Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn reunite for WD-40 “Thunder and Lightning” duo with Doug Martin and James Wilder providing strong depth.

The tackle group is impressive. I would kick Tristan Wirfs back to right tackle in order to get Paul Gruber on the field over Demar Dotson. Ali Marpet and Davin Joseph make a strong guard duo flanking Ryan Jensen. That’s a top-flight offensive line.

Like with the current roster projection, check back in next week when I add the defense to this formidable group.