The Bucs have received their fair share of criticism in recent months.

Since ceding the NFC South division title to the 8-9 Panthers via a tiebreaker, plenty have pointed to and magnified Tampa Bay’s shortcomings following a 2-7 collapse and a promising 6-2 start. Coming off an 8-9 season in 2025, that criticism is certainly justified.

Yet heading into 2026, there are objective reasons to have optimism that the team can turn things around.

That is precisely the theme of what former Tampa Bay head coach and Bucs Ring of Honor inductee Bruce Arians had to say during his recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast. In an interview with Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera, Arians shared his thoughts on Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick, Rueben Bain Jr., who is the key piece in rebuilding the Bucs’ front seven on defense, which underperformed last year.

Bruce Arians Is Specifically High On What Bucs Defense Can Do In 2026

Kicking off Bruce Arians’ appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast, the legendary NFL head coach was asked about his overall thoughts about the moves the Bucs made this offseason. Despite being an offensive guru, Arians wasted no time talking about the improvements made on defense, which saw defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, inside linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad arrive via free agency.

Then Tampa Bay added outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr., inside linebacker Josiah Trotter, nickelback Keionte Scott and defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart in the draft. In all, the Bucs added nine new players to bolster the talent and the depth of Todd Bowles’ defense.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and former HC Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I thought it was a fantastic offseason,” Arians said. “I thought Jason [Licht] and the boys nailed the draft. Love the additions in free agency and the draft, and it sounds like OTA’s went really, really well.”

While the fan base was collectively pessimistic before the 2026 NFL Draft, it is hard to look at Tampa Bay’s draft picks and not get excited. Much of that excitement is understandably built around Bain, who was selected 15th overall and widely regarded as the steal of the first round of this year’s draft. In Arians’ mind, Bain has been everything the team could hope for while also being on the additions made to the front seven.

“Yeah, I think he is everything as advertised, man,” Arians said. “Talking to [outside linebackers coach] Larry Foote, he loves the guy. The relentlessness he brings to practice… he’s getting after them every day. He’s going to make those [offensive] tackles better, too. Tristan [Wirfs] is going to make him better. It’s a great battle.”

Bucs OLB Rueben Bain Jr. and OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

One of Pewter Report’s criticisms of Bowles’ defense last year was how stale the unit seemed to become down the stretch as the losses starting piling up. There was an obvious lack of energy and toughness as the Bucs defense morphed into a soft unit during the 2025 season, unable to stop the run when it mattered and not good enough to effectively rush the passer.

Licht and Bowles wanted to add more energy, size, physicality and mental toughness to the defense this offseason, and on paper, it looks like they accomplished that mission. Bowles’ defense in 2026 could have as many as five new starters as a result.

“I think what they’re doing defensively with A’Shawn Robinson, having “Nacho” (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches). Nacho, that’s a big pickup bringing him back because he brings so much energy to practice every day,” Arians said. “Capehart, I love him. Getting David Walker healthy, Muhammad. We have a front seven that’s probably our best front seven since the Super Bowl.”

That’s certainly a big statement from Arians, and if it turns out to be true then Tampa Bay’s retooled front seven could be the catalyst for a big-time turnaround for the Bucs franchise in 2026.

Watch Legendary Bucs HC Bruce Arians On The Pewter Report Podcast

Bruce Arians joined the Pewter Report Podcast for over 40 minutes earlier this week. Check out our full interview with Arians and subscribe to our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.