Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo by: Bob Liebenberg/NFL

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INTRO: The Bucs have some rookies that have generated some real hype in pass-rushing outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. and Ted Hurst, a real tantalizing talent at wide receiver. I’ll discuss both today in this week’s SR’s FAB 5, and joining me in hyping up both players are a couple of legendary Buccaneers in Bruce Arians and Rondé Barber, who made comments about Hurst and Bain on recent podcasts.

There won’t be an SR’s FAB 5 next Friday, July 3, as I’ll be celebrating our country’s 250th anniversary the next day on July 4, which is Independence Day. So enjoy this column – and God bless America!

FAB 1. The Ted Hurst Hype Is Real

For as much hype as there is about edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., Tampa Bay’s first-round pick – and deservedly so after a scintillating offseason – by the time September gets here there will be just as much hype about wide receiver Ted Hurst, the team’s third-round pick.

By then, the offseason buzz will translate into training camp buzz and Hurst will make some splash plays in joint practices against the Jets and Jaguars that will raise eyebrows and create headlines.

I suspect the hype will grow even more during the three preseason games where the Georgia State product will get plenty of playing time to polish up his game and to rest the three receivers ahead of him on the depth chart – Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan – and preserve them for the regular season. Don’t be surprised if Hurst makes a few highlight reel catches or touchdowns en route to leading the team – and perhaps the league – in preseason catches, yards and TDs.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Hurst has the leaping ability to highpoint the ball and win contested catch situations. And his 4.42 speed not only helps him create separation and get open, but he can also pull away from defenders and rack up yards after the catch.

For a team needing an X receiver to replace the legendary Mike Evans, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound skywalker of a talent, there was no better option for the Bucs than Hurst this offseason.

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what the best defensive back in Bucs history, Hall of Fame cornerback Rondé Barber, had to say about Hurst.

“Ted Hurst – I’ve been on him since the beginning when we drafted him,” said Barber on The Rondé Barber Show on WFLA’s YouTube channel. “The smoke is real. There is fire underneath that smoke. He has been impressive. I hear he’s learning a couple of positions. He’s not just focused on the X position or whatever position they have him lining up in more regularly. He’s got the football I.Q. to do both, which is a great thing.”

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon is a guru of a position coach, rapidly developing the likes of Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson to play at a high level and contribute quite a bit during their respective rookie seasons. McClendon has been working closely with Hurst this offseason to do the same thing with Hurst so he too can have an impactful rookie season.

In Zac Robinson’s offense, he prefers positionless wide receivers. That means that there is no static X, F or Z receiver in his scheme. Cross-training every receiver to play multiple positions over the course of a game is key to confusing defenses and preventing opposing defensive coordinators from trying to gameplan and eliminate any one particular receiver.

There will be times when Hurst lines up outside as a split end X receiver on the other side of a bunch formation in an attempt to create one-on-one matchups on the outside. But just like Robinson did with Drake London, Atlanta’s 6-foot-4, 214-pound receiver, Hurst will also see plenty of time inside a bunch formation as a big slot receiver to create some size mismatches inside.

While Godwin will be featured as the slot receiver most of the time due to his history of success there, Hurst actually caught more slant passes in the slot at Georgia State than he did on any other route. From there Hurst could use his breakaway speed to rack up yards after the catch across the middle of the field where there was plenty of grass to maneuver.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo courtesy of Georgia State Athletics

Super Bowl-winning head coach Bruce Arians was on the Pewter Report Podcast this week and raved about Hurst and thinks that the Bucs receiver room will actually be fine without Evans this season.

“I think it’s in great shape,” Arians said. “I think Ted Hurst is going to jump on the scene big time, and Chris is as reliable as it gets. Whenever Mike was doubled, we would either put him in the slot and get somebody else one-on-one on the outside, or get him on a linebacker-safety combination. But that’s always where Chris would get a bunch of catches and Scotty Miller would take the top off the defense to clear Chris out.

“I don’t think there is any doubt about it because [Chris] really knows how to play inside. And he’s got the ability to play outside. So if you’re in 12 personnel he’s got some good matchups and if you’re running the ball [successfully] he’s got a one-on-one.”

With a lot of attention being paid to more established receivers like Godwin and Egbuka, who almost had 1,000 yards receiving last year and led the team in catches, yards and touchdowns as Tampa Bay’s first-round pick, expect Hurst to thrive in one-on-one situations.

“It depends now on who is that backside receiver,” Arians said. “Emeka or Ted Hurst or whoever it is, if they are going to put the attention to [Godwin] those young guys outside are going to get one-on-ones all the time. Jalen especially, has the speed to do a lot of damage out there.

“I love that room right now. I think Ted Hurst is the wild card.”

Bucs WR Ted Hurst Photo by: IMAGN Images – David Butler II

Later in the Pewter Report Podcast episode, Arians was asked who he would love to coach on the Bucs current roster that he didn’t have the chance to coach when he was leading Tampa Bay from 2019-21. Naturally Arians said quarterback Baker Mayfield, but before he did he mentioned Hurst first.

“Offensively, I would get real excited about Ted Hurst,” Arians said. “I love big, fast receivers. And of all the guys on that team that I didn’t coach, I would love to coach Baker.”

I understand that there was a similar amount of buzz around former Bucs wide receivers Kenny Bell and Jaelon Darden, who impressed as rookies during their OTAs and mini-camp back in the day. And of course both wilted when the game got physical when the pads came on and also under the lights during the pressure of the preseason.

But Hurst is a different breed. He’s serious about his craft, is extraordinarily talented, and is more like some other rookie receivers who generated plenty of hype heading into training camp.

Guys like Evans, Godwin, McMillan and Egbuka.

FAB 2. Bruce Arians Is Fired Up About Bucs’ Revamped Defensive Front

It’s not just rookie receiver Ted Hurst who has Bucs Ring of Honor head coach Bruce Arians excited about the 2026 Buccaneers. It’s also Tampa Bay’s revamped defensive front.

“I think what they’re doing defensively with A’Shawn Robinson, and having Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches) – Nacho, you know, that’s a big pickup bringing him back because he is bringing so much energy to practice every day. [DeMonte] Capehart, I love him. Getting David Walker healthy, Muhammad [Al-Quadin] – you know we’ve got a front seven that’s probably our best front seven since the Super Bowl.”

Bucs OLBs Rueben Bain and Al-Quadin Muhammad – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I think Arians is right, and the job that general manager Jason Licht, assistant GM Rob McCartney, VP of player personnel Mike Biehl and head coach Todd Bowles did this offseason in remaking a unit that was really a letdown last year is quite remarkable.

Let’s take a look at the new starters, which are underlined, in Bowles’ 3-4 scheme. On paper it looks like very new addition is an upgrade over last year’s starters. This even includes 31-year old Alex Anzalone over 35-year old Lavonte David, who was a shell of his former self last year, especially in coverage.

Bucs Projected Starting 3-4 Defense

OLB Rueben Bain Jr. > Haason Reddick
DT A’Shawn Robinson > Logan Hall
DT Vita Vea
DT Calijah Kancey
OLB Yaya Diaby
MLB Josiah Trotter > SirVocea Dennis
WLB Alex Anzalone > Lavonte David

Perhaps just as important, the Bucs’ depth has been upgraded via free agency and the draft, and a few players who received a bunch of playing time last year – defensive tackle Elijah Roberts and inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis – are better depth pieces this year than last year’s reserves. Newcomers are underlined.

Bucs Depth Along The Defensive Front

OLB3 Al-Quadin Muhammad > Anthony Nelson
OLB4 David Walker > Chris Braswell
DT4 Rakeem Nunez-Roches > Greg Gaines
DT5 Elijah Roberts > CJ Brewer
DT6 DeMonte Capehart > Elijah Simmons
ILB3 SirVocea Dennis > Deion Jones
ILB4 Christian Rozeboom > John Bullock

The key to making the Bucs defensive front more formidable is not just an upgrade in talent. It was an attitude adjustment and bringing in some real ass kickers like Robinson and Bain.

“There’s no doubt,” Arians said. “I think he and Bain are going to bring a whole different attitude, and Alex Anzalone, too. He’s a pro.”

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

Former Bucs legend Rondé Barber agreed with Arians’ sentiment on a recent addition of The Rondé Barber Show on the WFLA YouTube channel.

“Rueben Bain – he’s going to change the way things look here in Tampa,” Barber said. “I think Alex Anzalone is a great addition. We need that type of player here, and I think he stood out just because of the way he plays games. He’s a professional.”

Arians was fortunate enough to coach some really great talent on the defensive side of the ball when he was Tampa Bay’s head coach. He saw firsthand how Pro Bowl edge rushers like Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett and defensive tackles like Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea helped the Bucs beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

When asked which defensive player on the current Bucs roster he would love to coach if he had the opportunity, Arians said the whole damn defense.

“I’d love to have this defense that we have right now,” Arians said. “If we can stay healthy at corner we’re going to do a lot of damage with that front seven. Trying to run the ball [against the Bucs] is going to be really hard.”

FAB 3. Two Interesting Nuggets About Rueben Bain Jr.

Since he fell to Tampa Bay with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Bucs fans have been wondering where exactly edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. ranked on the team’s draft board. General manager Jason Licht was asked about that on draft night on April 23 shortly after reveling in the fact that Bain was the Bucs’ first-round pick, but didn’t disclose how high the Miami All-American ranked.

“[We] felt very high,” Licht said, who went on to explain why Bain may have unexpectedly slipped down the board on draft night. “It could be a combination of the other teams, other needs. There were some really good football players that went in front of him. We had a quarterback that went and then we had some offensive linemen and it pushed him down a little bit, and it goes to show you that a lot of teams have a lot of needs and your board.

“You try to set it as best available player, but it always enters your mind when you have needs and we had him very high up on our board. Probably would’ve taken him a lot earlier.”

Pewter Report has learned that the Bucs actually had Bain ranked as the No. 4 player on their draft board. No, I don’t know which players Licht and Co. had ranked ahead of Bain outside of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza being ranked No. 1.

“We think very highly of him, obviously, we think he’s a great player,” Licht continued on draft night. “There were very few scenarios where we thought he’d be there, but there [were] scenarios, and we’re very excited. [I] probably have never seen a more excited draft room.”

Drafting Bain was an absolute steal by the Bucs, and his acquisition changed the whole vibe about the offseason within the Tampa Bay fan base.

Not only did Bain care less about posing in front of the cameras behind the mirror at the NFL Draft, instead snatching his Bucs hat without breaking stride and motoring towards NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell, Bain also skipped the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. That’s an annual post-draft event where select rookies are chosen to fly to California to pose for publicity pictures in their NFL uniforms.

The NFLPA selects at least one rookie from each team, and both Bain and wide receiver Ted Hurst were chosen from Tampa Bay. While Hurst attended, Bain declined the opportunity, telling the Bucs that having his picture taken wouldn’t help him learn Todd Bowles or help the Bucs win any games. Members of the Bucs’ brass were surprised – and delighted – to hear that from their No. 1 pick.

That’s no knock on Hurst for attending the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. That’s just a sign of how little glitz and glam and notoriety mean to Bain.

He’s all business, all the time.

And Bain’s office is the football field.

FAB 4. Bruce Arians Handicaps The NFC South Division In 2026

Bruce Arians knows a thing or two about the NFC South, as his 2020 and 2021 Tampa Bay teams swept both Carolina and Atlanta in those seasons en route to winning Super Bowl LV and then finishing with a franchise-record 13 wins the following year. While Arians was 0-6 against New Orleans in the regular season as the Bucs head coach, he scored the most monumental win over the Saints in the 2020 NFC Divisional playoffs in 2020.

The Bucs won at New Orleans, 30-20, in quarterback Drew Brees’ final NFL game and advanced to Green Bay for the NFC Championship Game.

In a recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast, Arians was asked how the NFC South stacked up heading into the 2026 season and where he ranked the Bucs. Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta ended up in a three-way tie at 8-9 with the Panthers winning the division due to a tiebreaker despite losing to the Bucs in Week 18, 16-14. New Orleans finished 6-10, but finished the season strong with wins at Tampa Bay and New Orleans, and actually swept the Panthers.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Panthers HC Dave Canales – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

“I think Carolina has improved,” Arians said, leading off his discussion with the reigning NFC South champion. “They’ve got a lot of confidence coming into this offseason and they improved defensively and offensively. I think Dave [Canales] and Harold Goodwin and those guys do a helluva job.

“I really like [Tyler] Shough, the quarterback in New Orleans and what they are doing down there. Defensively they still have a ways to go. The Falcons – who knows? They may have the most talented roster of everybody, and you’ve got to stop Bijan [Robinson] and Kyle Pitts.”

When asked about the Bucs, Arians had this to say.

“To me the Bucs are still the team to beat,” Arians said. “I’m saying over 10 wins if we stay healthy.”

There you have it. A bounce-back season is on tap for the Bucs, according to Bruce Arians.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Bucs wide receiver Ted Hurst isn’t the only newcomer generating a lot of buzz this offseason. Running back Kenneth Gainwell also turned plenty of heads with his receiving skills and electric playmaking ability during the OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp.

We’ve written and discussed Gainwell quite a bit here at Pewter Report, and Rondé Barber also hyped him up on a recent episode of The Rondé Barber Show on the WFLA YouTube channel.

Bucs RB Kenneth Gainwell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The guy that is going to probably jump out the most I think once the preseason and training camp starts is Kenneth Gainwell,” Barber said. “I knew what he was because I watched a lot of Steelers [games] last year. Kenneth Gainwell, man – watch out. Dude – watch out.

“Yes, we love Bucky, but we’ve got another version of that in a guy that was extremely productive in and out of the backfield – and I mean out of the backfield as in catching passes. The guy is impressive.”

See what else Barber had to say, plus his interview with assistant general manager Mike Greenberg, on the latest Rondé Barber Show.

• Rondé Barber also noted how rookie tight end Bauer Sharp, the team’s sixth-round pick, has impressed the coaches and scouts during the offseason.

“The one I keep hearing about a lot is this rookie tight end, this Bauer kid,” Barber said. “He’s got some speed. He’s really athletic and he’s fast. We don’t have a lot of production other than Cade Otton at tight end. The other guys are blockers. So he adds an element that we really haven’t had here – two tight ends to be able to be pass catchers.

“Bauer Sharp – think of him as like a faster Cam Brate. You guys remember how productive Cam Brate was. He led the league in touchdowns one year [from the tight end position]. If you get anything from that regard from him that would be unbelievable.”

Pewter Report’s Matt Matera and Bailey Adams also discussed how great Sharp has looked this offseason on a recent Pewter Report Podcast episode.

• And finally, former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians shares my opinion that Tampa Bay’s receiving corps can be just as successful without Mike Evans, who turns 33 this August. After 12 seasons of building a Hall of Fame career with the Bucs, Evans signed with the 49ers for less money in free agency. The move caught most observers off guard, including Arians.

“I was very surprised,” Arians said on a recent Pewter Report Podcast appearance. “I was almost shocked because I know how much he loves Tampa and how much it meant to him, and I know the offer we made. So there had to be some underlying thing that I don’t know was the reason, but it wasn’t money.”

As for the receiving corps, Arians noted that the Bucs are still loaded with talent, including Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst, Tez Johnson and others. And even though the passing game used to go through No. 13, the fact that there is no alpha receiver in Tampa Bay might make it harder for opposing defenses to key in on stopping a particular receiver because any of the wideouts have the talent to pop off with a touchdown or a 100-yard game in any week.

Bucs WRs Ted Hurst, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Arians has a lot of faith in new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and noted that last year’s rookie play-caller, Josh Grizzard, struggled down the stretch to get the ball to Evans outside of the Week 15 game at Atlanta.

“A little bit of our inexperience showed at coaching offensively in those situations, and I know Baker [Mayfield] felt he had to get Mike the ball,” Arians said. “Every quarterback has a great receiver, and as a coach when you are scripting those plays and you’re scripting that first 15, [Evans] is getting two touches somehow. I think that hurt us a little bit last year, and I don’t think that will hurt us this year.”