Pewter Report’s PR Roundtable
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A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: One thing the Bucs should worry about after Week 1.

Scott Reynolds: The Lack Of Explosiveness In Zac Robinson’s Offense

Josh Grizzard’s idea to make the Bucs offense more explosive in 2025 sounded good in theory. Instead of a 7-yard crosser that sets up second-and-3 when completed on first down, change the depth of that crossing route to 12 yards and just go from first down to first down with a completion. That concept can work if the offensive line is healthy and buys the quarterback an extra half second to hang in the pocket and let the receiver have time to run that additional depth on the route.

But missing two guards up front like Tampa Bay did last year, led to more pressure on Baker Mayfield and a drop in his completion percentage from a franchise-best 71.4% in 2024 under Liam Coen to 63.2% in 2025. The further the ball travels downfield the less accurate any quarterback is, and the Bucs didn’t hit on as many explosives as Grizzard had hoped. As a result there were too many third-and-longs and three-and-outs, which led to a decline in scoring from 29 points per game under Coen to 22 points per game under Grizzard.

New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson wants to get Mayfield’s completion percentage back up and turn the Bucs offense into a chain-mover once again in 2026. That was accomplished in the team’s Week 1 loss at Cincinnati – sort of. When he wasn’t fumbling the ball, Mayfield was completing 82.1% of his passes (23-of-28) for 216 yards against the Bengals, which was a big step in the right direction in terms of completion percentage. He averaged 7.7 yards per attempt, which is just below his career-best of 7.9 yards in 2024 and better than last year’s 6.8 yards per attempt.

But I worry that the lack of passes beyond 10 yards – there were only of those throws at Cincinnati – doesn’t stifle the Bucs offense over time if Robinson doesn’t test defenses vertically a bit more. The Bucs only had two pass plays longer than 20 yards – a 22-yarder by Bucky Irving and a 30-yarder by Chris Godwin Jr. Both of those completions were short throws that had plenty of YAC (yards after catch) and that’s a lot of pressure to put on the players by having to manufacture big plays after the catch on a regular basis.

Robinson needs to dial up more than one pass play longer than 20 yards to keep defenses honest and from smothering underneath routes, which could lead to interceptions from jumping predictable shorter routes.

Matt Matera: Baker Mayfield’s Turnovers

There are several things that one could point to for why the Bucs lost at Cincinnati, 33-27, in Week 1, but ultimately it comes down to losing the turnover battle in drastic fashion. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was responsible for three of the team’s four fumbles lost in the game. Even if he loses just one out of the three, maybe the Bucs end up winning it.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Mayfield has a reckless style of play. We love it when it works, and it has helped Tampa Bay win two division titles since he became a Buccaneer in 2023. But it’s also cost the team severely at times. Mayfield has fumbled 35 times as he enters his fourth season in red and pewter. Back in 2024 he was tied for the league lead in interceptions with 16. Mayfield has become a bit of a turnover machine at times. While he makes big plays that wows everyone, there are unreasonable mistakes that also makes everyone want to pull their hair out.

Which version of Mayfield we get the rest of the 2026 season is unknown. He tries to do too much at times, which leads to a high number of turnovers. Mayfield can still do the Houdini act and make unimaginable plays to help the team, but it has to weigh that against the cost of a potential turnover. Last Sunday’s game was inexcusable. That was a winnable game for the Bucs. Hopefully Mayfield can find the right balance throughout the season.

Adam Slivon: Bucs’ Outside Pass Rush Might Not Meet Higher Expectations After All

The discussion surrounding Tampa Bay’s outside pass rush entering the season is that it would look noticeably improved with the pieces they added and subtracted. After letting Haason Reddick walk and waiving Chris Braswell, they were replaced by Rueben Bain Jr. and Al Quadin-Muhammad. With David Walker also returning, they were expected to hit the ground running in Week 1. Yet for all the fanfare, they did nothing against the Bengals offensive line.

Yaya Diaby had the more favorable matchup on the outside than Bain, but he failed to contribute. No outside pass rusher had a sack or even came close to generating consistent pressure. Cincinnati’s right tackle Amarius Mims stonewalled Tampa Bay’s first-round pick throughout the afternoon, and it was concerning see how much the promising rookie struggled getting around him.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Muhammad and Anthony Nelson made a minimal impact, while Walker did not log one snap on defense. I was among those beating the drum the loudest about his pass-rushing potential, and it was baffling that Todd Bowles did not get him out there to see if he could provide some juice in getting after the quarterback.

Going forward, I am not overly concerned about the Bucs’ outside pass rush after one game. What I am concerned about is that the group might not make the kind of game-changing impact that has been expected. There has been plenty of hype around Diaby and Bain teaming up, and Bowles himself shared recently how he felt like he had no reserves among the five players.

Still, they played like reserves on Sunday, and until the results say differently, one should pump the brakes on this group being filled with game-wreckers. Facing the Browns in Week 2 is a get-right game for the outside pass rush and the Bucs if I have ever seen one. But what about for the rest of 2026?

Bailey Adams: Bucs’ Inability To Cover The Tight End Still Lingers

The Bucs dealt with the primary threats on the Bengals offense pretty well in Week 1. Any time you can hold Ja’Marr Chase to two catches for 12 yards on only four targets, you’re going to feel good about your chances of coming away with a win. Add in the fact that Tee Higgins caught three passes for 59 yards on six targets and did most of his damage late, then factor in Chase Brown averaging 3.5 yards per carry. All things considered, you would’ve taken that coming in if you were Tampa Bay.

But one giant problem still lingered, and that was the Buccaneers defense’s inability to cover the tight end. Mike Gesicki torched Tampa Bay throughout the afternoon, looking less like a 30-year-old afterthought on the Cincinnati offense and more like one of its main contributors. No matter what Todd Bowles and the Bucs did, they couldn’t keep Gesicki from finding open space and exploiting it.

Bengals TE Mike Gesicki – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Gesicki caught five of his seven targets for 78 yards to lead the way for all Bengals pass-catchers. He averaged 15.6 yards per catch and hauled in Joe Burrow’s lone touchdown pass of the day. There was one drive that felt especially troubling for the defense, as Cincy worked its way down the field exclusively via the Burrow-to-Gesicki connection.

Just after the Bucs got their first touchdown of the day to get within 21-10 before halftime, the Bengals went back to work. Taking over from their own 28, they moved quickly. First, it was a 16-yard pass from Burrow to Gesicki. Two plays later, the two linked up for 11 yards and another first down. One play after that, a 25-yard connection to the Buccaneers 20. That quickly, Cincinnati got in field goal range, and it didn’t feel like there was a single defender anywhere near Gesicki the whole drive.

Covering the middle of the field and covering tight ends have stood out as two significant issues for Tampa Bay’s defense in recent years. It’s only one game and one tight end, but the idea of that issue continuing on as a problem throughout 2026 is concerning. The Bucs will see Harold Fannin Jr. in Week 2, T.J. Hockenson in Week 3, Tucker Kraft in Week 4 and Jake Ferguson in Week 5. So, Bowles and Co. better find an answer for the tight end – fast. 

Josh Queipo: The Easy Answer For Me Is Injuries

I want everyone to take a big step back and an even bigger breath. Yes, the Bucs lost a winnable game at Cincinnati in Week 1 to what looked like a very good team with a top 5 quarterback, top 3 receiver, a bevy of additional weapons and a rebuilt defense that looks formidable this year. Oh, and did I mention they lost by one score after giving the ball away four times?

That’s the context for this single data point. So, honestly, the only thing the Bucs should worry about is the same thing they should have been worried about before the game. Injuries. Injuries derailed their 2025 season. And that’s the biggest threat to their 2026 campaign.

All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs had a rough Week 1. Rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell got him for a couple of pressures. Wirfs wasn’t his usual dominant self.  He’s also coming off a preseason hamstring injury. If he’s not his usual self for an entire season the calculus starts to change for Tampa Bay and the team’s offensive line.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish and Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

The secondary looked like the most shallow position group to start the season. Top cornerback Jacob Parrish is now hurt – though maybe not injured as the MRI on his back came back negative, thankfully – testing that depth out of the gate. Although cornerback Benjamin Morrison filled in admirably, the secondary cannot withstand losing another player, especially if it’s either of the starting safeties Tykee Smith or Antoine Winfield Jr.

Week 1 leads to funny results.  The Rams got embarrassed. As did the Cowboys, Broncos and Chargers. The Bucs lost a close game. No need to read too much into that. Keep an eye on the health of this team, where depth is lean at a few positions. That’s the biggest worry for me moving forward.

Nick Geddes: Alex Anzalone’s Play In Cincy Is A Huge Concern

It’s only one game, but I am smashing the panic button when it comes to new inside linebacker Alex Anzalone. It would be one thing if Anzalone, playing his first game in a Todd Bowles defense, was simply out of position on a few plays or something to that effect, which, in theory, can be corrected. While that was an issue for Anzalone on multiple occasions against the Bengals, the bigger reason I’m concerned is from an athletic standpoint, he looked like a player well past his best.

Anzalone is 31. He’s no spring chicken, but was expected to be an upgrade over the now retired Lavonte David, as well as SirVocea Dennis, who looked unplayable in 2025. In Cincinnati, Anzalone had a Pro Football Focus grade of 32.3, worst among Tampa Bay defenders and 62nd among 68 linebackers across the league in Week 1. His coverage grade was 39, and his coverage bust led to Mike Gesicki’s touchdown reception near the end of the first quarter to give the Bengals a 14-3 lead. Gesicki feasted over the middle of the field all day, hauling in 5-of-7 targets for 78 yards.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone and Bengals RB Chase Brown – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Anzalone also missed several tackles, slipping and sliding on the turf in Cincinnati. Perhaps it was the cleats, but the entirety of his film showed a player who has lost a step of his athleticism. Anzalone was significantly outplayed by rookie second-round pick Josiah Trotter, who became the first player in league history to record a sack and a pick-six in his NFL debut.

The Bucs desperately need Anzalone to figure it out and quickly. If this proves to be who he is at this point, then the Bucs defense will resemble 2025 where the middle of the field became the great wide open for opposing teams.