After the Bucs slipped to 0-4 with their 17-14 loss to the Packers last Sunday, conversations began to swirl about the team potentially being a seller at the trade deadline, which is set for Nov. 10. Tampa Bay promptly responded by earning its first win of the season on Thursday Night Football, a 24-16 road victory over the Cowboys.

Will that cool down any talks about the Bucs possibly selling some assets at the deadline, which is now less than a month away? It’s unlikely. The road back into the NFC South race doesn’t look as long and treacherous as it did heading into Thursday night’s Week 5 contest in Arlington, but it’s fair to say that this Tampa Bay team is still flawed and barring a massive turnaround over the next four weeks, it could very well be somewhere between 2-7 and 3-6 by the time the deadline arrives.

With that in mind, who are some potential trade candidates on the Bucs’ roster? Just prior to that Week 5 win that helped them escape the ranks of the NFL’s winless teams, they had three players listed on Pro Football Focus’ list of 15 trade candidates. While general manager Jason Licht and his staff aren’t typically very active regarding in-season trades, perhaps they’d pull the trigger if a team called with the right offer.

Let’s take a look at the three candidates mentioned by PFF’s Bradley Locker.

If The Bucs Aren’t Going To Pay Yaya Diaby, Could He Be On The Block?

Back in the summer, fourth-year outside linebacker Yaya Diaby seemed like a possible candidate for a contract extension. Nowadays, it’s feeling more likely that his days in a Bucs uniform could be numbered.

Diaby has been held without a sack through five games this season and has just seven total pressures. He has two tackles for loss, two passes defensed and an interception, which he hauled in off a tipped pass during Thursday night’s win over Dallas. But overall, the 27-year-old pass rusher’s impact has been minimal.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

No one could blame the Bucs if they currently have cold feet regarding the possibility of signing Diaby to a second contract after the 2026 season. While he has yet to show much in three games thus far, Rueben Bain Jr. was a first-round draft pick earlier this year, and there are high hopes for him. Not to mention, coming back off the season-ending injury that cost him his rookie year, David Walker has proven to be the guy the Bucs thought he could be when they drafted him in the fourth round last year. So could those two and a potential draft pick in 2027 lead the pass rush going forward, making Diaby expendable? It’s a thought.

On the other hand, signing quarterback Baker Mayfield to a three-year, $165 million deal before the start of this season complicated things for Tampa Bay’s cash picture in 2027 and could lead to the team letting Diaby or right guard Cody Mauch walk in free agency. Back in September, Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo even forecasted a potential tag and trade of Diaby in the offseason.

But could the team opt to trade Diaby prior to Nov. 10 if it’s looking like 2026 is going to be a lost season?

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

Here’s what Locker had to say about Tampa Bay’s No. 0, a third-round pick back in the 2023 Draft:

“Diaby has had issues finding his footing in 2026, producing a 50.6 PFF pass-rush grade and only seven pressures through four games. However, he collected 132 total pressures from 2024-25, reaching a 17.4% pass-rush win rate or better in both seasons.

“Long one of the reliable game-wreckers along Tampa Bay’s front, Diaby could be a sneaky trade target as a soon-to-be free agent. If the Buccaneers are willing to listen on pieces, the 27-year-old pass-rusher figures to fetch solid capital in return for a Buccaneers team that looks on the precipice of at least a retooling.”

Locker mentions the Bears, 49ers, Cowboys and Eagles as potential trade partners who could inquire about Diaby’s availability.

Would The Bucs Deal Zyon McCollum Despite His Recent Resurgence?

Also included on PFF’s list was Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum, who signed a three-year, $48 million contract extension prior to the 2025 season. He went on to have a disappointing 2025 campaign, but he has largely bounced back to start the 2026 season. Has he lived up to that contract yet, though? Perhaps not, even if he’s shown some signs through the first five weeks that he ultimately could.

McCollum has six passes defensed, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery through five games in 2026, though he does only have three interceptions through four-plus seasons to this point in his career. The former Sam Houston State standout has the speed, size and athleticism you want in a cornerback, but questions remain about whether he’ll ever fully bring it all together and be a true CB1.

The Bucs are paying him like he’s that guy, but has he been that guy? Could they look to offload him halfway through that three-year extension he signed in 2025?

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Unlike a potential trade of Yaya Diaby and the impact it would/wouldn’t have on the outside linebacker room, the Bucs would be left exceptionally thin at the cornerback position if they dealt McCollum prior to Nov. 10. Jacob Parrish has certainly done well for himself as he’s transitioned from the team’s primary nickel cornerback as a rookie in 2025 to a starter outside in 2026. But fellow 2025 draft pick Benjamin Morrison simply cannot stay healthy, meaning it would be a risk to lean more heavily on him in the aftermath of a possible McCollum trade.

Here’s what Locker wrote about Tampa Bay’s fifth-year cornerback, who was a fifth-round pick back in 2022:

“McCollum enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2024 season, but since then, his production has certainly waned. Over the first four games of 2026, McCollum sports just a 58.3 PFF coverage grade, although his passer rating against (80.4) and forced incompletion rate (13.3%) are both in at least the 60th percentile.

In the first year of a three-year, $48 million extension, McCollum is another defender the Buccaneers could look to shed. The Steelers could reunite McCollum with Jamel Dean after trading away Porter, while the Lions urgently need more talent in their secondary. The Bears and Bengals could also make particular sense given McCollum’s superior man coverage work (69.4 PFF coverage grade) and their higher rates of utilizing the look, although McCollum was actually better in zone in 2024 and 2025. Raiders general manager John Spytek may make some calls to his former organization, too.”

Locker mentions the Steelers, Lions, Bears, Bengals, Bills and Raiders as possible fits for McCollum, who is still just 27 years old.

Might The Bucs Look To Get Something For A’Shawn Robinson?

The third and final Buccaneer on PFF’s trade candidates list is veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, who is only in Tampa Bay on a one-year deal. Robinson has been the team’s best offseason acquisition thus far, both because he’s been as advertised in terms of his attitude, intensity and leadership and because he is off to a great start over the first five games of the season.

The 31-year-old Robinson is the Bucs’ highest-graded defender so far this season with an 89.1 overall grade. The next-closest player is David Walker at 77.5. That’s how impactful the veteran defensive lineman has been. He has a sack, five pressures and an interception over five games.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Despite the impact he’s had so far, there’s something to the idea of getting a draft pick for a veteran player if the season is going nowhere and that player is unlikely to be re-signed in 2027. Now, Robinson could come back next year on another one-year deal, but he’ll be 32. There’s no guarantee there.

Here’s what Locker wrote about Robinson:

“Robinson joined the Buccaneers on a one-year contract, and he’s been one of the team’s few bright spots thus far. His 89.5 overall PFF grade is actually the highest among defensive linemen with 90 or more snaps, powered by an elite 88.8 PFF run-defense grade. However, Robinson hasn’t been much of a factor against the pass, tallying only four pressures over 60 pass-rushing snaps.

Robinson may not be the flashiest name on this list, but he’s likely to be dealt given his work on the ground, not to mention being a 2027 free agent. The 31-year-old would be a good consolation prize for teams that miss out on (Daron) Payne.”

Potential fits listed for Robinson are the 49ers, Bears, Patriots and Raiders.