Despite a disappointing 3-6 record the Bucs are still in the thick of the division race in the downtrodden NFC South, which features all four teams with either 3-5 (Carolina and New Orleans) or 3-6 records (Tampa Bay and Atlanta). The Bucs enter the bye week with a 2-0 record in the division and are coming off a gut-wrenching 27-24 loss at Chicago to a 7-2 Bears team on Sunday Night Football.

The Bucs’ bye week falls right at the midway point of the team’s 17 game schedule, and Tampa Bay’s opens its final eight-game stretch at Detroit against a 6-2 Lions team in Week 11. This is the perfect time to reveal Pewter Report’s 2026 Midseason Awards, beginning with the team’s MVPs on offense, defense and special teams.

On Wednesday Pewter Report will reveal the best rookie, best free agent acquisition, the newcomer of the year and the unsung player of the year before finishing up the Midseason Awards with the most improved and most disappointing on offense and defense, plus the best individual performance of the year and the best wins and losses of the year – so far.

Bucs 2026 Midseason MVPs

Bucs Offensive MVP – RB Bucky Irving

Is there any doubt that Bucky Irving is the MVP on offense? After a 1,122-yard, 10-touchdown performance as a rookie, Irving’s second season in Tampa Bay was riddled with injuries, missing seven games and finishing with just 588 rushing yards and one touchdown. After averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, Irving needed offseason shoulder surgery to get right for the 2026 season. While the Bucs passing game is a mess and the league’s worst-ranked unit, Irving leads the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack, which is averaging 163.9 yards per game.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

With 825 on 167 carries (4.9 avg.) and seven touchdowns through the first nine games, Irving should eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career and is on pace to top James Wilder’s franchise-record 1,544 rushing yards record set by James Wilder in 1984. Irving is averaging 91.7 yards rushing per game and is on track for 1,558 yards rushing this season.

Irving has recorded three of his five 100-yard rushing performances this season with 165 yards at Dallas, including a career-long 76-yard jaunt, 106 yards at Carolina, and a career-high 170 yards versus Atlanta as part of the Bucs’ franchise-record 324-yard day on the ground. He came close to hitting 100 yards again on Sunday night in Chicago, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries (4.9 avg.).

Not only has Irving been the top producer on offense this year, he’s also been the heartbeat of the team. Irving plays with great energy and emotion and fuels Tampa Bay’s offense.

Bucs Defensive MVP – CBs Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum

While rookie inside linebacker Josiah Trotter deserves praise for leading the team in tackles with 76, which is 26 more than the next Bucs defender, the dynamic duo of Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum at cornerback has been spectacular so far this year. Coming into the 2026, cornerback was a question mark following the departure of veteran Jamel Dean in free agency.

Bucs CBs Jacob Parrish, Zyon McCollum and S Ifeatu Melifonwu – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

There was supposed to be a big competition between Parrish, the team’s third-round pick in 2025, and Benjamin Morrison, the Bucs’ second-rounder last year, for the right to replace Dean. But a hamstring injury took Morrison out of the equation early, and Parrish, who was coming off a strong spring the OTAs, took the job and ran with it. Parrish leads the league with 14 pass breakups heading into the bye week and has two interceptions so far.

McCollum’s bounce-back season began in the spring under the tutelage of new cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson, who is over 20 years younger than former cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross. McCollum is more focused, better prepared, and is playing with a ton of confidence. He has shut down some of the league’s top receivers, including Cincinnati’s Jamar Chase, Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb and Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillan to name a few.

McCollum is tied for the team lead with a career-high four interceptions and also has 11 pass breakups. Together, Parrish and McCollum combine for 25 pass breakups and six interceptions, which makes them the league’s best cornerback duo halfway through the 2026 season. Both are playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Bucs Special Teams MVP – K Chase McLaughlin

Is there any doubt as to who the Bucs special teams MVP is? Kicker Chase McLaughlin is having an All-Pro season as he’s leading the league with a perfect 22-of-22 mark through the first nine games of the year. That’s 100% field goal accuracy for the folks who are bad in math. And McLaughlin is perfect on his extra points so far this season.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

McLaughlin is one of three kickers who remains perfect through Week 9 of the NFL season, joining Buffalo’s Tyler Bass (19-of-19) and Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson (12-of-12). With both Bass and McPherson residing in the AFC, McLaughlin has to be considered the leader for the NFC spot in terms of Pro Bowl honors.

Yet McLaughlin, who is in a contract year, has proven to the best kicker in the NFL because he has yet to kick indoors. Every game he’s played in so far has been outdoors, and he’s even had to successfully kick three field goals in a monsoon in a 16-0 win versus Atlanta, in addition to an extra point. McLaughlin is also 4-of-4 on kicks 50 yards or more, including a 59-yarder this year.