The offense of the Bucs has dazzled over the years thanks to wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It’s also been elevated to new levels with the addition of running back Bucky Irving, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in the fourth round last season and became a sensation. Tight end can’t be slept on either with Cade Otton, who consistently gets better each season and has a knack for coming up in the clutch.

We’ve talked many times about Evans and Godwin being a top duo at receiver in the league. But adding in Irving at running back and Cade Otton at tight end makes the Bucs even better as an overall skill position group. That’s before we even mention the way that wide receiver Jalen McMillan finished his rookie season, how this year’s first round pick Emeka Egbuka brings to the receiver room and having running back Rachaad White as another solid running back that keeps the offense together.

Do The Bucs Have The Best Skill Group?

Does this make the Bucs’ skill group the best in the league?

It at least makes them close to it.

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema was on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams this week where he was asked to rank his top five offensive skill groups. Coming in at second on the list was the Bucs. Here’s what Sikkema’s explanation of it was.

“I’ll have a little bit of a homer pick here and I’ll take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at number two,” Sikkema said. “But I got reasons why. Obviously, Mike Evans is a 1,000-yard machine. Chris Godwin is coming back from injury but he’s still Chris Godwin. They just drafted Emeka Egbuka to have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver along with Jalen McMillan. Cade Otton’s good at tight end and then obviously you got Bucky Irving the phenom from last year.”

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Sikkema had the Vikings at five, the Bengals at four, the Lions coming in at three, the Bucs finishing two and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles at first overall.

What Separates The Bucs From Others

It’s safe to say that regardless of seeding, these are the top five groups for the list. The Eagles deserve the right to be one overall after winning the title this latest season. What really puts the Bucs ahead of many teams is Irving at running back, who rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. Irving certainly separates himself from the Vikings’ Aaron Jones and Bengals’ Chase Brown. Irving and Jahmyr Gibbs are on the same level while slightly below Saquon Barkley.

The combo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin puts them up against most receiver duos in the league, and holds water with the top five skill groups, which is what makes Irving’s assertion at running back important. For example, an argument can be made by some at this point of their careers that having Bengals’ receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins might be better than Evans and Godwin, but Irving tops Brown much more, given the overall sum of the Bucs’ parts better than the Bengals.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

That’s the same situation for Evans, Godwin and Irving compared to the Vikings and Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones. Jefferson might be the best today, but that’s why it’s about the group. The weakest link of the Bucs is Otton at tight end, so the nod would go to Minnesota for T.J. Hockenson over him, but the gap is much shorter between Otton and Hockenson than it is than Irving and Jones.

Where some disagreements may come about is having the Lions at three instead of two moving the Bucs one spot back. The strength of Godwin as wide receiver two outweighs Jameson Williams, while Evans and Amon-Ra St. Brown is more of a wash. It’s also a wash when it comes to the running backs. Sam LaPorta is a premier tight end in this league, though, and probably has the biggest disparity compared to Otton than any of these other positions.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

At the end of the day, it’s splitting hairs for all five of these teams. It also doesn’t even include quarterback play, which would make for a completely different order, too.

What we do know is the Bucs are in a great spot heading into the 2025 season offensively and should continue to be at the top of the league in several categories.

Check out the entire episode of Up & Adams with Kay Adams including the whole interview with Sikkema by clicking this link. Soon after the draft was done, Sikkema also joined the Pewter Report Podcast to break down the 2025 Bucs’ draft class. Watch that episode below and subscribe to our YouTube channel.