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INTRO: The say a picture says 1,000 words. Look at that mug shot of new Bucs defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson. That look says it all. No smile. Robinson means business. And the business that Robinson is in … well, it’s mean. And that’s exactly the type of attitude that the Bucs defense needs in 2026 as it looks to be bigger, more physical and play with more of a nasty edge. Even though he’s only been a Buccaneer for a few months, Robinson is already leading the charge when it comes to delivering a needed attitude adjustment in Tampa Bay. Enjoy!

FAB 1. A’Shawn Robinson Is The Alpha The Bucs Defense Needed

A’Shawn Robinson has only been a Buccaneer for a few months but he’s already become the alpha male the Bucs defensive line – and the defense in general – needed.

Todd Bowles’ defense has been in a steep decline since the 2021 season when Tampa Bay went 13-4 before losing to the Rams in the NFC Divisional round of the playoffs. That was the last time outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh played in red and pewter – outside of JPP’s late-season stint last year at age 37.

The Bucs have not only missed the play and production of Pierre-Paul and Suh since those days, the defense missed their brand of leadership – tough, physical, intense, hard-nosed, ass-kicking.

Tampa Bay’s defense had gotten softer, especially over the last two seasons.

Don’t believe me? Here’s what assistant general manager Rob McCartney said in a recent episode of the team’s In The Current video series.

“We want to get back to being a little bit of a bigger defense with more toughness, with more violence,” McCartney said. “Violence I think is a word that we’ve thrown around a lot in the scouting department this offseason. We want to be violent, and we want to go back to being the bullies.

“I think it is reasonable to think that we need to evolve and adjust [our scouting approach]. All those traits up there [on the I Am That Man mural], they don’t mean that you have to be nice.”

Bucs general manager Jason Licht echoed that sentiment in the In The Current video.

“We’re not throwing that (I Am That Man mantra) to the side whatsoever, but we do want players that have a nasty edge to them – that will win at all costs,” Licht said. “That bring some noise.”

Just to be clear, the Bucs haven’t made any changes to their “I Am That Man” mantra when it comes to evaluating players in free agency and the NFL Draft. But I took the liberty of making a few changes on the graphic above based on the team’s enhanced lookout for mean, ass kickers.

That’s where Robinson comes in. At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Robinson is about 30 pounds heavier than Logan Hall, the 4i/5-technique defensive tackle he’s replacing. And Robinson has plays with a nasty edge that was absent in Hall’s game over the past four years in Tampa Bay.

An edge that has been missing since 2021, really.

Robinson made it clear in his legendary initial press conference in Tampa Bay that he’s the kind of defensive lineman that is going to kick ass and take names. But at age 31, the Bucs signed Robinson not just to be an ass-kicker, but to foster that type of mentality throughout the defensive line and the defense in general.

Tampa Bay’s defense needed to toughen up, and Robinson was the perfect guy to lead that charge. That’s why the Bucs made signing him a priority this offseason in free agency and paid him a one-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $10 million.

Some NFL media members scoffed at the signing, accusing the Bucs of overpaying for a tough, aging defensive tackle who was never really a premier player.

With just 15 career sacks, including eight over the past two seasons in Carolina, Robinson has never sniffed a Pro Bowl. He’s not in Suh’s class as an elite defensive tackle and never has been.

It’s true that the eye in the sky never lies, but not everything shows up on game film.

Team-building isn’t about just what’s on tape. There’s no tape in the locker room. There’s no tape in the meeting room. There’s no tape in the cafeteria. There’s no tape at defensive line dinners and after-practice get-togethers.

That’s where leadership is forged and team chemistry is built – not just on the practice field or on the field on game days where tape is always rolling. It’s the intangible, off-the-field stuff where Robinson has helped and will continue to help the Bucs create a new identity on defense – one built on toughness and physicality.

Bucs DTs A’Shawn Robinson and Haggai Ndubuisi – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“A’Shawn has been great – him and Nacho,” Bucs defensive tackle Elijah Roberts said about Robinson and fellow veteran defensive tackle Rakeem “Nacho” Nunez-Roches on a recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast. “Just great vets, man. They’re guys who bring a lot of experience to the room, but then also they have some youth in a way where both are very playful guys. Very cool guys, joking guys – you know they like to have fun as well. But when it’s time to work, man, they’re already working on the field. They’re like two extra coaches out there.

“A’Shawn even got food trucks, like three or four food trucks that came to the facility the other day. Nacho and A’Shawn took us all bowling I think like their first or second week here, and they’re always trying to have the D-line hang out. So they understand the importance of having a brotherhood as well, being able to go to war with each other.”

Even though he’s not in the defensive line room, Bucs cornerback Jacob Parrish loves Robinson’s leadership and approach to the game.

“That’s a crazy man right there,” Parrish said of Robinson. “I’ll tell you right now, that’s a dude I like on my side – on defense. He has crazy energy.”

Did the Bucs overpay for Robinson? Not in their minds.

What does the tape suggest Robinson, who was scheduled to make $8.5 million this year in Carolina before his release on March 10, is worth? Maybe $7 million per year in the minds of skeptics?

Fine. So, the Bucs are paying an extra $3 million for his leadership and giving the defense the attitude adjustment it desperately needed this offseason. That’s money well spent, according to the team.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Robinson doesn’t have the skillset and supreme athleticism to be a force-multipler on defense and make the type of impact that former first-round picks like Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey can make, or that Rueben Bain Jr. is expected to make. But Robinson can be a force-multiplier in terms of attitude and fostering a nasty, bully mentality along the defensive line and throughout the whole defense.

Robinson might not be voted as a team captain this year. New inside linebacker Alex Anzalone will likely inherit the captain role from the recently retired Lavonte David.

But then again, neither Pierre-Paul nor Suh ever wore a “C” on their jersey in Tampa Bay and yet both provided the kind of edgy, hard-nosed, vocal leadership that was needed on defense – and helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV.

“A’Shawn Robinson is a vet, an alpha male on the field of play,” Bucs defensive line coach Marcus West said. “He’s an alpha within the line of scrimmage.”

Robinson is already making an impact as a leader on and off the field in Tampa Bay and he’s being welcomed with open arms.

And that’s invaluable to the Bucs.

FAB 2. A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches Bring Energy To Bucs Defense

Near the end of Tuesday’s OTAs, the Bucs offense began a four-down series at the defense’s 2-yard line, attempting to pass the ball into the end zone. On first down, defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson got his hand up at the line of scrimmage and knocked down a would-be touchdown for an incompletion.

Emeka Egbuka had gotten open on a slant and would have scored if not for Robinson’s deflection.

After that play Robinson jogged off to the sidelines as Todd Bowles made a substitution.

“We own this motherf*cker!” Robinson screamed to his defense, referring to how Tampa Bay’s defense had dominated the offense all practice long.

From there, fellow defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, also known as “Nacho,” took over the cheerleading duties and erupted when cornerback Josh Hayes broke up a pass in the end zone intended for Tez Johnson.

The Bucs defense stopped the offense from getting the necessary two yards and scoring a touchdown on all four downs. And after each stop, Robinson and Nunez-Roches got louder and louder.

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: Brian Collera/PR

It was a noise level and an energy level that hasn’t been seen on that side of the ball in quite some time in Tampa Bay.

“Energetic,” McCollum said. “It energizes us, it fuels us. It lets us know that’s we’re going in the right direction as far as a chemistry standpoint. The leaders are stepping up the young guys are following. That’s what we’ve been since OTA started, since phase one started. I mean it’s been all about energy. It’s been all about communicating and having fun and being loud.”

Bucs outside linebacker Yaya Diaby loves the addition of older, energetic vets like Robinson, 31, and Nunez-Roches, 32.

“Juice and guts, man,” Diaby said when asked what Robinson and Nunez-Roches bring to Tampa Bay. “Them guys, man, they’re ready to run through a wall and I’m ready to run with them through the wall. I love, love what A’Shawn brings. You know he’s a veteran guy and he’s more of a ‘Grrrrr’ get-after-it [guy] out there. And Nacho, he’s just loud. He’s got a lot of juice for how many years he been in the league. So it’s fun having those guys.

“A’Shawn has been super vocal and he’s always got something to say. Whether you are doing something right or doing something wrong. He’s always saying something. The pick-up that they got with A’Shawn – that tells you everything. We’re trying to get big up front and getting after that quarterback.”

Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles is known for being stoic, but loves how Robinson and Nunez-Roches have turned up the volume at practice.

“Nacho and A’Shawn have always been like that,” Bowles said. “It’s always going to be spirited with them two out there, but they bring out the best in everybody.”

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: USA Today

Even Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin has taken note of how loud and energetic Tampa Bay’s defense has been this offseason. He spoke about that after Tuesday’s OTA, which was a clear win for the defense.

“Aside from all of the new faces, it’s just a different energy,” Godwin said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys that are coming in ready to prove their value. Some guys looking for fresh starts. Some guys looking for new opportunities. It’s been fun. I’m sure you guys saw there’s a lot of energy – the defense was talking because that’s what they do. The offense, we bring our own energy, and we’ll continue to build that as we continue to perform better as well.”

FAB 3. How Quickly Can The Bucs Defense Come Together?

It’s one thing to add a bunch of new players on defense and upgrade the talent. But the key is getting what could be as many as six new starters on defense to come together, gel and play as one unit as quickly as possible.

The retirement of Lavonte David and the departures of cornerback Jamel Dean, outside linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive tackle Logan Hall have created vacancies in the starting lineup. First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. is expected to replace Reddick, while free agent A’Shawn Robinson will take over for Hall in Tampa Bay’s 3-4 base defense, and Alex Anzalone was signed to replace David.

If Jacob Parrish takes over at outside cornerback for Dean, that could pave the way for Keionte Scott, the team’s fourth-round pick, to start at nickelback. The Bucs spent a second-round pick on Josiah Trotter, who is expected to supplant SirVocea Dennis as the starting middle linebacker.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Brian Collera/PR

When it’s all said and done, over half of Todd Bowles’ defense will have a new starter in 2026. Given the subpar play of the unit last year, change is expected to be a good thing this year.

If all of the newcomers, including two rookies, can quickly learn the defense and get on the same page.

So far so good, according to the Bucs veterans.

“Yeah, I mean they haven’t been tiptoeing around, they’ve been full steam ahead and head-first,” McCollum said of Tampa Bay’s new additions on defense. “These new guys have been trying to absorb everything. And they’re trying to understand the lessons that we learned last year and trying to understand where we’ve been at and where we’re trying to get to.

“They’re stepping up on the team, being vocal. I mean you wouldn’t have guessed that they weren’t on the team last year. That’s the approach, it’s everybody coming together – new guys, rookies, it doesn’t matter. We’re all one team.”

The key to getting on the same page quickly is communication – verbalization on the field and in the film room during meetings.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: Adam Warren/PR

“When we do walk-throughs we make sure we communicate and make sure we’re out there on the field making sure we understand each other and how we see this game of football,” Robinson said. “How it’s played – the ins and outs of certain techniques, or if we see them stemming this way or if it’s a Y out, why are you off the ball? What are they going to do?

“So we’re just talking the game of football and making sure we see it the same way. And make we see it together on the same accord. So that’s all it is, really. Just making sure we all see the same thing, and attacking it aggressively – and not just being passive.”

Robinson has quickly emerged as a vocal team leader, which was a role he had in Carolina over the past two seasons in helping turn the Panthers from a five-win team in 2024 to an 8-win team and division winner last year.

“Teaching them new trades and new tricks, and understanding what we need to see right now – at this moment,” Robinson said about his communication with the young players on defense. “Not what we need to see down the road. What we need to focus on at a day at a time.”

After the offense won the first week of OTAs, Tampa Bay’s defense struck back on Tuesday and fared much better during the second week.

That’s a clear sign that Bowles’ defense is on schedule – or perhaps even ahead of schedule – when it comes to gelling as a unit.

FAB 4. No New Contract? No Problem For Baker Mayfield

For the first time this offseason, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield addressed the media, and he spoke about the fact that he has not had his contract extended yet when he met with reporters at One Buccaneer Place prior to his annual football camp for kids.

“The contract stuff – it’s happening, it’s starting – talks and whatnot,” Mayfield said. “Not anywhere close to what we were thinking. Would love to be here long term, but as of right now that’s not exactly the case. But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room and the staff know that I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me, that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.

“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline. As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball. It’s not up to me when that gets done by. Hopefully before that, but if not – still going to have a good year.”

Mayfield said that he and his wife Emily have put down roots in the Tampa area and would love to be with the team and the community long-term.

But he also expressed that he and the team are far apart in contract negotiations. While neither Mayfield’s camp nor the Bucs discuss contract talks on or off the record, the guess here is that the Bucs have begun conversations around $50 million and Mayfield could be wanting between $55 million and $60 million.

Dallas’ Dak Prescott is the league’s highest-paid QB at $60 million per year, while Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Los Angeles’ Matthew Stafford, Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence are all tied for second with an average of $55 million per year, according to OverTheCap.com,

Mayfield might have a hard time arguing that he’s as good as Allen, Stafford or Burrow – all of whom have either been to a Super Bowl or won NFL MVP honors. But the Bucs quarterback may have a case for being in the realm of Prescott, Love and Lawrence – especially if Mayfield can have another Pro Bowl season like he did in 2024 with 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and a franchise-record 71.4% completion percentage, all of which were career highs.

The Bucs may want Mayfield, who threw for less than 4,000 yards and just 26 touchdowns last year in an injury-riddled season, to play out his contract year to better gauge his true value. Tampa Bay made safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and franchise wide receiver Mike Evans play out their contract years in recent seasons.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Mayfield has given the team the deadline of the start of training camp for a new contract – otherwise he and his agent won’t talk about an extension until after the 2026 campaign. That may be fine for both parties in this instance. If Mayfield has a bounce-back year similar to what he was able to produce in 2024 while leading the Bucs to 10 wins, he’ll earn a deal much closer to $60 million.

And the Bucs would be happy to pay it if his play reached that level again.

The good news is that Mayfield, who has participated fully in the offseason program and the OTAs, didn’t give any indication he would hold out in training camp for a new contract in his comments to the media.

Perhaps a motivated Mayfield is exactly what Tampa Bay needs this upcoming season.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin is thrilled with what he’s seen so far from new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and Tampa Bay’s new offense.

“I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Godwin said. “I think the first thing that stood out to me about Zac is he does a really, really good job of teaching the offense. You can tell that obviously he’s had experience in calling plays and installing offenses, and being around some great coaches. So when he’s installing it, he’s confident in what he’s doing. He knows what he’s talking about, but also when he’s on the field he doesn’t feel like he needs to yell at guys to get his point across.

“And schematically, it’s similar to things we’ve done in the past but just with his own little twist on it. So it’ll be cool to see how he calls it in a game, but I’m really enjoying what I see so far and also just how open he is to collaboration from players.”

Bucs OC Zac Robinson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I asked Godwin if there has been some carry-over from Liam Coen’s scheme from 2024 when the Bucs offense ranked in the top 5 in scoring and rushing since Coen and Robinson came from the Sean McVay coaching tree in Los Angeles.

“Yeah, definitely,” Godwin said. “I would say it might be like 50-50 carryover from Liam’s scheme. I think at its base it’s the same thing, but it’s all of those [offenses are] kind of from that same family, that same tree – Rams, Niners, Seahawks and all of the offshoots of that. They all have originated from the same spot and the coaches have their different spins on it.”

• Bucs defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson’s main role in Todd Bowles’ defense is playing the 4i/5-technique position that Logan Hall played in recent years – albeit unsuccessfully. Bowles is hoping that the 320-pound Robinson can be more of a stalwart run defender like former Buccaneer Will Gholston was during the team’s Super Bowl run.

But given Bowles’ creativity, Robinson has enjoyed playing multiple positions up front so far.

“I’ve played in a lot of defenses and I’ve played in a lot of different spots,” Robinson said. “This defense is complex, but it’s also a defense you want to be in if you’re a D-lineman because you’re going to be aggressive. You’re going to get off and put O-linemen in situations, certain binds and things. So it’s going to let you be active, according to the system that we’re playing.

“I could be anywhere. I could be on the edge. I could be at the nose. I could be at the 3[-technique], I could be in a 9[-technique]. I could literally be anywhere, so that’s what makes it fun.”

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jim Dedmon

• A’Shawn Robinson was cut by the Panthers this offseason as Carolina wanted to get younger upfront. He was expected to make $8.5 million in 2026 and the Bucs actually gave him a raise because they value his leadership ability, which only increased his enthusiasm for wanting to come to Tampa Bay.

And it’s safe to say that Robinson is looking forward to playing his former team in Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football in Week 7.

“Oh yeah,” Robinson said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be a good one. … I’m here. I don’t care about Carolina.”

• Pewter Report had two Bucs players on the Pewter Report Podcast this week in defensive tackle Elijah Roberts and cornerback Jacob Parrish. Both were fantastic interviews, so if you missed either podcast make sure you catch up on them this weekend.

Bucs C Graham Barton Joins The Pewter Report Podcast On Monday

Pewter Report has had interviews with six Buccaneers so far this offseason: outside linebacker David Walker, guard Cody Mauch, cornerback Zyon McCollum, general manager Jason Licht, defensive tackle Elijah Roberts and cornerback Jacob Parrish.

But we’re not done with Bucs interviews yet this offseason. We’ve got center Graham Barton scheduled for Monday at 4:00 p.m. ET, so please join us as we speak to Barton about Zac Robinson’s new offense and the team’s new additions this offseason.