There was a time when draft season for the Bucs would already be underway by the end of October, but that’s not the case anymore. Tampa Bay ended its playoff drought in 2020 and won Super Bowl LV and has since won the NFC South in each of the last four years. And of course right now, Todd Bowles and Co. are 6-2 and hold a two-game lead atop the division as they pursue a five-peat.

However, it is the Bucs’ bye week and in some respects, draft season never really ends. So, from what we’ve seen in the first half of the 2025 season and taking contract and career statuses into account, why not take a quick look ahead to the 2026 Draft and see what some of the team’s positional needs might be? Of course, the 2026 free agency period will come before the draft, too, so there’s always a chance some of these needs will be filled with external additions in March.

General manager Jason Licht and his staff have done a masterful job in recent years when it’s come to retooling the roster and keeping it in position to contend. The Bucs could’ve been in for a bit of a rebuild after Tom Brady’s retirement at the end of the 2022 season, especially with the bill coming due for the Super Bowl window. But Licht and his team have been on fire as of late in the draft, and that’s helped both in terms of remaining competitive atop the NFC South and being able to retain key in-house free agents year in and year out.

So, as Licht and the Tampa Bay player personnel/scouting departments look to keep their hot streak going next April, which positions might be of the highest priority? Let’s take an early look.

Bucs Still Need Long-Term Answers On Defense At EDGE, ILB

There’s a reason why just about every Bucs fan is clamoring for the team to be active at the trade deadline and acquire help at both outside linebacker and inside linebacker to make a run to the Super Bowl this year. Those are still pressing needs for Tampa Bay, and while no one can be blamed for wanting the front office to address those needs right now, it would seem far likelier that impactful help will be on the way via the 2026 Draft.

First, let’s consider what the Bucs have at outside linebacker. Yaya Diaby, who currently leads the team with four sacks and 28 pressures, will be entering a contract year in 2026. Veteran reserve and reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week Anthony Nelson will also be entering a contract year after re-signing on a two-year deal this past offseason, while 2024 second-round pick Chris Braswell is set to be in year three of his four-year rookie contract.

Tampa Bay will also get 2025 fourth-round pick David Walker back next year, and the team was very high on him before he tore his ACL in training camp this summer. Markees Watts and Mo Kamara, a more recent pickup who finds himself on the practice squad, are the other bodies at the position, though their futures in Tampa are far from locked in.

Bucs OLB David Walker – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Meanwhile, Haason Reddick, the big-money external free agent addition last offseason, is only on a one-year deal. He will turn 32 early next season and while his 27 pressures this year rank second on the team, he has just 1.5 sacks and is currently week-to-week with ankle and knee injuries. It’s hard to imagine him being back in 2026 on anything other than another one-year deal, right?

So, pass rush remains one of the biggest needs for the Bucs heading into 2026, and they may even need a Day 1 starter given where things stand right now. But is that the defense’s biggest need? It’s certainly high on the list, but there’s a case to be made that inside linebacker will be the more significant need come next spring.

As much as it sometimes seems like Lavonte David may very well play forever, odds are that 2025 is the swan song for one of Tampa Bay’s all-time greats. He turns 36 years old in January and while he can still do some unreal things on a football field, there’s no denying that he’s begun to slow down in recent years, especially in pass coverage. David has been going year-by-year on his contracts as of late, so he’s a free agent again in March.

While there’s always a chance he opts to test Father Time for one more year, he may ultimately decide to hang up the cleats for good after a stellar 14-year career. So, the day that no one wants to accept is coming will be here sooner or later and the Bucs will have to finally find a replacement for No. 54 in the middle of their defense.

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: USA Today

The problem at inside linebacker, of course, is that the depth chart is very thin. Tampa Bay hasn’t been able to find that true next-in-line guy to take over for David just yet. There was a time when it felt like Devin White could’ve been the one to take the torch, but that didn’t come to fruition. And right now, it’s hard to look at the way SirVocea Dennis is playing and say he’s a lock to even start in 2026, much less take over and fill David’s legendary shoes.

It hasn’t been all bad for Dennis, as he’s done some very good things going forward both as a blitzer and in run defense. But his pass coverage ability has been woeful, and if he isn’t able to improve upon that and get that part of his game where it needs to be, he may be fighting just to hold onto his job as he enters a contract year in 2026.

Elsewhere at inside linebacker, Tampa Bay has Deion Jones, who is far from a long-term answer as he’s set to turn 31 this week, as well as 2025 undrafted free agent John Bullock. Fellow undrafted rookie Nick Jackson is also on the practice squad.

With all of that said, if there’s a 1A and 1B for the Bucs’ top needs heading into the 2026 offseason, it’s these two positions.

Never Rule Out Tampa Bay Adding To Its Interior Defensive Line

This is lower on the list of the Bucs’ pressing needs, but it will be a need nonetheless. Jason Licht loves drafting to build from the trenches as it is, but it’s clear that depth on the interior of the defensive line is going to be a real need for next year.

As much of a force as he still is and should continue to be, Vita Vea is about to turn 31 years old in February and will be entering the final year of his current contract. The eighth-year veteran will still be a major part of the Buccaneer defense in 2026 and could and should get another contract. But there’s also value in starting to think about life after Vea by at least drafting a young nose tackle who can provide good depth at the position before eventually taking over.

Bucs DTs Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Beyond just Vea’s status, there’s also the fact that Logan Hall is set to be a free agent, plus Calijah Kancey will enter the fourth year of his rookie contract in 2026. The team will face a decision on his fifth-year option in May, and you would think that’s a no-brainer given his level of play. And it probably is, but the fact of the matter is that Kancey missed chunks of the 2023 and 2024 seasons and will miss most of the 2025 season.

Kancey’s current pectoral injury is challenging the team’s depth up front, and it wouldn’t hurt to draft another defensive tackle in April as insurance for Kancey. Of course, that draft pick would also work into the defensive line rotation as well. As for Hall, he may not be back on a second contract, especially with the way 2025 fifth-round pick Elijah Roberts has burst onto the scene as a rookie. So, there’s likely to be an open roster spot for another interior lineman.

Might The Bucs Find Themselves In The Market For A Tight End?

This is an interesting one for Tampa Bay. The team loves Cade Otton, especially with the selflessness he has displayed early this season inn terms of getting fewer targets due to staying in and blocking to account for the Bucs’ injuries at both tackle positions. And while Otton has never been the flashiest playmaker, he’s been a steady force in the passing game and seems to have a good rapport with Baker Mayfield. He is coming off a year in which he set career highs with 87 targets, 59 catches and 600 yards.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – photo by: USA Today

And with the injuries at receiver this season, Otton will almost certainly continue to be a bigger and bigger part of the offense into the second half of the season. But it’s worth wondering what the plans might be at tight end as far as the future goes. When two of the team’s 2022 draft picks, Luke Goedeke and Zyon McCollum, got contract extensions just before this season, Otton didn’t get one himself. Perhaps the Bucs are simply going to have their top tight end play this season out so they can get a better gauge of his value. But maybe there’s more to it?

Either way, it’s not as if Tampa Bay has the deepest tight end room in the league. Payne Durham has been solid, but nothing really more. Devin Culp has yet to build on the strong finish he had to his 2024 rookie season, nor has he really gotten a chance to. And Ko Kieft suffered a season-ending injury and will now be a free agent heading into 2026. So, whether it’s a new TE1 or simply better depth, tight end could be a sneaky need for the Buccaneer offense this spring.

What’s The Plan In The Backfield For 2026 And Beyond?

Here’s another position that could potentially be a sneaky need in 2026. It all depends on what the future holds for Rachaad White. Bucky Irving, a 2024 draft pick, came into this year as the team’s starter, but he has missed the last several games and White has been the go-to back in his place. The fourth-year running back is in a contract year, so if he wants to go out looking for a situation where he can challenge for a starting job elsewhere, the Bucs could be in a spot where they need to figure out their RB2 role.

What the market would look like for White is pretty fascinating. Generally speaking, he may only find that he’s going to be looked at for a role similar to the one he has in Tampa Bay. And given his friendship with Irving, his comfort with this offense and his team and the fact that he’s still a pretty key part of things with the Bucs, he may not go anywhere. Of course, that hinges on Jason Licht and Co. wanting to re-sign him, which would seem likely given his ability in pass protection as well as what he contributes as a pass catcher.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

But if he does go elsewhere, what’s the plan? Sean Tucker has cooled off after showing a lot of promise last season, so his candidacy for the RB2 job seems shaky. And as much as undrafted rookie Josh Williams has impressed Tampa Bay since getting in the building this past offseason, he’d be a longshot to replace White as well. Could that mean dipping into the draft pool for another running back to complement Irving? Maybe.

Where The Bucs Could Add Some Depth Heading Into 2026

The truth is that as good as the Bucs might be this year, there’s always room to improve depth at every position on the roster. And there’s always value in going with the best player available in the draft, so it’s worth mentioning some other possible positions of needs here as we wrap things up.

The offensive line could stand to gain another depth piece or two, especially after what we’ve seen in 2025. The good news is that the Bucs have their starting offensive line locked in for another year at least, and Cody Mauch is the only one who is entering a contract year in 2026. But depth at both guard and tackle is an evergreen need in the NFL, even with guys like Elijah Klein and Ben Chukwuma waiting in the wings to provide valuable depth, with Chukwuma potentially becoming the team’s swing tackle as soon as next year.

Wide receiver is another interesting case, as Tampa Bay has already done a good job getting some key pieces in the door both for the present and the future, with 2025 draft picks Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson looking the part of long-term contributors for this offense. But Mike Evans is in a contract year and would be 33 next season. It’s hard to imagine him calling it a career after the injury he suffered in Week 7 that will cost him the majority of the rest of the season, if not all of it. So, if he wants to keep playing, he’ll obviously have a spot in Tampa.

Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But Evans at 33 and Chris Godwin Jr. at 30 next season would warrant the team investing in some more high-upside depth, right? That becomes an even more pressing endeavor considering the unfortunate news regarding Jalen McMillan’s neck injury.

The Bucs did a good job boosting their depth at cornerback this past offseason, but might they have to do it again in 2026 now that Jamel Dean will be a free agent a year earlier than he was originally supposed to be? That’s a possibility. And depth at safety remains a need, too.

And how about one last intriguing question: What will the Bucs do at the backup quarterback position in 2026? Teddy Bridgewater is about to be 33 and is far from a lock to keep playing football beyond 2025, and the only other option on the roster right now is rookie Connor Bazelak, who is on the practice squad. Could Tampa Bay draft a quarterback to back up Baker Mayfield, who will be 31 next season?

If the team does go that route, what round is appropriate? That would be based on the length of the contract extension Mayfield will presumably be getting this offseason. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting thought exercise to consider.