SR’s FAB 5 column on the Bucs is presented by Gameday Men’s Health

Men – do you feel tired? Are you gaining weight despite working out… struggling with sleep, focus, or sexual performance? Did you know that 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 have low testosterone? And many men don’t even realize it – and I didn’t either, which is why I am on testosterone replacement therapy at age 53 and feel like I’m 10 years younger.

At Gameday Men’s Health, low testosterone is quickly diagnosed and treated. Gameday offers a FREE testosterone test and consultation – with results in minutes. Gameday specializes in testosterone replacement therapy, along with weight loss, ED treatments, and peptides — all designed to help optimize your health and performance.

With 6 Tampa Bay area locations in Westshore, South Tampa, Brandon, Palm Harbor, Largo, and Sarasota … getting started is EASY. Visit GamedayMensHealth.com today to schedule your FREE consultation. Feel better and get back in the game with Gameday Men’s Health!

INTRO: I have no idea how many games the Bucs will win in 2026. But what I do know is that Tampa Bay’s roster is the most talented in the NFC South – led by quarterback Baker Mayfield – and that should be enough to recapture the division title. Following the draft, most of the rosters are set for Tampa Bay, Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta. And I’ll reveal why the Bucs are ready for a bounce-back season in 2026 in this week’s SR’s FAB 5. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Don’t Let The 2025 Collapse Fool You, Bucs Still The Team To Beat In NFC South

Heading into the 2026 season, are the Bucs closer to the team that started off hot with a 6-2 record heading into the bye week? Or are they closer to the Tampa Bay team that collapsed down the stretch with a 2-7 record following the bye, finishing with a disappointing 8-9 record and losing the division to Carolina?

That’s the big question for this team coming off a tale of two distinctly different halves from a year ago where the Bucs’ inability to stay healthy played a huge role in a massively underachieving season.

I could see the Bucs finishing anywhere from 8-9 to 10-7 this year, but I’m going to err on the side of a bounce-back season – complete with a return to double-digit wins and once again ruling the NFC South. The biggest reason for my optimism is Tampa Bay’s roster.

When healthy, the Bucs are still the best team in the division on paper. And a year after the Panthers, Bucs and Falcons all finished with 8-9 records, I believe the NFC South will once again be a three-team race. Except I have Atlanta as the cellar dwellers in the division with New Orleans on the rise this year and competing with Tampa Bay and Carolina for the NFC South crown.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Let’s start with the Bucs, who went 1-1 with every team in the division last year. You could make a case that Tampa Bay has the best and most experienced quarterback in the NFC South in Baker Mayfield. And he has the luxury of playing behind the best offensive line in the division led by All-Pro Tristan Wirfs and a pair of players who could have Pro Bowls in their future in Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke.

It’s not a stretch to say that the Bucs have the most talented and deepest wide receiver corps with Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst. And from RB1 to RB3 with Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker, they might have the best overall running back room – with Falcons Pro Bowler Bijan Robinson actually being the best back in the division.

Tight end might be the only position on offense where Tampa Bay doesn’t have the overall edge.

Defensively, good luck running on the Bucs this year with an improved front seven that features newcomers A’Shawn Robinson and first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. lining up alongside Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby. Yet when it comes to pass rush, the Falcons have the clear edge, as Jeff Ulbrich’s defense recorded 57 sacks last year. However, 20.5 of those sacks departed Atlanta as multiple defensive players left in free agency, and how many games will leading sacker James Pearce Jr. miss after getting arrested this offseason?

The Bucs’ pass rush should be better this year with Bain, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker helping Diaby on the edge, but just how much remains to be seen.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I think Tampa Bay improved its inside linebacker position with Alex Anzalone, Christian Rozeboom and Josiah Trotter – although time will tell. However, New Orleans likely has the top inside linebacker duo with Kaden Ellis and Pete Werner, with Carolina also in the mix with prized free agent Devin Lloyd and Trevin Wallace.

The Bucs have some talent at cornerback, but it hasn’t been fully realized yet. Yet the division doesn’t really have one standout cornerback group. Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell and Carolina’s Jaycee Horn are coming off down years, as is Tampa Bay’s Zyon McCollum. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson and Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry were the highest graded starters in the NFC South per Pro Football Focus, with Bucs nickelback Jacob Parrish not too far behind.

The division does have a lot of good safeties and Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith might rival Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts. New Orleans is also in the mix with Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon and Jonas Sanker.

Tampa Bay’s Chase “Money” McLaughlin is slightly ahead of Atlanta’s Zane Gonzalez as the division’s best kicker, and we know the Bucs don’t have the best punter in Riley Dixon. As for the rest of special teams? We’ll see what kind of impact new coordinator Danny Smith can make this year as he tries to turn a team weakness into a strength in 2026.

Bucs LS Eric Deckers and K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay’s defense was the worst in the division last year from a statistical standpoint, but not by much. In fact, the Bucs allowed within two points of every other team in the NFC South.

2025 Scoring Defense

New Orleans – ranked 14th – 22.5 points per game
Carolina – ranked 16th – 23 points per game
Atlanta – ranked 19th – 23.6 points per game
Tampa Bay – ranked 20th – 24.2 points per game

When it came to total defense, the Bucs weren’t terribly far off from the Falcons and Panthers, while Brandon Staley’s Saints unit ranked inside the top 10 in yards allowed.

2025 Total Defense

New Orleans – ranked 9th – 299.8 yards per game
Atlanta – ranked 15th – 326.6 yards per game
Carolina – ranked 16th – 331.9 yards per game
Tampa Bay – ranked 20th – 337.2 yards per game

Even though the Bucs offense was ravaged by injuries and had a rookie play-caller in Josh Grizzard, it was still the stop-ranked scoring unit in the division.

2025 Scoring Offense

Tampa Bay – ranked 18th – 22.4 points per game
Atlanta – ranked 23rd – 20.8 points per game
Carolina – ranked 27th – 19 points per game
New Orleans – ranked 28th – 18 points per game

It also has proven that it has the most potential, dating back to the rankings of the 2024 season.

2024 Scoring Offense

Tampa Bay – ranked 4th – 29 points per game
Atlanta – ranked 14th – 22.9 points per game
Carolina – ranked 23rd – 20.1 points per game
New Orleans – ranked 24th – 19.9 points per game

Despite having an offensive-minded head coach in Dave Canales, the Panthers scored fewer points in 2025 than they did in 2024 – even though the win total went up. Canales has turned the play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, who has no play-calling experience, this year.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Panthers HC Dave Canales – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

New Orleans saw scoring dip too, even though they hired an offensive-minded head coach in Kellen Moore. Although Moore seems to have found the Saints’ quarterback in Tyler Shough, and that offense was rolling at the end of the 2025 season. The Saints averaged 23.4 points per game during their 4-1 finish down the stretch.

In Atlanta, new head coach Kevin Stefanski will call plays, but he had a spotty track record with two playoff seasons in which he was named NFL Coach of the Year, but also four seasons with losing records. I’m not sold on Stefanski at all, and who is going to be the Falcons quarterback in 2026 – former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. or newly signed Tua Tagovailoa?

And say what you want about Bowles, but is any other head coach in the division head and shoulders above him? While it hasn’t always looked pretty, Bowles won the division three straight years from 2022-24. Even though Canales edged him for the NFC South crown last year, he has yet to produce a winning record in Carolina. The jury is still out on Moore and Stefanski in New Orleans and Atlanta, respectively.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In order to recapture the NFC South title, all the Bucs need to do is be marginally better on defense, and get back to the standard that was set in 2024 on offense under Liam Coen with new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. I think they’ll do that or come close, as Robinson and Coen both have coaching roots in Los Angeles under Sean McVay.

Once again, Tampa Bay’s offense is expected to be the stronger side of the ball, and should be the best and most explosive unit in the division. That should be enough to get this team back to 10 wins and atop the NFC South.

FAB 2. Baker Mayfield Gives The Bucs The Edge In The Division

The Bucs failed to make the playoffs from 2008 to 2019 for one big reason.

Subpar quarterback play.

While the Saints had Drew Brees, the Falcons had Matt Ryan and the Panthers had the combination of Jake Delhomme and Cam Newton, the Bucs started the likes of Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Byron Leftwich, Josh Freeman, Josh Johnson, Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick during that span.

Tampa Bay finished dead last in the NFC South in eight of those 12 years as a result.

No quarterback? No chance.

That’s life in the NFL. Always has been, always will be.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Nathan Ray Seebeck

With that established, the Bucs have the best and most accomplished quarterback in the NFC South under center, Baker Mayfield, and that alone gives them the best chance of winning the division in 2026.

Mayfield is coming off an injury-plagued down year in 2025 in which he had to deal with a revolving door on the offensive line and at wide receiver, in addition to a rookie play-caller in Josh Grizzard. Yet he still passed for a division-leading 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for another score.

New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s playbook is supposedly closer to Liam Coen’s from the 2024 season. The Bucs would love to see the 2024 version of Mayfield in 2026 because he put up career numbers – and led the team to 10 wins. He made the Pro Bowl in 2024 while completing a franchise-record 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Mayfield has shown he can take his game to that height before. I believe he can do it again.

As for the rest of the quarterbacks in the division? To date they are still unproven, and that gives Tampa Bay the immediate edge.

Carolina’s Bryce Young, a former first-round pick, is coming off a career year in which he passed for 3,011 yards while completing 63.6% of his passes with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also had two rushing touchdowns. But can Young further elevate his game as he enters his fourth season with the Panthers?

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: IMAGN – Bob Donnan

New Orleans believes it has found its franchise QB with Tyler Shough, last year’s second-round pick. Yet it’s a small sample size, as Shough only started the final 10 games of his rookie season.

Still, he went 5-5 as a starter, including sweeping the Panthers and beating the Bucs in Tampa Bay. The Saints’ other two wins were less impressive, coming against the Jets and Titans, who both finished with 3-14 records. Shough completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions along with three rushing scores.

The quarterback situation is even more perplexing in Atlanta, as former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. had his second season shortened due to a torn ACL. That’s been a recurring injury for him dating back to his college days. Penix passed for 1,982 yards while throwing for nine touchdowns with three interceptions along with a rushing score. Yet the Falcons were 3-6 with him as a starter.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But needing some insurance due to Penix’s recovery, new head coach Kevin Stefanski signed former Dolphins first-rounder Tua Tagovailoa, another oft-injured quarterback, in free agency for depth and competition. Despite being given a massive contract extension in 2024, Tagovailoa was benched last year after 14 starts and released in the offseason. He went 6-8 as a starter and threw for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and was just years removed from a career season in which he passed for 4,624 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Who knows who will ultimately emerge as the starter this year in Atlanta, and if it will result in split starts – or even a split locker room?

What we do know is that Mayfield is entering a contract year in Tampa Bay and looking to make amends for last year when the Bucs missed the playoffs – in part due to his season which was just a little off due to injuries, and at times, trying to do too much. And when Mayfield is focused and eager to prove himself he’s usually at his best. That bodes well for the Bucs.

FAB 3. Bucs Have High Hopes For Zac Robinson

While Todd Bowles’ defense took a fair amount of criticism for Tampa Bay’s shortcomings in a disappointing 8-9 season last year, let’s not forget that the Bucs offense also underachieved. Perhaps even more than the defense.

Granted, new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was dealt a rough hand with an oft-injured offensive line, a banged up Baker Mayfield, and at times missing the likes of offensive stars Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr. and Bucky Irving. As a result, the offense’s scoring production fell from 29 points per game in 2024 under Liam Coen to just 22.4 points per game last year.

That’s nearly a touchdown less than the Bucs scored the previous season, which is quite dramatic. And it was a big part of why Grizzard was fired after just one season and replaced by former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Mark J. Rebilas

The slippage on defense in terms of points allowed per game was not nearly as significant. Tampa Bay allowed 22.7 points per game in 2024 and that rose to 24.2 points per game last season – nearly a two-point increase.

Scoring an average of 22 points per game and allowing an average of 24 points per game is a surefire way to wind up with a losing record, which is exactly what happened in 2025.

Bowles’ defense got the overhaul it needed this offseason, and it should be incrementally better as a result. But with perhaps Rueben Bain Jr. being the lone game-changer acquired on that side of the ball it will be hard for Tampa Bay’s defense to go from around 20th in the league to inside the top 10.

Yet the pieces are in place on offense for that type of herculean jump because that unit is just one year removed from being in the top 5 in scoring and rushing. Coen took the Bucs offense to new heights in 2024, and the offensive personnel is largely intact outside of the departure of wide receiver Mike Evans and running back Rachaad White. Yet Coen didn’t have Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson and Ted Hurst to work with at wide receiver, and the Bucs believe Kenneth Gainwell is an upgrade over White at running back.

Robinson comes to Tampa Bay with two years of play-calling experience in Atlanta where he was 3-1 versus Bowles and the Buccaneers. He arrives with more play-calling experience than Coen, Grizzard or Dave Canales had when they were each hired to be the offensive coordinator. Not only that, Robinson and Coen are best friends having worked together in Los Angeles under Sean McVay where Coen was the offensive coordinator (McVay called the plays) and Robinson was the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

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

Before the NFL Annual Meeting, Robinson spent the weekend with Coen in Jacksonville talking about the Bucs offense and the personnel in between some rounds of golf. Coen spent his first season in Jacksonville taking a 4-13 team to a 13-4 record and a division title, but also keeping close tabs on Tampa Bay due to his affection for the coaches and the players he spent the 2024 season with – notably Baker Mayfield.

Like Coen, Robinson also worked with Mayfield for the final five games of the 2022 season with the Rams, and that relationship played a key role in Robinson’s hire in Tampa Bay. He’s expected to take the offense back to what was so successful in 2024 while also incorporating more of a wide zone scheme to diversify the team’s rushing attack.

While the defense underwent the most amount of personnel change during the offseason, the offense has the ability to make the biggest strides this year. Staying healthy will of course be paramount, but the Bucs are counting on Robinson to return the running game and the point production to at least top 10 levels.

After speaking with Coen at length in Phoenix about Robinson, I’m sold. Coen believes he’s the right man for the job at the perfect time, and I believe that.

FAB 4. I Don’t Think Todd Bowles Can Screw This Up

After failing to stop the run at times and consistently generate a pass rush during the 2025 season, the Bucs’ front seven was in desperate need of an overhaul this offseason. And that’s exactly what happened in free agency and the draft, as general manager Jason Licht gave head coach Todd Bowles a revamped roster on the defensive side of the ball complete with four defensive draft picks and four impact free agent signings.

The Bucs will have a new starting outside linebacker opposite Yaya Diaby in 2026 – presumably first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. replacing last year’s free agent bust, Haason Reddick, who had just 2.5 sacks. And just as important, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker are expected to replace Anthony Nelson and Chris Braswell on the depth chart as the second-string outside linebackers. At least on passing downs, which should be a significant upgrade.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and OLB Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Josiah Trotter, the team’s second-round pick, or newcomer Christian Rozeboom is expected to unseat SirVocea Dennis at middle linebacker. Alex Anzalone will be replacing Lavonte David at the Mo linebacker spot on the weak side. That’s three new starters.

Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson replaces Logan Hall as the 4i/5-technique spot in Bowles’ 3-4 base defense. So that’s four new starters.

Starting cornerback Jamel Dean will be replaced by either Benjamin Morrison or Jacob Parrish, so that means five new defensive starters in Tampa Bay. And if Morrison beats out Parrish on the outside and if fourth-round pick Keionte Scott beats out Parrish for the nickelback role in the slot, now Bowles is possibly looking at six new starters on defense.

I believe the changes made along the front seven should improve Tampa Bay’s defense. By how much remains to be seen. I’m not quite sure that the secondary has been improved with Dean’s departure, but I do like the addition of Scott, and I’m inclined to believe more in Parrish at this point than I do in Morrison at cornerback.

Bowles’ defense should be more stout against the run and significantly better as a pass rushing unit. A better pass rush can mask some of the potential deficiencies in the secondary. But all Bowles has to do is successfully integrate all of these new pieces on defense – and do it quickly.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The good news is that by hiring an experienced offensive coordinator like Zac Robinson, Bowles won’t have to babysit an inexperienced offensive coordinator and can solely focus on his defensive play-calling duties this offseason and during training camp. Bowles should have enough new and improved talent to take the defense from a ranking in the 20s in most NFL defensive categories into the upper half of the league in 2025, including a top 5 unit against the run.

Say what you want about Bowles, but whenever he’s had talent along the front seven the Bucs have fared incredibly well. We all know what Tom Brady’s arrival in 2020 did for Bruce Arians’ offense, but the defensive stats during the Bucs’ Super Bowl run that year and the 13-win season that followed were awfully impressive, too.

I don’t think Todd Bowles can screw this up. And if Robinson does his job on offense the Bucs might actually be able to play some complementary football this year with both sides of the ball showing improvement.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Bucs wide receiver Egbuka McMillan revealed on the Up & Adams Show with Key Adams that he and Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan are good friends, having gotten to know each other on the draft circuit as rookies last year. Not only that, but they train together too and have established a friendly rivalry as inter-divisional foes.

McMillan won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last year, catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards (14.5 avg.) and seven touchdowns. He edged out Egbuka, who hauled in 63 catches for 938 yards (14.9 avg.) and six TDs. This receiver rivalry should be fun to watch in the coming years.

• The Bucs are really excited about tight end Bauer Sharp. So much so that they traded up into the sixth round to draft him. Sharp was the last tight end on the Bucs’ board who had a draftable grade and they wanted to make sure they could secure him, surrendering the team’s seventh-round pick to do so.

In addition to his tenacious mentality as a blocker, Tampa Bay loved Bauer’s on-field workout and his athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash. Bauer’s arrival puts Devin Culp in the crosshairs. In order for Culp to stick on the roster he needs to get bigger and stronger in the weight room and improve his blocking. He’s had two years to do so and impress two different offensive coordinators to earn more playing time, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Bucs TE Bauer Sharp – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Scott Clause

• The fact that the Panthers have one of the hardest schedules in the league in 2026 could help the Buccaneers reclaim the division title. By virtue of winning the NFC South, Carolina has to play division winners in the NFC East (Philadelphia), the NFC West (Seattle) and the AFC West (Denver).

On the flip side, the Saints have one of the easiest schedules, and that could propel New Orleans up the division standings if Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough can build on their strong finish to the 2025 season. Because the Saints finished last in the NFC South a year ago they will play the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders – all of whom finished last in their respective divisions and wound up with top 5 draft picks.

Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp Recap Shows On The Pewter Report Podcast Friday And Saturday

Pewter Report will recap each day of Bucs rookie mini-camp on Friday and Saturday live from the AdventHealth Training Center at One Buccaneer Place immediately after practice ends. Both shows will begin around 4:00 p.m. ET on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum, GM Jason Licht Join The Pewter Report Podcast Next Week

Be sure to join us next week when Tampa Bay cornerback Zyon McCollum and general manager Jason Licht join the Pewter Report Podcast on Monday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 13, respectively. Both shows begin at 4:00 p.m. ET on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.