The Bucs are now just past the season’s halfway mark, sitting at 4-4 record-wise after losing to the Falcons 31-26. After getting off to a hot 3-1 start, the team has cooled off after dealing with extensive injuries and circumstances outside their control to get to where they are now.

What general manager Jason Licht and the front office can control, however, is the talent they bring into the building and addressing the roster’s weaknesses. It is far from a perfect science doing so, but Licht and his staff are some of the best in the business in identifying the right fits and getting production from them quickly.

Last October, I looked at some of the Bucs’ biggest team needs and who they could potentially go after – either through the NFL Draft or in free agency. While the 2025 NFL Draft is still about six months away, this paints a picture of which positions the team could look to shore up and some names to monitor.

I will put one feather in my cap when discussing the needs along the interior offensive line last year.

One other name worth mentioning is Duke’s Graham Barton, who could potentially be an option at center or left guard. Barton is versatile and nimble at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds, and he started five games at center in 2020 before being the team’s left tackle in 2021 and 2022.

While some needs were addressed going into the 2024 season, others have come up stemming from poor play, bracing for the future, or both. Looking ahead to the 2025 season, which positions should the Bucs be looking at improving the most? Let’s examine the offense first and I’ll address the 2025 defensive needs in Tampa Bay on Wednesday on PewterReport.com.

Bucs Personnel Needs In 2025: Offense

Wide Receiver

Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan – Photo by: USA Today

The 2025 mock drafts have started to come out in full force, and both CBS Sports and Fox Sports have recently had the Bucs taking a wide receiver. The former named Missouri’s Luther Burden III as one option, while the latter mocked Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan to Tampa Bay.

After a season-ending injury to Chris Godwin and with Mike Evans now 31 years old and injured, it could be time to address the future by selecting one of the nation’s top wide receivers.

Burden is a polished wide receiver prospect who started to attract attention after a big season with the Tigers last season. He was the team’s biggest playmaker, and the 5-foot-11, 209-pound receiver recorded 86 receptions for 1,212 passing yards and nine touchdowns. His numbers have dipped this year as the quarterback play has not been as good, but there is no denying that Burden is a smooth route-runner who is a threat in space. He would seamlessly fit into Liam Coen’s offense in a Godwin-like role.

McMillan – no relation to Bucs rookie receiver Jalen McMillan – is a different build and more of the Mike Evans mold, standing 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds. He is arguably the best pure prospect at the position in college football. He has 57 receptions for 982 receiving yards and five touchdowns through eight games. He is a big play threat who could learn from the best in Evans before taking over his spot, similar to how the late Vincent Jackson once passed the baton down to the star wide receiver.

It’s unlikely the team would look to free agency to address the position, and one option could be re-signing Godwin on a one-year bounce-back deal in good faith as he returns from a dislocated ankle. Godwin turns 29 in March and is slated to hit free agency. Tampa Bay has several young receivers on the team in McMillan, Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett and Kameron Johnson, but none are clear-cut starting material.

Left Guard

Georgia LG Dylan Fairchild – Photo by: USA Today

Left guard Ben Bredeson has been serviceable this season, providing a slight upgrade over the duo of Matt Feiler/Aaron Stinnie last season. Bredeson was signed to a one-year deal as more of a stopgap, and the position remains the last offensive line spot that has not been addressed by general manager Jason Licht in recent years via the draft outside of sixth-rounder Elijah Klein, who could be an option to contend for a starting role next season after a year of growth behind the scenes during his rookie year.

Could Licht add to the trenches again?

Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild and Alabama’s Tyler Booker are two big guys to know here. Fairchild has plus instincts at left guard and has yet to allow a sack with the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound prospect is agile with an impressive resume against high-level competition. Booker comes from another big-time program and is a big-time player at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds. While he is not as fluid getting down the field, he lays people out from the snap.

Licht has spent first- and second-round picks on offensive linemen before. Tristan Wirfs (2020) and Graham Barton (2024) were first-round picks, while Donovan Smith (2015), Ali Marpet (2015), Luke Goedeke (2022) and Cody Mauch (2023) were former second-rounders.

Tight End

Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Cade Otton has recently started to come along, becoming Baker Mayfield’s favorite target in the passing game. Otton has 17 catches for 181 receiving yards and two touchdowns over the past two games and is on track to have his best year yet. Much of that is a product of Mayfield throwing his way more with injuries to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Before his recent breakout, Otton looked more like an average starter since being drafted in the fourth round in 2022.

While it looks like Otton will be in the NFL for a while, he is more of a Cam Brate-type player than a Rob Gronkowski as a jack-all-of-trades kind of player. There are bigger team needs, but that does not rule out adding another offensive weapon at the tight end position. Earlier this month Pewter Report profiled the five biggest names to know at the position. Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. are two that catch my eye the most.

Warren has come into his own during his senior season. Without Theo Johnson around eating into his snaps and production, he has already set career-highs in receptions in yards in half as many games. That includes balling out against USC, hauling in 17 passes for 224 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Fannin is a true weapon that can be lined up all over the place. While he lacks typical tight-end size (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), he makes up for that by eluding defenders and showing that he is not afraid of bowling over defenders. Look at him go.

The Bucs have drafted four tight ends on Day 3 dating back to 2022 with Otton and Ko Kieft. Payne Durham was a fifth-round pick in 2023 and Devin Culp was a seventh-rounder this year. But Bucs G.M. Jason Licht won’t be afraid at throwing more draft capital at the position until he finds a more dynamic tight end – perhaps with a Day 2 pick in 2025.