The Bucs did not just fall short of meeting expectations in 2025 – they collapsed when it mattered most.

The fallout left head coach Todd Bowles under fire, the Glazer family facing uncomfortable questions, and general manager Jason Licht was not safe from scrutiny, either.

For Bowles, overseeing the team’s late-season fall from grace led to plenty calling for his job. The Glazers’ decision to keep him was not (and still isn’t) popular, while others wanted to see the owners open up the pocketbook and increase spending in free agency.

Even given Licht’s success in turning over the roster in recent years, some have argued that not enough star power has been brought in. For those inside and outside the organization, the past few months offered time to reflect and question the team’s direction.

Is Tampa Bay’s contention window still open?

Will they remain a middle-of-the-pack team?

These are fair questions I have touched on before – but the answer starts here:

Bucs fans, you can still trust Jason Licht’s process.

Bucs Build Through The NFL Draft And Had A “Master Class Of A Draft”

The NFL Draft is where the Bucs have had the best fortune adding talent to the roster throughout Jason Licht’s tenure.

It started by selecting wide receiver Mike Evans in 2014, and even through the ups and downs in the ensuing seasons, enough talent was added to entice legendary quarterback Tom Brady to come to Tampa Bay in 2020. That year’s draft class was spearheaded by left tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who each have had All-Pro seasons and are team captains inked to long-term deals.

Licht had to kick it into another gear when Brady retired, as other veterans left town and original draftees slowly shrank in number. That made every draft class all the more important, and the team has done so since 2022 by adding roughly four starters per year.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Fast forward to 2026, and the front office’s philosophy and track record when it comes to drafting should be trusted. With the team finally adding outside pass rush help and adding promising defensive talent, there is a lot to like about what that means for this coming season.

Now, draft grades are a fun exercise, but the results do not fully reveal themselves for a few years. While the Bucs were viewed for having one of the best draft classes across the league, earning an “A” from pundits is not the entire argument here.

It is about the process.

From prioritizing the trenches to consistently finding surplus value, Licht’s draft approach has been both disciplined and repeatable. To that end, proud Pewter Report alumnus and NFL Stock Exchange host Trevor Sikkema articulated this point well in a recent special guest appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast.

“No general manager is going to bat a thousand, right?” Sikkema said. “What you really want is, you want the general managers whose process that you trust. The process is going to fail; it is the talent acquisition game. The draft, free agency, the trade [market], the pro personnel market, there are going to be bets that you could go about the process exactly the right way, and it just doesn’t work out for you for whatever reason.

“All that to say, I think Jason’s process and how he approaches team building is sustainable, smart, and it’s just something that a lot of other general managers around in the NFL do not have that kind of head on their shoulders. I am still very much a Jason Licht fan. I think that he is the right man for the job building this team, and I think he put that on display again with a master class of a draft for them this year.”

Bucs VP of personnel Mike Biehl and GM Jason Licht – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It is hard to argue with “Tampa Bay Tre” here. Not only did the team land a top 5 talent in outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 15, but it followed suit with taking players who fit the identity they want to build at positions of need while betting on athletic traits and youth to make an impact.

Even the best front offices miss.

The 2016 and 2021 Bucs draft classes easily come to mind. Even in those instances, it was hard to fault the chosen path, such as drafting quarterback Kyle Trask as Brady’s possible successor. It just didn’t work out. Things will not always be perfect, but it is hard to find a better team-builder through the draft than Licht.

How Much Better The Bucs Will Be In 2026 Is Coming Soon

The Bucs not making the playoffs last season was compounded by the player personnel losses the team suffered in the offseason. Seeing star wide receiver Mike Evans walk out the door and legendary inside linebacker Lavonte David hang up his cleats were not the moves anyone in Tampa Bay wanted to see. This season marks a new era in a traditional sense, as most of team’s old guard has made way for a new cast to takes their place.

Bucs edge Rueben Bain Jr., GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

At wide receiver, it is next man up, as Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Tez Johnson all remain with third-round pick Ted Hurst joining them. At inside linebacker, Alex Anzalone is the new veteran in the room, with second-round pick Josiah Trotter expected to potentially start alongside him.

Expand the view out to the entire roster, and there are plenty of younger faces looking to assert themselves as leaders and let their play do the talking, most notably defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, outside linebackers Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby, and safety Tykee Smith.

Add in other defensive players with high upside, especially in the secondary, and the potential is there for a turnaround on head coach Todd Bowles’ side of the football. Should Bowles have success game-planning and utilizing all the available talent, his unit has a chance to be really good and really exciting to watch.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Switching sides, and the offensive coordinator switch from Josh Grizzard to Zac Robinson has been viewed as an upgrade. It will help bring the best out of quarterback Baker Mayfield, and Robinson should have better results properly utilizing the deep running back and wide receiver rooms, not to mention one of the best offensive lines in football when healthy.

None of these statements are a stretch or border on unrealistic. It does take some projection, but the picture is there to see.

This is Jason Licht’s team more than ever before.

Licht’s blueprint is in place, and his fingerprints are all over the roster a good deal as his draft classes from 2022 are mostly still intact. Whether that translates into wins in 2026 remains to be seen, but the direction should not be questioned.