A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: What Excites You Most About The Bucs In 2026?

Scott Reynolds: Tampa Bay’s Offensive Line Is One Of The League’s Best

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Bucs in the 2026 offseason, but one thing is certain. Tampa Bay’s offensive line is one of the best in the league and will return intact next season. Both Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs and right tackle Luke Goedeke are signed long term. Wirfs told me he is feeling great except for a case of turf toe, which should heal just fine with rest this offseason. His surgically-repaired knee feels great. Goedeke proved to be worth his contract extension, and he and Wirfs are locked up for years to come.

The Bucs will also be getting guards Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch back healthy in 2026. Mauch told me the other day that his surgically-repaired knee feels great since he landed on injured reserve back in September following the Week 2 win at Houston. Without Bredeson and Mauch in the middle, Tampa Bay’s offense struggled due to the play of lesser players like Mike Jordan and Dan Feeney, both of whom started the season on practice squads. Mauch will be in a contract year and will be highly motivated to have a great season in 2026.

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Center Graham Barton needs to take a big step forward in 2026. The former first-round pick has plenty of talent and athleticism, and perhaps playing left tackle for the first three weeks and then playing next to lesser guards like Jordan and Feeney stunted his growth. There are some, including yours truly, that would love to see Bredeson and Barton switch positions. Ali Marpet was tried at center during the 2017 season and played okay, but he was really a Pro Bowl-caliber guard. I think Barton could become a Pro Bowl-caliber guard as well, and Bredeson proved to be a quality center during the first three games of the season.

Tampa Bay also found a gem in Ben Chukwuma, an undrafted free agent tackle. Chukwuma will take the place of Charlie Heck and be the team’s swing tackle in 2026, making him a very valuable commodity. The arrow is pointing up for Chukwuma, who could also be cross-trained at center in the offseason to improve his value and versatility in 2026.

Matt Matera: Bucs Will Have New Players For A Revamped Defense

The Bucs need a new fresh coat of paint on the defensive side. It feels like a group that has continuously gone through the motions and is reactive rather than proactive. Tampa Bay’s defense from the last two years is a far cry from what it was before. 

What’s most exciting is the opportunity that the Bucs go after an established pass rusher. I’m all in on trading for Maxx Crosby. Its obvious they need an alpha going after the quarterback. Yaya Diaby is a solid OLB2, but he can’t lead the group. If the Bucs draft an edge rusher in the first round, that’s fine too. 

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There needs to be fresh faces at inside linebacker. They need fast and physical guys. There’s no way they can just pencil in SirVocea Dennis as starting inside linebacker. They need to sign and draft inside linebackers, and maybe even two. I also wouldn’t hate another defensive tackle in the mix, but it’ll also be good that Calijah Kancey is healthy to start next season. But they need depth behind him given his history. Let’s see how much better this group can get.

Adam Slivon: Seeing Another Crop Of Bucs Rookies In Action

With the Bucs officially in offseason mode, I am most excited for the coming months ahead as it relates to the 2026 NFL Draft. With the job general manager Jason Licht, assistant general manager Rob McCartney, vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl and everyone else involved has done in recent years, one can assume another class of impactful rookies will be on their way to Tampa Bay. Along the lines of the defense being revamped, much of that will come by way of which young players are taken.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Compared to recent years, the Bucs are armed with a premium pick in the first half of the first round at No. 15. That puts them in a much better position to address the defense with a top edge rusher, linebacker, or even a cornerback. From there, there are few teams better at finding talent across the board. Just looking at the 2025 rookie class, Tampa Bay found great value in Jacob Parrish (third round), Elijah Roberts (fifth round) and Tez Johnson (seventh round). That, in addition to first-rounder Emeka Egbuka and second-rounder Benjamin Morrison, should make those following the team feel confident and excited.

It is worth mentioning that the excitement levels will depend on what kind of moves the Bucs make in free agency, first and foremost. As evidenced by the 8-9 record produced during the 2025 season, there are significant holes in the roster and needs that must be addressed through both avenues. When it comes to the draft, count on the team finding a couple of starters who will be around for the rest of the decade.

Bailey Adams: The Hope Of A Fully Healthy Year From Top Receivers

I need to preface this answer by saying it’s largely going to be contingent on finding a new offensive coordinator, getting major improvement from current coordinator Josh Grizzard, a healthier Baker Mayfield – or the combination of a new coordinator or improved Grizzard and a healthier Mayfield. But heading into 2026, I’m excited about the prospect of the Bucs getting a year of full health from their quartet of star receivers. And yes, I’m including a returning Mike Evans in that quartet because I believe he has more football in him and that football will be played in Tampa Bay.

Bucs WRs Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But think about it. A full year of Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan should have this offense in a spot where it can get back to scoring 25-30 points per game. Of course, I know many of you will counter with the fact that we just saw this offense average under 20 points per game with these four receivers on the field down the stretch in the 2025 season. And that’s true. But I believe a healthier Mayfield is capable of taking advantage of those weapons. Whether it was a Grizzard issue, or if Grizzard was handcuffed by the fact that Mayfield clearly wasn’t 100%, I’m banking on those issues being resolved in 2026.

Not to mention, Godwin will be almost two full years removed from his catastrophic ankle injury and should be getting back to his best. Meanwhile, there’s the hope of getting a full season from McMillan, who was looking pretty damn good in the limited games he played after coming back from a broken freakin’ neck.

Both of those two combined with a healthy Evans and a post-rookie wall, more seasoned Egbuka? We could finally begin to see what the Bucs were envisioning coming into 2025, and that’s an offense full of weapons – one that might be second only to the quartet of Evans, Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski during the Super Bowl season in 2020.

Josh Queipo: The Jump That Bucs’ Rookies Can Make In Year 2

For all the disappointment surrounding the 2025 season, it was another promising campaign for the rookies. First round pick Emeka Egbuka was one of the league’s leading receivers for a stretch and helped keep the offense going in the absence of Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin Jr. Among rookie receivers he finished second in receptions, yards and tied for second in touchdowns.

Jacob Parrish was a standout as a nickel, consistently playing well against high level competition, logging three pass breakups and two interceptions at one of the most difficult positions to play in the modern NFL. He worked well on the perimeter against screens and brought a strong physical presence to the position. Parrish also showed his versatility sliding to the perimeter when Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean went down with injuries at various points in the season.

Benjamin Morrison had some high-profile losses against the Patriots and Bills, but his play on balance was solid for a rookie. He allowed just a 57.5% catch rate (5th best among 17 rookie corners with at least 160 coverage reps) and forced six incompletions (5th best among the same group). There was a lot to like about his ability to trail, and his zone awareness.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Even fifth-round draft pick Elijah Roberts ended up contributing much more than anyone could have expected at the beginning of the season. He finished third among rookie defensive tackles with 27 pressures, tied for 4th with four sacks (by Pro Football Focus), and second in win rate at 10%.

Overall, the Bucs’ rookie draft class looks to have added at least three starters and another quality contributor and David Walker has yet to show what he can do. I am excited to see what kind of jump this group can make and how that can elevate the rest of the roster in 2026.