Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2026 - Season Preview

Season Outlook:

The Bucs’ bid for a fifth straight NFC South title was derailed by injuries to Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, and Chris Godwin. Tampa lost seven of its last nine and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Todd Bowles returns for his fifth year as head coach with reason to believe they can avoid the late-season decline of 2025.

What's Changed:

Two faces of the franchise have departed. Mike Evans, the perennial 1,000-yard receiver, is now with San Francisco after 12 seasons. Lavonte David, a consistent presence at linebacker with more than 1,700 tackles, retired following 14 years in Tampa Bay. Attempting to replace that leadership will be hard but the Bucs added running back Kenneth Gainwell and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency. The offensive system got a jolt as the team replaced coordinator Josh Grizzard with Zac Robinson.

Bigger Role & Sophomore Breakout:

Egbuka is this year's answer to both. He began his rookie season with 445 receiving yards over the first five games. His pace slowed, and the first-round pick from Ohio State ended up with 63 catches. Egbuka’s targets are certain to increase without Evans, especially if Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan – neither of whom were healthy at the start of 2025 – can open up the passing game.

Key Question:

Will Vita Vea stay in Tampa? The outstanding defensive tackle is looking for an extension that would make him roughly as much as his contemporaries. The Bucs haven’t budged, which has caused Vea – who is entering his age 31 season – to hold out and ask for a trade should a new deal not get done. The solution may be a one-year salary bump instead of a long-term contract.

Prediction:

The NFC South is still the NFC South. A 10-7 season is enough to retake the division. Baker Mayfield toughs out a full season on a contract year and eclipses 4,000 passing yards for the third time in four seasons. Egbuka proves to be more than capable as the No. 1 receiving option as he accounts for more than 1,000 yards. A deal with Vea gets worked out and he remains on the Bucs to the benefit of others on the front line. There is enough depth on both sides of the roster that injury luck won’t doom them.

X-Factor: Pass Rushers.

The Bucs will have a very deep rotation of linebackers coming after opposing quarterbacks. Tampa took first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. and signed Muhammad coming off a career-best season, while YaYa Diaby generated 62 pressures in 2025. David Walker never got a chance to prove himself as a rookie. Last year’s draft choice out of Central Arkansas suffered a torn ACL during training camp.

Final Scorecard: