Heading into this season, the largest cause to have hope concerning the 2026 Bucs is the crew’s assortment of offensive expertise.
ESPN ranked Tampa Bay’s assortment of offensive playmakers thirteenth in 2024 and seventh in 2025, so they need to no less than be within the prime half of the league getting into 2026, proper?
Not so quick.
Whereas insightful in his evaluation, it’s arduous to agree with what senior NFL author Invoice Barnwell needed to say about Tampa Bay’s talent place gamers in a latest story.
Bucs’ Offensive Playmakers Rank In Backside Half Of The NFL
What a distinction Mike Evans makes. After the Bucs misplaced the longer term Corridor of Famer to San Francisco in free company, the crew plummeted in Invoice Barnwell’s rating of vast receiver, tight finish, and working again rooms going into this season. Noting that Barnwell emphasised what an elite vast receiver does for an offense, it’s no shock that the highest 5 groups are the Lions, Rams, Bengals, Falcons, and 49ers.
Legendary Bucs WR Mike Evans – Picture by: IMAGN Pictures – Sam Navarro
That’s affordable sufficient, till you look additional down the checklist. The primary actual eye-opener is seeing the Saints ranked thirteenth. Tampa Bay’s NFC South rival has loads going for them on the offensive aspect of the soccer with quarterback Tyler Shough getting into his second season, however that’s the place it will get debatable how significantly better their supporting solid for him is.
With regards to the place the Bucs place, they rank twenty second, which is a major step again to the place they had been final season. Exterior of the Dolphins, who got here in dead-last after gutting their roster, dropping 15 spots was the second-biggest dropoff.
Getting again to the New Orleans comparability, would you somewhat have:
Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Devaughn Vele, Juwan Johnson, Travis Etienne Jr., and Alvin Kamara
OR
Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst, Tez Johnson, Cade Otton, Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell, and Sean Tucker?
Tampa Bay merely has extra confirmed depth and extra upside than New Orleans, even acknowledging that Tyson and Etienne are intriguing additions. How then does Barnwell clarify his rating?
Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. – IMAGN Pictures
“The Bucs are one of many harder groups across the league to judge heading into 2026. Clearly, dropping Mike Evans with out making a major addition in response goes to drop Tampa Bay a bit, even when Evans was compromised for many of final season by accidents…
“What can we count on from the Bucs’ new “Big Three” in 2026? Emeka Egbuka was superior to begin the season, averaging 2.3 yards per route run by Week 10. He was all the way down to 1.3 afterward, beneath guys reminiscent of Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Hutchinson. Chris Godwin Jr. got here again from his grotesque ankle harm, handled fibula points after initially returning and wasn’t again for good till Week 12. He had strong video games in opposition to the Cardinals and Dolphins, however at 30 and with a number of severe accidents in his previous, I’m unsure it’s reasonable to challenge a peak-caliber season from Godwin, even after Evans’ departure.
Bucky Irving was additionally sidelined for 2 months by foot and shoulder accidents, and throughout his two stretches of lively play, he averaged simply 3.4 yards per carry… The Bucs swapped out Rachaad White for Kenny Gainwell, who was wildly productive for the Steelers in a situational function, and there’s an opportunity that he’s Tampa’s finest again.”
How Good Are The Bucs Offensive Playmakers Heading Into 2026?
So, the place ought to the Bucs rank relating to how good the crew’s offensive playmakers are?
Effectively, primarily based on my argument above, they need to no less than place forward of the Saints, who’re a tad too excessive at thirteenth. The hype round Jets’ first-round picks Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. is actual, however I’d nonetheless place Tampa Bay forward of them at twelfth. That looks like a good rating and can be a five-spot dropoff from the place they had been final yr.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Regardless of the honest considerations Invoice Barnwell mentions, there’s loads of expertise that has an opportunity to step up and fireplace the cannons in 2026.
It was not that way back that they boasted the fourth-best scoring offense in 2024, with Baker Mayfield having a profession yr airing out the soccer (4,500 yards and 41 passing touchdowns) and counting on a powerful working sport. Lots of these items stay, with some new ones hoping to get them again on monitor and never underachieve this coming yr.
Chris Godwin Jr., even at 30 years previous, initiatives to be a high-volume goal inside Zac Robinson’s offense. With Godwin within the slot and extra polished variations of Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan on the skin, anyone goes to eat on a week-to-week foundation. Add Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson to the combo, and that’s a powerful mix of vast receivers who every can perform a little little bit of all the pieces.
Bucs OC Zac Robinson – Picture by: Matt Matera/PR
Robinson may have enjoyable sport planning the easiest way for Baker Mayfield to have success and distribute the soccer, which might be key in profiting from everybody.
With regards to working backs, Bucky Irving is getting into a pivotal third season. His accidents have been regarding and lingering, but when he can get previous them, he’s a human joystick. The crew must be cautious about Irving’s utilization, and that’s the place Kenneth Gainwell is available in. He’s a useful again who has the flexibility to play on any down given his speeding, blocking, and receiving capabilities. Sean Tucker has been ready to be totally unlocked, and because the third working again, he’ll get his time to flash his dynamic pace and discover the top zone.
The Bucs not have a future Corridor of Fame receiver carrying the room. What they do have is among the league’s deepest collections of complementary weapons. That will not make them a prime 5 group, but it surely definitely makes rating them twenty second really feel like an overreaction.
