Every Wednesday morning I’ll cowl 4 areas as they apply to Tampa Bay: 1. a brief movie breakdown, 2. a finance angle, 3. a glance ahead at what’s to come back, and 4. a little bit of enjoyable.
Movie – New Bucs G Billy Schrauth
NFL Draft analyst Connor Rogers was an enormous fan of the Bucs selecting up Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth within the fifth spherical of the 2026 NFL Draft. Giving Tampa Bay an “A” grade for his or her draft haul he wrote, “If not for injury, Billy Schrauth was a no-brainer top 100 pick. I think he’s a future starter at guard.”
Getting a starter within the fifth spherical could be fairly a coup. So, I used to be to see what Rogers noticed within the former Combating Irish captain.
Notre Dame G Billy Schrauth – Photograph by: IMAGN Photos – Michael Clubb
What I discovered was a well-recognized sort for Tampa Bay offensive linemen, one Bucs followers know effectively: technically sound, bodily restricted, imply. If that mixture appears like Alex Cappa to you, you’re monitoring with me.
Earlier than I get to the tape, it’s value noting that Schrauth obtained higher yearly in school. The arc is actual.
The Strengths Are Actual And They Are Professional Traits
Schrauth understands what he’s and what he isn’t, and his recreation is constructed round maximizing the hole. He performs with constant pad stage, sees the sector at a excessive stage, and brings the form of pre-snap recognition you need from an inside lineman.
With how defenses scheme up stress now, I am satisfied inside OL should be among the many smartest gamers on the sector.
Billy Schrauth passes the check. pic.twitter.com/2OzZv51AGe
Schrauth’s punch is robust. His fingers are lively. His restoration abilities are above common, and Schrauth by no means offers up on a rep. He’s at his finest as part of a unit, significantly in duo schemes the place he can work combos to the second stage. He eats up floor when requested to climb vertically, and when he will get a defender lined up in house as a puller, Schrauth delivers a jolt.
Billy Schrauth brings the demeanor that the #Bucs covet of their offensive linemen. No nonsense and if you get the chance to complete with drive you are taking it. pic.twitter.com/eyUUuMQqSK
The Limitations Are Actual Too, And They Cap The Ceiling
Schrauth shouldn’t be a fluid athlete. The shortage of high-end motion abilities reveals up in three particular locations.
First, mirroring in opposition to superior athletes. When a faster inside rusher forces him to redirect, Schrauth’s hips don’t open rapidly sufficient, and his footwork struggles to maintain up.
Second, Schrauth lacks the lateral burst to match elite get-off. Zane Durant beat him off the road at Penn State on a number of reps, and the problem wasn’t method on these performs. It was that Durant was merely faster.
Third, he’s clunky as a puller in house and as a redirect blocker in opposition to loopers. When Schrauth has to pressure again on a redirect in opposition to a stunting rusher, he depends on a waist bend that isn’t going to chop it on the subsequent stage. When he’s requested to climb to a linebacker in house, the marginal athleticism reveals up.
Add all of it up, together with the aggressive streak that had Schrauth enjoying via the knee harm in opposition to USC that in the end ended his season, and also you see why the Bucs are keen to wager on the participant over the traits. Ceiling: a strong beginning guard who maximizes common athleticism via method, hand placement, and restoration (Re: Alex Cappa). Flooring: a dependable backup who can spot begin and never kill your scheme.
Connor Rogers and I’ll disagree on the probability Schrauth turns into a starter. However that’s nonetheless a robust fifth-round decide.
Finance – Potential Bucs’ Cap And CASH Casualties
Final week I detailed how the projected $94 million in obtainable money for 2027 gained’t be sufficient for them to maintain all the gamers needing contracts. The group may look to reallocate present sources to make up that hole. Listed below are 4 gamers Tampa Bay may minimize in 2027 to assist unlock money. I’ve listed them so as of probability.
WR Chris Godwin Jr.
Godwin will probably be coming into the ultimate yr of the three-year, $66 million extension he signed in 2025. Final yr was a little bit of a redshirt yr for him. And Bucs basic supervisor Jason Licht acknowledged that on the time of the deal and has reiterated a number of instances over since then. However his profession lows in catches (33) and receiving yards (360) are nonetheless trigger for concern.
As is the fibula harm he suffered that price him six video games final yr. Since 2020, Godwin has averaged simply 12 video games performed per season. And that quantity is headed within the improper route. Godwin wants to point out two issues in 2026 to persuade the Bucs to not minimize him and save $22 million in money – as a result of none of that wage is assured.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
First, he has to point out he can keep on the sector. Godwin must get via 14 or extra video games to point out he can contribute constantly. And second, he has to point out he can ship quantity and excessive leverage manufacturing. After quite a few decrease physique accidents, Godwin’s previous his explosive prime. However earlier than he was misplaced for the 2024 season, he confirmed he generally is a quantity producer who can transfer the chains on key third downs.
That’s the Godwin the Bucs want to point out up in 2026 to justify conserving him for 2027. If he doesn’t hit each of these, the group will doubtless transfer on, saving the money whereas clearing $13.7 million in wage cap house.
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
Winfield can also be out of assured cash. He performed effectively final yr, however was conspicuously devoid of impression performs. He earned his market-setting contract in 2024 on the again of a near-historic 2023 season that included six compelled fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, six.sacks, six tackles for loss, 12 passes defensed and three interceptions. Since then, he has matched simply a kind of numbers (tackles for loss) over a two season pattern.
If Winfield can’t get again to creating turnovers and performs behind the road of scrimmage, the Bucs may determine to take his $19.6 million wage and dedicate it to another person. They’d save $7.7 million in wage cap house within the course of in 2027.
LG Ben Bredeson
Bredeson has performed effectively above what anybody would have anticipated when the Bucs signed him to an affordable contract in 2024. His play that season earned him a three-year, $22 million re-up from Tampa Bay.
Bucs LG Ben Bredeson and Cardinals DT Calais Campbell – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Bredeson stunned once more final yr when he moved from left guard to heart early within the season because the group juggled the offensive line as a result of accidents. However as he moved again to protect late within the season, the inside safety wobbled, and Mayfield’s late-season decision-making suffered alongside it.
That’s to not say he’s underperforming his modest wage. However Cody Mauch is the superior guard and is coming into a contract yr. If the group feels they will solely hold one of many two it is sensible they’d go together with the youthful, higher participant. They may save $7 million in money and $4.5 million wage cap by letting Bredeson go (or probably buying and selling him).
CB Zyon McCollum
McCollum struggled with consistency in 2025. His 3-game rolling passer score allowed swung from 57.6 in Week 11 to 127.7 by Week 12. That volatility is the problem. The Bucs had been hoping he may ascend to CB1 standing, however his up-and-down play left them wanting extra. The instruments are nonetheless there. And he performs a high-variance place. There’s a greater than respectable shot he turns it round this yr.
The group gave him a vote of confidence once they restructured his wage this yr, rising the useless cap hit they’d incur ought to they minimize him subsequent yr. McCollum’s contract has a rolling assure construction, and earlier this offseason $7.4 million of McCollum’s 2027 wage vested right into a assure. They owe him that even when they minimize him subsequent yr. However they will nonetheless save $8.006 million in money whereas taking an $800,000 wage cap penalty in the event that they determine to maneuver on. The cap penalty isn’t necessary. The money financial savings is.
Forecast – Graham Barton Turns into A Prime 10 Middle In 2026
Bucs heart Graham Barton has had a rocky begin to his NFL profession. Three years faraway from enjoying heart in school, the Duke left sort out was requested to return to play the pivot from day one after Tampa Bay chosen him within the first spherical of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Via the primary 9 video games of his rookie marketing campaign, Barton ranked twenty sixth amongst all qualifying facilities (minimal 279 snaps) in Professional Soccer Focus’ offensive grades at 53.9. He was twenty fifth in run block grade (53.9) and twentieth in cross block (59.2). PFF’s grading system has lengthy been maligned, however with an absence of alternate options to supply context, their grading is correctly illustrative.
Over the again half of the season Barton confirmed actual enchancment. His run block grade remained pretty static – twenty seventh amongst qualifying facilities at 52.3. However his cross block grade improved considerably to 67.5, good for eighth within the NFL.
Past these grades, his tape was suffering from flashes of high-end play.
Tampa landed a stud heart in Graham Barton in what appears to be like to be a really spectacular reset on the place after Jensen’s retirement.
Barton’s heart of gravity, core/grip energy & maintain abilities are excellent pic.twitter.com/X91WqOpeqN
The straightforward truth could be very few facilities within the league possess Barton’s ceiling if you consider dimension, energy and skill to maneuver in house. That athletic mixture made him a viable candidate for getting into left sort out firstly of 2025 when starter Tristan Wirfs needed to miss time as a result of a summer season knee surgical procedure.
You may depend on one hand the variety of facilities within the NFL who would have even a snowball’s probability in hell of dealing with that task – and also you wouldn’t want each finger. It wasn’t fairly for Barton, however he survived.
One in every of my favourite methods of monitoring offensive linemen development is thru rolling stress charges allowed. You may see alerts in a development line. Right here is Barton’s profession rolling three-game stress price allowed.
The development line helps the PFF cross block grade enchancment all through his rookie season. The swap to left sort out was a doozy, not simply derailing his stress price allowed, however setting again his growth as a middle.
The strategy to heart is vastly completely different from the strategy to sort out. Facilities work in a extra condensed house, should react faster submit snap and face greater, stronger opponents. Tackles should defend a bigger quantity of house from faster, smoother defenders.
Switching from one to the opposite and again isn’t a light-weight swap, and you may see it took about two video games for Barton to regain his bearings at heart. The rest of the season he needed to catch again as much as his personal studying curve whereas working primarily with backups flanking him at guard. None of 2025 was conducive to his growth as a middle.
However the traits are all nonetheless there.
Heading into his third yr within the league, Barton is getting his star proper guard again in Cody Mauch. He’s getting his strong left guard again in Ben Bredeson. And he’s attending to focus solely on heart once more. All of these are constructive indicators that he’s primed for an enormous leap in play.
The secret’s his post-snap setup on cross units. If he can get only a fraction of a second faster and smoother it would put him in place to not quit his chest, which to this point has so usually put him within the unenviable place of getting walked again. What some label as an absence of energy or anchor is absolutely only a timing subject that stops him from utilizing these traits, that are legitimately plus.
Mark it down. Graham Barton will get to deal with heart with NFL beginning caliber gamers flanking him and fixes his largest subject on tape in 2026. And that pushes him into the highest third of facilities within the NFL.
Fourth Down Enjoyable – Bauer Sharp Information
The extra I dig into Bucs sixth-round decide Bauer Sharp, the extra fascinated I turn out to be. Listed below are six info concerning the LSU tight finish you may discover attention-grabbing.
LSU TE Bauer Sharp – Photograph by: IMAGN Photos – Stephen Lew
Sharp led Oklahoma in receptions (42), receiving yards (324), and yards after the catch (185) in 2024.
Sharp accrued almost 26% of his 2025 receiving yards on a single play, a 65-yard catch-and-run in opposition to Florida within the fourth quarter.
Sharp scored his first landing as a Tiger in opposition to his former group, catching 5 passes for 73 yards and a rating in LSU’s week 4 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Sharp doesn’t run the 40. The 40 runs Bauer Sharp. (RIP Chuck Norris) He ran a 4.63 within the 40-yard sprint on the NFL Scouting Mix
Sharp posted a formidable 9.16 RAS rating.
Sharp transformed from QB to TE when he realized nobody was higher at catching Bauer Sharp passes than Bauer Sharp.
