If one or two things break right, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be right back in the NFC Championship contender mix. Dan Orlovsky of ESPN made it clear that he is buying what the Bucs did this offseason and thinks that they can make a run this offseason.
The big question is that this take is going to come down to two people. Orlavsky notes that the Bucs made strong roster changes, and they could have their best roster since Tom Brady. However, the team has also been on a slow decline since Brady left, and it might be because their head coach, Todd Bowles, and their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, have yet to prove they can lead a deep playoff run.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hope to be NFC Championship Contenders in 2026
GettyTodd Bowles enters 2026 on the hot seat
Since Brady retired, the Bucs have gone 27-24. They are 1-2 in the playoffs. They have been above average in that time frame, but not by much. A lot of this comes back to Bowles and Mayfield. Bowles has been coaching in the NFL for nine seasons, and his record is 61-74. His stint with the New York Jets is carrying a lot of that, but Bowles took over a 13-4 team in 2021, and the team went 8-9 in 2022. This led to Brady’s retirement.
Mayfield has been able to keep things afloat since Brady left, but that might be his ceiling. Last year looked like the best we could see of Mayfield early on. Tampa Bay started 6-2, and Mayfield had 13 touchdowns to two interceptions. However, they finished 2-7 with Mayfield throwing 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He was not nearly as good. The Bucs believe that it was the pieces around these two, and they are doing whatever they can to improve the core.
Buccaneers Made Big Changes this Offseason
On offense, the plan was to get younger and healthier. Chris Godwin and the entire offensive line should be healthy after a rough year. When you add in that they added Ted Hurst and Kenneth Gainwell, they should be as deep as ever. A new offensive coordinator who is familiar with Mayfield can help get things back on track, too.
The question will be whether Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan are ready to lead the offense without Mike Evans, though.
On defense, they made sweeping changes. They will have two new starters at linebacker, and Rueben Bain was clearly the highest impact addition they made this offseason. He was the impact move, but Rakeem Nunez-Roches, A’Shawn Robinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad bring quality veteran depth as well.
At cornerback, they are hoping that Zyon McCollum can bounce back and that Benjaim Morrison can stay healthy to bring an upgraded duo from a year prior.
On paper, the Bucs do have a few holes, and they have the makings of a team that can make a run. If Bowles and Mayfield do not get the job done this year, the odds of both of them coming back are low. The team might even move on from both.
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