The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $25.4 million
2026 Cap Space: $44.6 million
2027 Cap Space: $157.6 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-7
Coming off a strong offensive season that saw Baker Mayfield firmly entrench himself as Tampa Bay’s franchise quarterback, it was certainly a surprise to see them select receiver Emeka Egbuka with their first round pick in this season’s draft. After all, for a team that had retained Chris Godwin and only added edge rusher Haason Reddick and linebacker Anthony Walker in free agency, adding some “oomph” to the defense appeared to be priority one.
I don’t want to read too much into one pick, but I think the Egbuka speaks to the fact that general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles feel fairly confident about the foundation they’ve established here. It’s not just that receiver wasn’t a position of need; I’d argue it was a position of anti-need, as 2024 3rd rounder Jalen McMillan played his best football down the stretch as their number two receiver, and tight end Cade Otton also turned in a strong season. Assuming health for Mike Evans and Godwin, that looked like a quality foursome, and the Bucs also had depth, as veteran Sterling Shepard is still around, and a pair of 2023 undrafted free agents, Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller, had enough moments in the opportunities they got due to injury to make me think they could make a play in a pinch.
Instead, they took Egbuka, and I’d bet there’s more than a few teams that will be watching the bottom of Tampa’s receiver room on cut day. It says a lot about an organization when they are willing to sit and take the best player available, even if it doesn’t align with your needs on draft night. There’s the old Belichick saying that “those are our needs now”, which speaks to the uncertain nature of the NFL. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin aren’t getting any younger; if Egbuka hits, it will super-charge this offense in the long-term and give Baker Mayfield a potential long-time partner as he writes the next chapters in Bucs football lore.
Quarterback
Starter: Baker Mayfield
Backups: Kyle Trask, Michael Pratt
Running Back
Starters: Bucky Irving, Rachaad White
Backups: Sean Tucker, D.J. Williams
Wide Receiver
Starters: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka (1st Rd)
Backups: Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, Tez Johnson (7th Rd), Rakim Jarrett, Ryan Miller
Tight End
Starters: Cade Otton
Backups: Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Devin Culp
Offensive Line
Starters: Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch, Luke Goedeke
Backups: Charlie Heck, Sua Opeta, Jake Majors, Elijah Klein, Silas Dzansi
Offense Overview
It’s probably fair to say this is the best offensive roster in football south of Philly.
There are other candidates, but just for comparison, let’s run through the group.
Offensive Line: Five legit starters who stand out for their collective mobility as a group. Arguably the best left tackle in football in Tristan Wirfs. Solid right tackle in Luke Goedeke, who lacks ideal play strength, but balances it out with good mobility. Ascending interior players in center Graham Barton and right guard Cody Mauch, with Barton in particular looking like a future Pro-Bowler/All-Pro down the stretch given his combination of size and mobility. Playable piece in left guard Ben Bredeson.
Running Back: Room with three quality players led by Bucky Irving, who was absolutely electric as a rookie. Rachaad White provides a good complement as a bigger back who can bang a little bit; the third back, Sean Tucker, is a smaller, quicker back (5’9, 205) in the mold of Irving (5’9, 195), who showed he can make plays in his limited opportunities.
Wide Receiver: Absolutely stacked. Starts with Mike Evans, who remains an easy evaluation as an elite/blue-chip receiver; not quite in that discussion for best receiver in the NFL, but clearly in the next group down. Supplemented by Chris Godwin, who, when healthy, brings more than enough explosion to play on the outside while showing the savvy to play the slot, their first-round pick, Emeka Egbuka, and their 2024 3rd-rounder Jalen McMillan, an angular target who looks longer on film than his listed 6’1 would suggest; McMillan flashed early as a “loose” athlete with good hands, and saw the production follow when he recovered from a hamstring injury. Receivers 5-9 are all likely to be on an NFL roster next season: veteran Sterling Shepard had some late-season production, Trey Palmer, Ryan Miller, and Rakim Jarrett all topped 100 yards in limited opportunities last season and looked like they belonged on an NFL field, and the Bucs rounded out their 2025 draft with 7th-rounder Tez Johnson, who brings electric speed in a diminutive (5’10, 155) package.
Tight End: Cade Otton was second on the Bucs with 600 receiving yards last season and profiles as an above-average player at the position. Payne Durham slots in as more of a blocker, Ko Kieft brings the fullback vibe, and if they need another receiving threat, the 6’4, 235 pound Devin Culp flashed intriguing movement skills in a deceptive frame; I thought #82 looked more like a receiver than a tight end on film, and wouldn’t have guessed he weighed more than 225, so if Culp is really weighing in at 235-240, the 2024 7th rounder is that much more intriguing as a developmental player.
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield ties it all together; there’s a clear gap between Mayfield and the game’s elite quarterbacks, but once you get past the group in the MVP discussion, Mayfield holds up against most options. He’s not the biggest or most athletic, but Mayfield has a very good feel for playing the position at this stage in his NFL career, and he’s not afraid to make aggressive throws.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall
Backups: Greg Gaines, C.J. Brewer, Adam Gotsis, Elijah Roberts (5th Rd)
Edge
Starters: Yaya Diaby, Haason Reddick
Backups: Chris Braswell, Anthony Nelson, David Walker (4th Rd)
Linebackers
Starters: Lavonte David, SirVocea Dennis
Backups: Anthony Walker, Deion Jones
Safety
Starters: Antonie Winfield Jr., Christian Izien
Backups: Kaevon Merriweather, Marcus Banks, Shilo Sanders (UDFA)
Slot
Starter: Tykee Smith
Backups: Jacob Parrish (3rd Rd)
Outside CB
Starters: Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum
Backups: Benjamin Morrison (2nd Rd), Josh Hayes, Tyrek Funderburk, Kindle Vildor
Defense Overview
The defense isn’t as exciting as the offense, but they had their moments last season, and if they can get contributions from cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, their 2nd and 3rd-round picks in this year’s draft, this group could wind up exceeding expectations.
Vita Vea might not be quite as dynamic as in his younger years, but the huge nose tackle is still a physical presence who can completely overwhelm NFL offensive linemen, while his fellow defensive tackle, Calijah Kancey, brings quickness and juice on the interior. The Bucs will hope Haason Reddick can rebound from his bizarre 2024 season and produce across from YaYa Diaby, who brings a good combination of strength and fluidity to the position and was arguably more impactful than his 4.5 sacks in 2024 might suggest.
At the second level, Tampa Bay is counting on Lavonte David to have one more solid season in the tank. David isn’t the All-Pro player he was in his prime, but he was still athletic enough to get Jayden Daniels on the ground when he found himself in space against the Washington quarterback in the playoffs last year, and his instincts remain off the charts in a league where it is more and more difficult to find off-ball linebackers with great eyes. His running mate, SirVocea Dennis, will look to build on his experience from last season, and the Bucs also have veterans Anthony Walker and Deion Jones in reserve should that go south.
Antoine Winfield is the clear star of the secondary, and while the players around him might not push for postseason honors, they do have a good deal of experience. 2024 3rd rounder Tykee Smith made some impact plays in the slot as a rookie, and outside cornerback Zyon McCollum could take another step after playing the full slate as a starter for the first time in 2024. If McCollum or veteran Jamel Dean falters, the rookies Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish are waiting in reserve.
This depth chart certainly could have used another impact player, but it’s always possible someone like 2024 2nd rounder Chris Braswell breaks out after a quiet rookie season. Tampa’s defense has more “adequate” players in their starting lineup than I might like, but there’s also not a glaring weakness, and the hope is that the additions in the secondary will give them a bit more depth than they had last season.
Overall Outlook
Given the cyclical nature of the NFL, there’s a very good chance the Atlanta Falcons, who were fairly close to Tampa Bay last season, winds up flipping the division, but barring disaster, it would be a surprise if Tampa isn’t in the thick of things as they push for a third straight NFC South title.
In 2022, this was a team in flux, with Baker Mayfield competing with Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback job in camp, but despite some clear holes, they battled back from a 3-5 start to make the playoffs, score a decisive victory over the Eagles in the Wild Card round, and go punch-for-punch with the Detroit Lions in a Divisional Round game that was tied at 17 heading into the fourth quarter.
Tampa failed to build on their postseason success in 2023, but the roster took an undeniable step forward, particularly at the offensive line position, and they made the playoffs despite Mike Evans’ extended absence and Chris Godwin’s season-ending injury. They definitely seem to have something in Tampa, and while several things would have to line up for this team to go on a run, this roster is talented enough to contend in the right circumstances.