Can the Buccaneers RETURN to Form? Tampa Bay’s 2026 Outlook in Make-Or-Break Year for Todd Bowles

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4.6 • 966 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tampa Bay Buccaneers eye a return to playoff glory as health, roster stability, and young talent set the stage for a pivotal 2026 season. Can Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin, and star rookie Emeka Egbuka ignite the offense behind a retooled line anchored by Tristan Wirfs? The addition of Kenneth Gainwell and the ascent of playmakers like Jalen McMillan and Ted Hurst raise expectations, but all eyes are on new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to maximize this group's potential. On defense, Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Elijah Cansey headline a unit recharged by key signings and draft picks. The edge rush gets a boost from Reuben Bain, while question marks linger at cornerback, especially opposite Zyon McCollum. With Todd Bowles on the hot seat and a challenging schedule ahead, the Buccaneers’ postseason hopes may hinge on health and defensive depth. Will Tampa Bay’s revamped roster be enough to reclaim the NFC South?

Transcript

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0:00.0	before 2025, the Bucks made the playoffs five seasons in a row.
0:05.8	Can they get back there in 2026?
0:08.2	We're going to explore that right now.
0:15.0	You are locked on NFL scouting with the draft dudes, your daily podcast for NFL and college football scouting,
0:23.7	part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day.
0:29.6	What's better than this?
0:31.2	It's guys being dudes.
0:33.5	I'm Joe Marino.
0:34.6	That's Kyle Crabs.
0:36.2	Today's episode is brought to you by GameTime.
0:38.3	Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code Lockdown for $20 off your first purchase.
0:44.7	Welcome in, folks.
0:45.9	It is Tampa Bay Buccaneers Day here on Locked on NFL scouting.
0:50.5	Kyle, welcome.
0:51.5	Happy Tuesday.
0:52.6	Happy Tuesday to you.
0:55.8	And yes, as you said, we're going to be exploring the 2026 season outlook for the Tampa Bay bucks we're doing our roster assessment
1:01.1	looking at the players that they have players they brought in who are ascending players who are
1:07.4	descending players who are the most important pieces of the puzzle as they
1:11.4	try to get back to the postseason after last seasons, but really is a five and one start
1:16.9	that fizzled to an eight and nine finish, very disappointing finish, has Todd Bowles on a bit
1:22.4	of a hot seat. So we got a lot of talk about here on the show. We'll start on the offensive
	...

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