This is part of an ongoing series at Between The Hashmarks, grading every NFL offseason months after the marquee signings of free agency and the franchise-altering picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. From fueling a rebuild to chasing a Lombardi, we break down which teams actually moved the needle.

The Buccaneers’ offseason risks being defined by the big names who will no longer be wearing pewter and red, but that may risk missing the point of some of the additions general manager Jason Licht was able to make in recent months.

This was a roster that came a tiebreaker short of missing the playoffs in 2025, before spending much of the offseason shopping for veterans who arrive from winning cultures and with recent production telegraphing an ability to make a big impact on turning the tide in 2026.

Likewise, much of the young talent across Tampa’s offense showed meaningful progress and significant promise last season; the emergence of seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson as a viable after-the-catch weapon, first-round rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka playing like the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, when healthy.

However, Tampa’s young stable of running backs left a lot to be desired last season, scoring 12 of the Buccaneers’ meager 13 rushing touchdowns. As a result, the lack of a consistent 'home run' threat left the offense feeling one-dimensional too often.

Unsurprisingly, entering a season where the pressure is on head coach Todd Bowles to show progress not just in the development of a youngish roster, but a defense that was wildly inconsistent and struggled getting off the field in 2025, the Buccaneers spent much of free agency and the NFL Draft loading up on that side of the football.

Here’s a breakdown of where things stand for the Buccaneers, after this season’s offseason moves.

Last season, only 13 teams produced fewer sacks than the Buccaneers’ 37, with game-wrecking nose tackle Vita Vea leading the way with 4.5. That’s no way to win in the modern NFL.

Licht and the Buccaneers missed out on Trey Hendrickson, Maxx Crosby wound up not being as available as many expected, and Tampa Bay was unable to land the likes of Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, Boye Mafe, or Kwity Paye, who all changed zip codes via free agency.

However, Al-Quadin Muhammad arrives on the West Florida coast off the most dominant season of his career, when thrust into extended playing time with the Detroit Lions, he produced his first double-digit sack season, with 11, while adding 53 total pressures.

In Tampa Bay, Muhammad, along with first-round rookie Rueben Bain, represents a transformation along the front-seven. The Buccaneers are hoping they spark the kind of disruptiveness in the backfield that makes Vea’s dominance along the interior even more impactful, ideally by doing a better job collapsing the pocket off the edge and forcing the quarterback to step up into Vea, and vice versa.

Anzalone wasn’t just one of the most respected leadership voices across the Lions’ ferocious defense, but he’s a high-IQ tone-setter in the middle of the defense.

Likely the Buccaneers’ new green-dot player, Anzalone thrives at reading and reacting; whether picking up a running back or tight end in coverage over the middle or knowing when to get downhill in a hurry. He should bring an attitude change to a defense that largely lacked a coherent identity last season, as well.

Meanwhile, Gainwell adds a veteran presence to a young up-and-coming running back room, with special teams upside thanks to his familiarity with new special teams coordinator, Danny Smith, who also arrives from Pittsburgh.

Two franchise pillars, and two players who were critical to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run with Tom Brady, will be elsewhere this fall after stalwart veteran linebacker Lavonte David announced his retirement and All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans cashed in with the San Francisco 49ers.

Importing Anzalone, and the hypercompetitiveness that has been written into his DNA from his time in Dan Campbell’s hyper-competitive Lions culture, is a big bet on lessening the impact of losing David on the locker room.

Tampa is banking on Egbuka and Johnson making major strides in their development, with Jalen McMillan perhaps primed for a major rebound after a neck injury he suffered last season limited him to just four games in his second NFL season.

Bain was widely viewed by evaluators inside the league as one of the premier pass rushers in a loaded draft class at the position, and for good reason.

At 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, Bain’s explosive first step helped power him to 67 total pressures—second most among draft-eligible pass rushers last season, 10 sacks, and 54 total hurries.

Bain’s versatility, credited with 31 run stops from Pro Football Focus, is a meaningful counterpunch in a division where the Buccaneers must contend with speedy, agile, and versatile running backs like Bijan Robinson and now Travis Etienne twice each season, not to mention potential postseason showdowns against Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Christian McCaffrey potentially looming.

Opposite Muhammad, Bain gives the Buccaneers’ pass rush some legitimate teeth that it has lacked off the edge for the past several seasons.

Licht landing former Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter in the second round, is insane value for a linebacker who flies to the football, has elite closing speed in pursuit, and is a crafty pass rusher who thrived when sent after the quarterback as a blitzer.

At 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, Trotter carded three sacks and 14 pressures last season, and should walk into a starting role alongside Anzalone, forming a lightning-quick and thunderously punishing duo of linebackers who have the benefit of playing behind Vea and a revamped Buccaneers front.

This offseason lacked flash and the kind of names the Buccaneers would place on splashy billboards across the I-275 corridor, but it efficiently filled some critical needs with players capable of raising both the ceiling and the floor for 2026.

So much of Tampa’s identity is built around the young players Licht has stocked the cupboard with via excellent drafting and developing the past several years becoming more vital pieces of the puzzle.