What the Bucs learned about their team this offseason

Rewind to the end of the 2025 season, when the Bucs lost seven of their final nine games to miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

“My takeaway was that I was sick,” general manager Jason Licht said. “Nobody was more sick than coach (Todd) Bowles. We all had to look at ourselves in the mirror. You can’t just point to one thing.”

A remedy this offseason? Drafting Miami outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr.

Arguably the best pass rusher in the NFL draft, Bain wasn’t expected to be available at No. 15. Although he hasn’t taken a snap in pads, the 6-foot-2, 270-pound edge rusher has demonstrated his power and incredible bend during drills. He has heavy hands and light feet.

More than that, he’s a tone-setter, a no-nonsense worker that is all about football.

“I’m extremely grateful,” Bowles said. “Just seeing him in person, there’s size and there’s length and there’s speed and everything else, but you also have to look at how a guy rushes the passer. It’s a lot to how he rushes the passer. He’s never down the middle. He’s always on the edge. He never wastes steps. He always uses his hands. He understands leverage. He knows when to swim, when to knock them down, when to fight the offensive lineman’s hands, and he’s just a workhorse. But even beyond that, he’s even more of a football player.

“He’s extremely bright, he picked up the system very well. He runs games very well and you can see the possibilities of him and Calijah Kancy on the same side, because they get off the ball very well and they understand each other. So just having him in the spring, seeing the possibilities of what he can do, you can’t help but smile.”

Bain and linebacker Josiah Trotter, the second-round pick from Missouri, are both only 21 and foundational pieces for a defense that could have as many as six new starters.

The Bucs ended their offseason with a final workout Wednesday. What else did they learn about their club before training camp begins July 29?

Bucs will be OK without Mike Evans

There’s no way to replace Mike Evans, the future Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver whose streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons ended last season when he missed nine games with a hamstring issue and broken clavicle.

Evans left for San Francisco in part because he knew the depth of the Bucs’ receiver room with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst, to name a few.

Egbuka admitted he wore down after entering the league on the heels of winning the College Football Playoff championship at Ohio State.

“I feel like I got my legs back a little bit,” said Egbuka. “Last year, coming off the national championship and doing the whole rookie thing, the combine and everything like that, it’s definitely a long offseason and you feel like you never got a break. So I think after the season, I was able to take some time off my legs and kind of work my way back into training in a good amount of time. I was able to lean up, add some muscle and I feel like I’m in very good condition, very good shape.”

It will be hard to run on the Bucs defense

The Bucs ranked fifth overall in rushing defense last season, allowing 99.1 yards per game. But that can be misleading because teams had such an easy time attacking them through the air.

Bowles wanted his team to get bigger on the front seven and the Bucs have certainly done that with the addition of A’Shawn Robinson, Alex Anzalone and Trotter to go with Vita Vea, Yaya Diaby, Kancey and Bain.

“Getting bigger inside, even with Kancey hurt and Logan (Hall) a little more athletic last year, I don’t know if we were big enough if we just stood in there,” Bowles said. “We had bodies to put in there, but I don’t know if we could stand toe-to-toe consistently. We could scheme people up and do those types of things, but we have guys now that can sit in there, go toe-to-toe and kind of understand what we’re trying to get done.”

Antoine Winfield Jr. won’t be just a centerfielder

Because the Bucs had trouble defending the middle of the field, Bowles had to deploy more resources to stop the run and rush the passer.

That left Antoine Winfield Jr. having to defend the deep middle of the field, a literal safety to keep teams out of the end zone.

Winfield still produced two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, but he had only one sack and didn’t get a chance to make as many plays near the line of scrimmage.

“Because he was the oldest, he was the smartest back there and he had to man the middle of the field to make up for everybody else,” Bowles said in defense of Winfield.

He still earned a Pro Bowl selection, but Winfield feels he can do more.

“I’m very hopeful,” he said. “You know, my best skill-set, I feel like, is my versatility, being able to play everywhere, that’s what I like the most.”

Contract impasse with Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea, Yaya Diaby

There’s no one at One Buc Place who doesn’t want Baker Mayfield to be their quarterback going forward.

But Mayfield set a deadline for the start of training camp to reach a deal, and the two sides are far apart. Mayfield likely will cost more than $50 million a year moving forward, but Licht doesn’t think his play will be impacted by negotiations.

“He’s going to ball no matter what and we’ll continue to have discussions and try to get this to a closure,” Licht said. “But when you have these types of situations, they’re never easy.”

Don’t discount Vea’s situation. He was a hold-in during mandatory minicamp. Vea, 31, is scheduled to earn $17 million in base salary in 2026. His $17.75 million annual average ranks 19th among defensive tackles, and he’s in line for a substantial pay raise.

Diaby led the club in sacks with seven and will become a free agent in March.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 10:11 AM.