Despite losing stars Mike Evans and Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay secured a solid grade by prioritizing defensive depth and landing Rueben Bain Jr. in the draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a very busy offseason.
The team made several high-profile additions to its defense, using both free agency and the draft to reinforce a unit that underperformed in 2025.
In free agency, the Bucs brought in linebackers Alex Anzalone and Al-Quadin Muhammad, both from the Detroit Lions, and defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson, who was signed away from the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa also went heavy on defense in the draft, using four of its first five picks on that side of the ball. The Bucs came away with Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter, Keionte Scott, and DeMonte Capehart, who should all be major contributors immediately.
The Bucs also lost two foundational players in free agency, as wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Jamel Dean both found new homes.
Considering both the additions and the losses, how did the Bucs do this offseason?
Seth Walder of ESPN gave every NFL team a grade for its offseason.
Walder singled out each team's biggest move, as well as one move he liked and one he didn't.
He also makes it a point to say that his grades are not based on whether a team simply got better or worse, but on an evaluation of "the actual decisions each team has made during the offseason."
Walder uses the Las Vegas Raiders as his example, saying they obviously got better than they were last year (not that hard), but doubts the decisions they made were the right ones, and gave them a "C" for their offseason.
So, how does Walder think the Bucs fared during the offseason?
Bucs Earn A Solid "B"
The Bucs' offseason earned a solid "B" from Walder.
Walder believes that Tampa drafting Bain was its biggest move of the offseason. Bain was possibly the best defensive player in the entire draft, and falling to the Bucs at pick 15 was one of the draft's biggest steals. The former Miami Hurricane has looked fantastic so far and figures to be the future of Tampa's defense.
Tampa was able to bring in Muhammad, coming off an 11-sack season in Detroit, on a one-year deal for a modest price. Walder thinks that the combination of Muhammad's production and value makes his signing a great move by the Bucs.
Walder was surprised that the Bucs didn't keep Dean, who was the team's best cornerback last season. Dean signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a reasonable amount, and the Bucs' decision not to match it may come back to haunt them.
"The Buccaneers also lost Dean in free agency. Given the contract he signed -- $12.25 million per year from the Steelers -- I would have tried to keep him."
Final Thoughts
While a "B" is certainly a decent grade, I'm surprised the Bucs weren't given an even higher one.
Tampa strengthened its defense with both veterans and premium young talent. Drafting Bain in the middle of the first round may wind up as the best pick of the draft. The pass-rush now features Bain, last year's sack leader YaYa Diaby, and Muhammad off the edge with defensive tackles Robinson, Vita Vea, and Calijah Kancey from the interior.
That deserves better than a "B."
Of course, the losses of Evans and Dean will hurt, and they definitely lower the grade. However, Tampa still has a talented group of wide receivers to make up for Evans' departure.
At cornerback, the Bucs are talented but unproven. Retaining Dean should have been more of a priority for a defense that invested heavily in its front seven. If the secondary falters, all those additions may have been for nothing.
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