The first five games of the season have not gone according to plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The Bucs were heavy favorites to win the NFC South and return to the postseason after missing the playoffs last season. 

Unfortunately for Tampa, last year’s 2-7 collapse down the stretch has carried over this season. The Bucs are 1-4 and have now lost 11 of their last 14 games dating back to last season. 

It has been a nightmare start for the Bucs, who lost four straight one-score games to open their season before pulling off a huge upset of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. 

Most teams would be dead and buried if they started 0-4. Luckily for the Bucs, they play in the NFC South. 

Last season, only eight wins were good enough to win the division, and it’s looking like eight wins may be enough to win it again this year. 

The Carolina Panthers currently sit atop the South at 2-2. 

Despite all of the team’s early-season disappointments, Tampa is only 1.5 games out of first place. With three consecutive winning games coming up, the Bucs have an opportunity to get back into contention for the division. 

However, even though the Bucs still have a chance at the division and the playoffs, The Athletic believes they should be sellers at the trade deadline. 

Even though the Bucs aren't quite out of it yet, The Athletic believes that being sellers is the best decision the organization can make for the long term.

However, there could be some in the organization who need as strong a season as possible to keep their jobs, especially head coach Todd Bowles, which could lead to some conflict if the team decides to sell.

"Rookie backup quarterback Jalon Daniels has started two straight games for the Bucs while filling in for Baker Mayfield. Daniels earned his NFL win Thursday night as the Bucs upset the Cowboys on the road. It was also the Bucs’ first win of the season. At 1-4, Tampa Bay should be sellers. At the same time, coach Todd Bowles likely needs to win some games to keep his job. Bowles is in his fifth season, and his tenure is turning stale. Bowles’ defense played well against the Cowboys, but he has only won more than nine games one time. The Bucs missed the playoffs last year at 8-9. There could be some conflicting motivations in Tampa. The prudent long-term move is to sell and accrue draft capital. Bowles does not appear to have a long shelf life, though. The Bucs will be an interesting team to monitor in the coming weeks, especially once Mayfield returns from his dislocated thumb. The Bucs signed Mayfield to an extension averaging $55 million per year in September."

It would be hard to come to the final decision to be sellers. The Bucs paid Mayfield and defensive tackle Vita Vea a lot of money this offseason. A team doesn't pay a pair of 31-year-olds top-dollar extensions with an eye on the future.

No. The Bucs paid Mayfield and Vea because they expect to win now.

As long as Tampa is within striking distance of the division, I believe they will go for it.

Now, as far as what the Bucs should do, it is pretty obvious they should be sellers.

There is a big difference between contending for a division where 8-9 or 9-8 is likely to be good enough to get into the playoffs and being an actual contender.

Tampa is far from being a contender. 

As for Bowles, his fate may already be sealed. Even if the Bucs won the South, they would likely be home underdogs to an 11- or 12-win wild-card team and lose in the first round, barring a big upset.

That probably wouldn't be enough to save Bowles' job.

The next month will be incredibly important for the future of the organization. If the Bucs can go on a run over the next 3-4 weeks, they could have a chance to return to the playoffs.

If that is what happens, expect the Bucs to do whatever they can to try to make the postseason, even if adding valuable draft picks would be the best decision for the team's future.

If Tampa can't build on its first win over Dallas, then it may decide to move some players for draft picks, like YaYa Diaby, who is set to be a free agency after the season.