Assigning Blame; Adding Firepower
March 23rd, 2026
Click through to BillCurrieFord.com to see their extraordinary March offers. Family-owned in Tampa since 1960! Bill Currie Ford general manager Sean Sullivan is ready to help you PERSONALLY and give you the famous Ira Kaufman discount. Don’t Worry, Drive Currie!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
Let’s not lose sight of what really happened to the 2025 Buccaneers.
The defense, while still lousy, wasn’t much worse than the 2024 unit. It’s easy to forget the 2024 team won 10 games, despite yielding an average of 22.6 points, which ranked in the middle of the NFL pack. Tampa Bay allowed an average of 24.2 points last year, ranking 20th out of 32 teams, yet the franchise slid to 8-9.
Neither of those numbers inspires confidence, especially for a defensive-minded coach like Todd Bowles. But if you’re looking for the No. 1 reason for the dropoff, focus on an offense that cratered when it counted the most.
You can blame injuries, you can point to the inexperience of Josh Grizzard or you can single out Bowles, but there’s no denying the 2025 Bucs fell off the map with the ball in their hands.
Baker Mayfield
Instead of averaging 29.5 points under Liam Coen in 2024, the Buc offense dropped more than 7 points per game (22.4). Instead of topping 20 points in 14-of-17 games, last year’s team forgot how to score after the bye week.
During their 6-2 getaway, the Bucs topped 20 points six times. The final nine games? Not so much, topping 20 points only three times.
Buc fans are counting on improvement with Zac Robinson calling the offensivfe shots this fall.
You can challenge for a championship by virtue of a prolific attack. The top six scoring offenses last season — the Rams, Patriots, Seahawks, Bills, Lions and Jaguars — went a combined 74-28. All posted winning records while only Detroit (9-8) failed to make the playoffs.
Getting it done on third down is another key metric.
The top clubs in third-down conversion rate were the 49ers, Packers, Chargers, Bills, Bengals, Patriots and Bears. They combined for a 75-43-1 mark, with only the Bengals missing the postseason.
Even without Mike Evans, the Bucs have the makings of a potent offense, especially if Bucky Irving recaptures his spectacular rookie form. Few teams boast a better starting five up front and Baker Mayfield should be hitting his prime. The wide receiver corps, young and talented, will receive a major boost if Chris Godwin plays like Chris Godwin can.
Adding Kenneth Gainwell was a smart move and don’t be shocked if Jason Licht decides to give Mayfield another speedy weapon next month with the 15th pick in the draft.
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq.
Although the Bucs just re-signed Cade Otton, Kenyon Sadiq could be sitting there, primed for the taking. He posted the fastest 40 time in Combine history for a tight end (4.39) and if the Bucs deem Sadiq the best player available at that point, Licht needs to pull the trigger.
Otton is a solid player, but he’s not special. He has 11 TD catches in four seasons, averaging 9.7 yards per reception. Sadiq has a chance to be special — but only if he wants to be great.
O.J. Howard offers a cautionary tale.
In 2017, Howard had the look of a special tight end prospect, so Tampa Bay selected the former Alabama standout in the opening round. He underachieved, then was out of football at age 28 because he didn’t love the game enough.
Sadiq has drawn comparisons to Vernon Davis, who ran a 4.4 time in 2006, when the 49ers chose him with the sixth overall pick. Davis went on to earn two Pro Bowl berths. From 2009-13, he averaged 9 TDs per season and finished a long career averaging 13 yards per catch.
Will Sadiq match that kind of production? Nobody knows, but you can bet Tampa Bay’s scouting staff has done a deep dive into Sadiq’s passion for football.
When Howard was coming out for the 2017 draft, one scouting service quoted an anonymous NFC GM: “I don’t worry about the talent at all. He could be an All-Pro. I just need to know if he loves football.”
Licht shouldn’t shy away from Oregon’s intriguing tight end just because Howard didn’t work out. Sadiq could end up being the missing piece that turns a good offense into an elite one.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:26 am
If the defense can hold a lead, the offense would NOT have to play catch-up. Late in games if a team needs to score what are they going to do? PASS! Defenses can tee off and pressure the QB causing errors & turnovers. Fix the Dee and the Bucs will be a competitive team
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:34 am
This is a reasonable analysis but 3rd and 28 is hard to forgive. Even comparing to the 2024 team is a reach – they didn’t get anywhere in the playoffs either. Making the playoffs in a league where so many do is not enough. Buc fans want to be a legitimate contender, annually. Not wait for some weird savior to arrive – Gruden in 2002, Brady in 2020.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:35 am
I’m disappointed Ira. You admit that the Bucs’ defense was in a freefall in 2024 & 2025, then propose to use our top pick to draft a Tight End. The primary reason our defense stunk these last 2 years is because we lacked TALENT. Bowles is part of the reason to be sure, BUT … he led our 2023 defense (with Devin White as our MLB) to a #7 ranking, allowing only 325 pts.
Our 2024 defense allowed 385 pts (60 more) and our 2025 defense allowed 411 pts (26 more than 2024). To be fair though, our 2025 defense got charged with 21 pts while they were sitting on the bench (blocked punt return for TD, blocked FG return for TD, and Pick 6). None of that happened in 2024, so the defensive results of the 2 seasons are quite similar, despite the fact that the 2025 defense surrendered a LOT more explosive plays for TDs.
Preventing the opponent from scoring has just as much impact on the score as our offense scoring does. Personally I think it’s shameful that our offense scored over 500 pts in 2024 (to rank 4th best in the NFL) yet we ONLY finished 10-7 on the season. I blame that on a defense that allowed 385 pts on the season, and worse, lost 3 games that year (Falcons, 49ers & Commanders) because our defense couldn’t hold the line in the 4th qtr.
We won’t fix that by drafting Tight Ends Ira. Solidify our interior DLine by drafting a beastly NT/DT like Kayden McDonald in Rnd 1 instead so that we CAN hold up better in the 4th qtrs this year. Just as importantly, that’ll set us better for 2027 when our current DLinemen … Vea, Robinson & Kancey … are all UFAs.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:37 am
The defense has been bad for the last 2 years, and the same guy is running that sh!tshow. The offense better score A LOT of points.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:47 am
The Sadiq selection is laughable compared to what we need on defense. He ran a 4.39. Culp ran a 4.48, weighing a little more than Sadiq. Do you know what the difference in those times looks like? Minimal. A step. In 40 yards, it’s about 1 stride. So that is the difference in the #15 pick in the entire draft vs a 7th round TE that hasn’t seen the field much? Check out Zach Kuntz, TE in the 2023 draft. At that time had the top RAS ( Raw Athletic Score) score in the history of the combine . Went 7th round to the Jets, has been on the practice squad for 3 years. The combine results are directional, can a guy run and jump? Ok. That doesn’t mean you’re a football player. If Licht takes him he should be fired.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:47 am
I like Sadiq. Don’t tell me what a team can’t do; tell me what it +can+ do.
March 23rd, 2026 at 10:56 am
It’s not an exaggeration to say special teams cost us 2 victories
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:00 am
Both starting Guards are oming off knee injuries and Mauch is coming off major knee surgery and the Bucs currently do not have capable backups
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:02 am
Always look forward to the Sage. Sage, hope the cataract surgery went well because you must have been blind after our 6-2 start. After the ninth game we played the Patriots in game 10. We threw three touchdown passes and had zero turnovers. Our defense allowed 4 TD’s of 55 to 80 yards, it was said that NO NFL defense had done that in over 20 years. Game 11. Josh Allen had 6!! total touchdowns. My Gosh!! And we scored 32 points! Game11. The worst defensive performance I’ve ever seen in my entire life as the Rams hung touchdowns every single time they touched the ball the first half and they would have done the same in the second half if not for McVay’s respect for Bowles and Mayfield. The last 6 games, Ira, we had two monsoon rain games where our vaunted defense couldn’t begin to stop the superstars Ewers and Shough. One game that was definitely the Offenses fault was the 3rd and 28 game when Mike had come back and hung 135 yards. We led 28-14 early in the 4th quarter and the Falcons scored 3 times. Baker should never have had to throw another pass but when he got one picked it certainly was a given that Atlanta would drive 70 yards with that one turnover. Bowles game planning infected Grizzards play calling last year also, and the offensive injuries were the most limiting factor in our disappointing season. But to sum it up Ira. Your article is a waste of good paper. To “ blame” our offense for the season that was is insulting to real football fans. Like me. It’s our defense that has screwed us all 3 seasons I’ve been a fan. Because our talent has gone to the offense. And Ira. Pick a tight end with our first pick? Hurry up and write us another story please. I’m hoping they didn’t screw up that eye surgery and gave you a lobotomy instead. It happens.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:12 am
You dont OVER PICK simply to fill a hole. In the first round, you get the best PLAYER. You dont pick a linebacker or edge with a bottom first round or top of the second round grade over a tight end that can add a whole new dimension to the offense. You win by scoring more points than the other team, and the Bucs offense wasn’t exactly great last year either. Would it be preferrable that we draft Bain and freaking Sonny Styles – sure. No crap, but value matters, and the directive is getting game changers. The actual REALITY is that we arent going to cover up every known deficiency to our liking in one off season
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:19 am
Alanbucsfan Says:
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:00 am
Both starting Guards are oming off knee injuries and Mauch is coming off major knee surgery and the Bucs currently do not have capable backups
BINGO!!!!!
and folks laugh when i say Kadyn Proctor from Bama should be our first selection next month
i say select Kadyn Proctor/OG in the 1st AND Josh Braun/OG in the 5th…
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:22 am
Ira is such a Bowles apologist.
Todd thought he was gonna change OCs again, go with a green guy and expect around 29 pts/game?
At what point did he know Grizz was a couple years away, cause at that point his D better pick up the slack.
The most damning part of this article is saying the D was slightly worse in 2025 than 2024. Somehow his D got healthier, added a couple players up front and was starting players in the secondary with some kind of pedigree instead of Hayes and Funderbunk and Todd couldn’t make it any better.
The Bucs HC and DC folks! *applause*
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:24 am
sadly, Baker and his 4th quarter INTs are to blame!!!!
only way to fix that is by improving the run game with a 1st round OG selection!!!!
but yeah, select a TE, improve the defense and watch Baker run for his life behind MJ, Klein, Haggard, Freeney lol
GO BUCS!!!!
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:24 am
Good article.
I’m a firm believer in BPA at a position of need…but…considering hte BPAs usually fall on the offensive side, at some point you just HAVE to draft defense in the first round.
The time and need is now.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:25 am
813bucboi Says:
“sadly, Baker and his 4th quarter INTs are to blame!!!!”
I agree, but I also look at what caused them.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:26 am
Saskbucs Says:
“Ira is such a Bowles apologist.”
All Ira is saying is that it wasn’t JUST Bowles…and he’s right.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:33 am
Sage,why do you call Bowles a defensive minded coach. If he was a defensive minded coach , why does this defense suck so bad.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:37 am
It’s time to start speaking the truth about Bowles.
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:39 am
Ioane
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:49 am
when talking about the defense one must mention the bad teams in the division. rams could have scored 50 if they wanted to.. josh allen had 6tds. panthers and saints games were in a downpour. lions took foot off the gas. lets not sugar coat the defense. seahawks moved it at will. bourne on 49ers had 140yds receiving. miamis backup took the defense to school
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Baker threw 2 picks against Rams. One was Otten takeaway, the other a 65 yard Hail Mary before halftime. Our offensive play calling was designed to do everything possible to keep light off of a defense that allowed long breakdowns and long drives that took about 3 plays and about a minute to complete. Think of Falcons first drive of the season. Bowles better get some players on this defense. gofortheface. You win by scoring points. Ask the Patriots how that worked against the Seahawks. I know if you are drafting for BPA then we’re gonna get Rodriguez because he’s the best football player in this draft. The best defensive player I’ve seen in a decade and we’ve got experts disputing that fact. According to college football awards he’s not the best defensive football player in a decade. That would make him the best college football defensive player of all time. Let that sink in. We deserve losing Mayfield and going back to the dregs of the NFL world if we pass on Rodriguez if given a shot. I’m 99 percent sure that the Bucs and Mayfields agent have spoken about an extension. I’m 99 percent sure Mayfield has said thanks but no thanks. I know how Mayfield operates. His agent is saying let’s see how 2026 plays out. After last year’s bye and the Patriots and Bills and Rams and Falcons(3rd and 28) debacles Mayfield was aware that we couldn’t beat anybody with a defense looking like ours. Spin 2025 however you want to guys. Baker Mayfield was the team MVP and it wasn’t even a close second. If this organization doesn’t put a defense together this year that can play football I can guarantee Mayfield will be gone. And he’ll be saying the same things this years runners are saying. They want to play for a contender.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:03 pm
8 wins, 15 takeaways to 2 giveaways which is a +13 TO margin in our wins combined. Which, sounds even better when you realize those takeaways happened in just 6 of 8 games.
In those 8 games we averaged 21.1* ppg. We had a single-game a high score of 38 points and a low score of 16 points. Our opponents averaged 21 ppg, with a high of 35 and a low of 3 points.
(*= Average includes 12 points scored on defense)
9 losses, 14 giveaways to 8 takeaways which is a -6 TO margin in those 9 games combined. Which sounds even worse considering we turned the ball over at least once in 8 of our 9 losses. While 5 of those 8 games we committed at least 2 or more turnovers.
In those 9 games we averaged 20.1 ppg with a single game high of 32 points and a single game low of just 7. Our opponents averaged 28.5* ppg with single-game high of 44 points and a single-game low of 20 points.
(*= includes 12 points scored off blocked kicks)
Punted 34 times combined in our 8 wins and 29 times combined in our 9 losses excluding 2 of our punt attempts being block. So, you factor in the giveaways to the punts in our wins and losses, we gave the ball back 36 times in our wins without scoring and 43 times in our 9 losses, without scoring.
I know the common theme is “defense bad, defense badder” but our offense, was crap, and just getting healthier is only part of our problem moving in this upcoming season.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:10 pm
Oxycondomns Says:
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:49 am
when talking about the defense one must mention the bad teams in the division. rams could have scored 50 if they wanted to.. josh allen had 6tds. panthers and saints games were in a downpour. lions took foot off the gas.
*************************************************************
Blame the defense all you want but its tough to win when your QB is giving the other team extra chances to cash in!!!!
Josh Allen had 6 TDs LARGE part because of Bakers INT AND FUMBLE that game…
Panthers and Saints game, Baker threw a 4th quarter INT in both of those games!!!…just as he did in the ATL game
Lions game…YEP baker started off slow and things never got better…plus he threw an INT in that game as well….
Baker and his TOs are the problem!!!
Baker threw a 4th quarter INT in 4 straight games in the month of DEC with our playoff hopes on the line and folks want to blame the defense lol….
GO BUCS!!!!!!
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:20 pm
As far as the offense goes, they relied on Baker way too much in those first 8 games. He was like Houdini at times and got real banged up. Baker has a huge heart and isn’t afraid to take on a linebacker or cornerback. However, that does not spell out long term success for the Bucs team. The Bucs have to get back to running the ball behind that offensive line if they stay healthy. As far as the defense goes, the Bucs can’t win a Super Bowl without a top 10 defense. I don’t see that happening with Todd Bowles running the defense. Let’s hope they bring in Tony Dungy as a special assistant to Bowles, kind of like Tom Moore was to the offense.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:26 pm
i click submit comment and it does nothing, lol
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:33 pm
So ridiculous – a TE at #15. Sure.
And then let’s add a new speedy X WR in RD2. Then add an additional RB in RD3. In RD4 we should add a new punter and a long snapper in RD5, a return man in RD6 and then an assistant to the equipment manager in RD7.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:36 pm
I’m more excited about the potential that Gainwell offers this offense. Flexibility.
Sure, a 4.39 TE can make some offensive minds drool; rightly so. But what are the bigger needs of the team to construct a more well-rounded and competitive TEAM?
(Clue: Defense. It’s the defense. Them defenders, they need talent.)
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Ira o usually don’t disagree with and I don’t totally now. However, you can’t deny 3-28, which you can argue the Bucs are in worse shape on defense. Ira, take a look at the now starting corners!!!. Yes could be the worst in the league and they would not start on even a better than average defense. Do they get better maybe but huge gamble. Then no edge rush. Ira I know you don’t expect the new guy to come in and be more than a good rotational player. If he does great, but the Bucs aren’t winning those as of late. Then the LBs, need I say more. So as much as I would love to see a stud TE, the defense is just in shambles and really arguably is no better than last year. Yes if we can score 40 points a game with our offense with the TE sure, but again another gamble.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:51 pm
Not sold on drafitng a TE early Ira. OJ Howard was a Huge mistake. He looked like a can’t miss but at 19 you gottta be sure. Not convinced any TE should go that high…Well maybe Gronk should have but…2nd round. At 15 we need to fill our LB hole.
Go Bucs!
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:52 pm
“BPA” works better at the back half of the draft than it does in the top 100, and using it in the top-100 means it’s factored in with the needs of the team in mind. Being that all 32 times don’t all have the same exact needs, though there is overlap because NFL rosters are all constructed based on have and have nots.
The Raiders are picking Mendoza with Jeanty already a on the roster, so BPA doesn’t mean drafting Jerimiyah Love first overall in their case even if he is a “better” football player than Mendoza.
Just like if there’s an OT available at 15th overall, we won’t pick him even if he stacks up better than the talent at other positions and can be deemed as BPA.
It’s not pin the tail on the donkey, no team is just just blindly spending picks without the pick having anything to do with what their team needs. Sort of like us drafting Sadiq, and for all this “he’s the same size as Evans” cool, but how often in his collegiate career was he releasing off the LOS having to beat a CB1 or CB2 with his route tree? That answer alone is enough to say why he isn’t Mike Evans, or how superficial that comparison sounds.
March 23rd, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Appreciate the perspective, Ira [as always]. If Sadiq = Vernon Davis or better…then Licht will look like a hero down the road. Concur about passion for football is key metric. What concerns me is whether Sadiq is THAT much better than TE’s available in round 4 (Sam Rouch, Oscar Delp, Max Clare…the other top TE’s can’t block their way out of a wet paper bag). then, factor in historical contributions by rookie TE’s. Will trust the process for the picks and cheer for whoever is on our roster.
Side Note on Most Productive Prospects at #15 for (almost) locks for immediate + long term quality Buccaneers that will start sooner or later in 2026 is what we want, right? Big Board for us IMHO: Sonny Styles, Bailey, Bain, Delane, Ioane, CJ Allen, Hill Jr, Sadiq, Jacob Rodriguez, Kayden McDonald (admittedly high on McDonald as I see terrific production AND massive potential both). Mesidor does have production so feel free to comment/note/profess preference as appropriate. I can’t talk myself into him for some reason.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Drafting a TE in the first round is just as ridiculous as some are saying draft an O-Lineman in the first round.
Plus, we don’t use the TE position enough to justify drafting one that early.
Winston, oops I mean Baker, is trending downward and should not be resigned.
The defense is the obvious grand canyon like issue for this team. Draft defense early and often.
In the end it will not make a difference either way. Bowles sucks out loud at both his jobs.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:14 pm
With needs at DT, ILB, MLB, CB, OL…. We should not only NOT draft Sadiq, we don’t need a TE at all in this draft. Need all of the above and some x 2. If we need speed at TE in our offense, Culp ran a 4.48 and was heavier than Sadiq when he did it. The difference in a 4.39 and a 4.48 is not even measurable on the field. If we need blocking , we have Cade,Ko, and Payne.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:22 pm
This brings back memories of the same exact thing OJ Howard and cam Brate. Otton is brate and oj is Shaq haha
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:27 pm
Vernon Davis wasn’t special. Sadiq seems one dimensional to me. We need DTs, EDGE, and ILB far more than we need a TE. He’s exciting so I wouldn’t be outraged if we got him. But it would seem pretty silly.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:28 pm
While I do not agree with everything, mad props to Ira for going on record for his take. I do believe it lets off a little bit, but all fair points. Kudos.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:28 pm
When you reach for need, your chances of drafting a bust go up exponentially. The expectations for a player drafted at 15 are high, and when they play like the late first/ 2nd rounder they actually are, they’re labeled a bust.
If, at 15, you’re choosing between the 4th best LB or Edge, or the best overall TE, you take the TE – unless someone offers a trade. You also have to make it known you’re willing to take them to drive up the price.
Bottom line – don’t reach for need and actual production matters – guys like Keldric (2 sacks) Faulk need to be off their draft boards. If they’ve never done it, they likely never will.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:30 pm
*let’s Todd off it should say
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:34 pm
@DefenseRules, Kenton Smith, and SasksBucs, also great points. And I agree. But glad he showed his hand. All I can ask for.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:52 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
March 23rd, 2026 at 11:26 am
Saskbucs Says:
“Ira is such a Bowles apologist.”
All Ira is saying is that it wasn’t JUST Bowles…and he’s right.
That line from me isn’t about 1 article and of course there is more blame to go around but the biggest problem is Bowles! So articles assigning blame elsewhere do nothing for me.
Bowles is in charge, game week is his to control, the offense and Baker sucking can always be tied back to the guy in charge. Todd’s actions or lack thereof and his being retained has a domino effect on the team. I can see it on game day for the last 3 years and people who can’t see that, saw a big domino fall when a franchise legend left for greener pastures.
As far as TE in round 1 goes, hard pass. If Otton wasn’t resigned for 10 million I would be open to it. Now it would be a poor use of a valuable resource.
March 23rd, 2026 at 1:56 pm
Don’t sugarcoat it.
Licht and Bowles are probably asking Ira to give him a little help in the press, but we’ve watched the circus for the last few years. Bowles is garbage and this is his last year.
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:04 pm
sounds like others have said, the gaslighting is beginning for the bucs first pick….
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:07 pm
@813Bucboi… are you another Munch account!?
In those run of games, must win games, Bowles D couldn’t stop offenses led by Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Tyler Shough, and Bryce Young! You know the cream of the NFL QB crop.
Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold (SB champ and NFL INT leader) were fighting for the number 1 seed and each of them threw multiple picks in games down the stretch. Didn’t doom their team.
Baker had backup guards and a rookie OC (8th in 8 years) that the HC admitted wasn’t ready. Bowles got all the excuses for his hurt D last year and Baker can’t get any?
Baker was not good, I’m not arguing that. This is a team sport and our team has a terrible coach overseeing not just the overall operation but the D, which has consistently been bad.
Once again, who are you geniuses replacing Baker with?
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Ira c’mon! I’m highly disappointed.
Don’t emulate the Joe’s. You lift JBF.
Stay in your passion unless comments it’s your new goal.
You remind me of DB55 with a bad hamstring in his last days. Not a good sight.
Finish strong Ira!!!!
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:26 pm
Opposing defenses would have to account for Sadiq as real weapon in passing game. Would strengthen both pass and run blocking. Additional flexibility in scheming mismatches. Hhhmm. Warming up to the idea.
How much would Carolina improve if they drafted Kenyon Sadiq a few picks after us?
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:35 pm
Pitchforks, tar and feathers if they draft Sadiq. Grasping for the shiny object from the coffin. JL and TB have enough malpractice on their resumes without performing another boneheaded maneuver. Oline maybe you can justify. You wouldn’t have resigned Otton if you thought this was your preference. You can’t just brush that aside. We’re deficient in too many areas for a luxury pick. Geez, Ira.
March 23rd, 2026 at 2:54 pm
Maybe they are really thinking about him or maybe they are working on trading down with someone who wants him MORE. Either way, I have no issues with an article like this coming out. I’d love to see Culp develop as a player but it hasn’t happened yet. He’d be an incredible weapon in the pass game. Any tight end as fast as Culp or Sadiq has the ability to become a game breaker if he catches the ball and knows how to find soft spots in zones!
I also don’t think it’s crazy to draft him, but we better have a helluva plan for defensive players later. The main issue is at 15 there’s little value taking an ILB not named Styles. The DT’s aren’t that great in this draft. I like Mesidor, but feel like it’s a little early to take him too. Maybe they trade down- the optimal solution unless Styles falls.
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:01 pm
“In those run of games, must win games, Bowles D couldn’t stop offenses led by Kirk Cousins, Quinn Ewers, Tyler Shough, and Bryce Young! You know the cream of the NFL QB crop.”
We turned the ball over 6 times in these 4 games and lost by a combined 11 points. In 3 of the 4 games we allowed 21 points or less.
The Miami game is a terrible game for “it was all the defenses fault” to cite, especially considering our offense sat on their first 7 points for 32 minutes of game time, and scored 17 points total on 3 of 10 possessions. Oh, and we turned the ball over twice in the 4th quarter with the score 20-10 in both instances. In fact, a Dolphins 3 & out came in 3:14 seconds between the 4th qtr INT & fumble
I know we don’t like context here on JBF, but you gotta be sh***in me
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:13 pm
Yeah I do think down the stretch people have forgotten the defense played pretty well, all things considered. It was our lack of offensive guards that killed us-every single game. Im okay with taking a guard if Mauch is coming along slowly. But only in that instance, because we have spent a TON of draft capital on our O-line already. Otherwise, we need good, qualified backups. And somehow to get value picking 15th. Im hoping we trade down or up (in order of preference).
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:29 pm
I agree with above. We need defense. Changing offensive coordinator should help, but our offensive line was all second string last year. We definitely could use some better backups, but our defense needs to return to the Bruce Ariens years.
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:35 pm
Reminder- everyone went crazy when we drafted Egbuka last year but he helped us win a lot of early games we would have lost. In fact, we would have made the playoffs for sure if we hadn’t lost both guards and even their backups. And Egbuka would have been much more effective late season if we were still able to protect Baker (we weren’t). I could get on board with Sadiq but our defense needs help badly. So the rest of the draft better be defense. If that’s the course they choose. I don’t think they do it, but I’ve been wrong before.
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:52 pm
@Saskbucs says:Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold (SB champ and NFL INT leader) were fighting for the number 1 seed and each of them threw multiple picks in games down the stretch. Didn’t doom their team.
***********************************************************
they were fighting for the #1 seed!!!!!…meaning they already clinched a playoff spot!!!!…..BUCS didnt clinch anything….we had to win the division…which we didnt do to bakers 4th quarter INTs vs the saints, ATL, CAR and MIA lol
I see you’re baking up excuses…again lol
replace Baker with a 1st round OG and run game!!!!…when Baker “HAS” to win a meaningful game in DEC, he chokes!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:52 pm
I would point the finger at the defense for another subpar season with no excuses for failing to improve one iota. In fact the defense continued to get worse. At least there are reasons or circumstances or excuses, whatever you want to call them, that the offense fell off a cliff. Multiple reasons. The defense probably had less injuries than they had the year before. The defense has definitely had continuity in the coaching and yet, no progress! Putting the onus on the offense is a lazy take.
March 23rd, 2026 at 3:55 pm
Ask yourself “ what player would our NFC South opponents least like us to draft?
Yep SADIQ
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:07 pm
If they dont draft someone who can get to the qb you may as well write the obituary of bowles then and there. I’d bet theyll trade up to do just that. No way theyre going offense round 1. Both their jobs are on the line.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:14 pm
I agree with that (that NFC South teams would not be happy we took Sadiq).
The statistics bear out the fact that the offense completely fell apart once Mauch AND Bredeson were out. We were able to handle the loss of Mauch for a little while with mixed results but once Bredeson was gone our offense was TOAST. There were DT’s in Baker’s face on almost every play. Heck, sometimes they almost took the handoff away on run plays, lol.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:17 pm
Bucboi… I see the point went over your head.
Fighting for playoffs and fighting for #1 seed just means the games meant something.
Those teams have a different mentality, a pedal down, winning mentality and it’s through their much better coaching!
When Stafford and Darnold throw that first pick the coach doesn’t get conservative. The D has to do a job and the O keeps slinging! Stafford threw another one, Darnold threw 2 more cause they stayed aggressive. Guess what happened!? Their teams won the game! Shocker I know.
When will you guys understand that Bowles conservative, play not to lose style is a death knell?
We had the best WR room in the league during the stretch. Baker should have been throwing 45 times a game or at least until the box was super light
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:20 pm
Ira trying to toss a smoke screen for licht already! Love it
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:21 pm
Baker would have been killed without guards trying to drop back and step into 45 passes. Most of his successful plays were rollouts down the stretch since there was so much penetration in the middle.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:24 pm
Cut myself off.
That was a problem because of the backup guards. Where a rookie OC prolly doomed them. Move protections, roll Baker out, use play action. Didn’t happen enough.
Coaching failure again.
Then Bowles gets his 33 carries vs Carolina in a loss.
Being aggressive on offense and having a D that can get a few stops is the only way to win in this league right now. I showed examples of teams winning with QBs throwing picks, you all saw Washington beat us the year before going on pretty much every 4th down, you see it every week when some team goes conservative to protect a lead and the other team wins.
You still don’t tell me your plan for replacing Baker.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:30 pm
Both offense AND defense weren’t good enough. But the offense had many injuries, including to the quarterback, hall of fame wide receiver, o-line, and starting running back.
The defense by most measures was pretty healthy across the board.
Offense gets a pass for injuries, defense does not.
Yet they fired the OC. Shouldn’t the DC deserve to be fired more?
(And special teams let’s not even mention that.)
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:30 pm
Replacing Baker would be sheer insanity. He’s an excellent quarterback if you protect him. For an example, watch the highlights of the Seattle game. Pinpoint accuracy. Beautiful passes. When you don’t protect him things start to fall apart- just like they do to any qb (see Mahomes in the Super Bowl against US).
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:31 pm
I was trying to get to that St Pete Matt.
Like I said, coaching failure. There are many creative ways to throw the D off and get passes out.
Play action, roll outs, extra OL, throwing out of Pony package where White can stay into block and Bucky can become a quick option.
How often do we see those things?
Again, I admit Baker was not good. A lot of you don’t seem to understand that a scared coaching attitude permeates through everything the team does. Essentially Bowles is more worried about turning the ball over than putting up a lot of points and sometimes in a hurry. Guys don’t wanna play like that. It’s against an athletes nature.
But explain to me again how Bakers 1 INT in a 16 pt 4th quarter lead makes him worse of a problem than SB winning Darnold throwing 3 vs the Rams and winning? Tell me like I am a small child so I can understand.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:46 pm
It isn’t. People around here get emotional and pretend it is. Or aren’t really fans of the team at all and just here to stir the pot. There’s more than a few of those…
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:49 pm
Joe Says: “…if you’re looking for the No. 1 reason for the dropoff, focus on an offense that cratered when it counted the most.”
____________________________________________________________
@Joe,
I do agree that that WAS the #1 reason. But Special Teams also made a great contribution to the dropoff.
March 23rd, 2026 at 4:55 pm
Warrenbrookslynch – your example of the Raiders is not an apt comparison to Tampa because despite who the actual BEST ‘football’ players are (Love, Caleb downs, etc) you always ALWAYS take the franchise quarterback because it’s the most important position in sports. I’m also not suggesting BPA without having needs in mind, those two are not mutually exclusive. People argued until the sun came home that Emeka Ebuka was not a “need.” Well, guess what – he is now one of the very most Cristal and important players on the team. Licht and others likely had this kind of foresight in the real scenario that Evans could leave so they future proofed a position of strength. Frankly defaulting to the most OBVIOUS need is not next level thinking. You don’t pass up far better prospects in the spirit of filling an obvious need with a guy who may end up just being a guy. And for those saying we shouldn’t draft a TE because a tight end we drafted in freaking 2017 didn’t work out – you guys are insane. So I guess we should never draft a tight end ever again because you have post traumatic stress from the OJ Howard pick. Real sound logic
March 23rd, 2026 at 5:07 pm
LakelandSteve … ‘As far as the defense goes, the Bucs can’t win a Super Bowl without a top 10 defense. I don’t see that happening with Todd Bowles running the defense.’
Agree totally with your 1st sentence; it’s very difficult to win a Super Bowl without a Top-10 defense. Can take that a bit further: Just as difficult to win the Super Bowl without a Top-10 offense.
But your 2nd sentence has already been proven false … we won the 2020 Super Bowl with Todd Bowles as our DC and our defense was ranked #8 that year (and our offense was ranked #3).
Matter of fact, Bowles the DC also had Top-10 defenses in 2021 (ranked #5) and in 2023 (ranked #7). He’s been Bucs’ DC for 7 years now, and has led us to Top-10 finishes THREE times.
All that is water under the bridge to me though. I care much more about what he’s done RECENTLY and what he’ll do in the future. Last 2 years has been a regression to be sure. Our defense ranked #16 in 2024 (allowing 385 pts), then fell even further to a #20 ranking in 2025 (allowing 411 pts). It’s the SAME Todd Bowles in each of those 7 years, EXCEPT that in the last 4 years he’s ALSO been wearing the HC hat, taking time away from his DC responsibilities. And in THOSE last 4 years, our defense has ranked #13, #7, #16, #20 (after ranking #8 & #3 in 2020 & 2021). I don’t like regressions, and that’s what I’m seeing these last 2 years.
Funny thing though Steve, is that when I look at Todd’s best 3 defenses here (2020, 2021 & 2023), those were 3 years when he had pretty decent TALENT to work with. Look at the players who were on all 3 teams on defense:
o Vita Vea
o Will Gholston
o Shaq Barrett
o Lavonte David
o Devin White
o Carlton Davis
o Jamel Dean
o Antoine Winfield
That’s EIGHT starters who were on all 3 Top-10 ranked teams. And on the first 2 teams (2020 & 2021) we had some incredible beasts named Suh, JPP & yes, RNR playing with them. Plus Whitehead back at Safety. IOW Steve, Bowles had plenty of TALENT to work with, and that TALENT understood his hybrid 3-4 defense quite well. And made it work.
These last 2 years that TALENT level has been lowered dramatically IMO, and the results are quite predictable. Bringing in quality TALENTED veterans this Spring makes me more optimistic, even though most are older. Well, cautiously optimistic.
March 23rd, 2026 at 5:15 pm
I don’t think it’s a coaching failure either. You’ve lost both starting guards and your quarterback isn’t all that tall. That’s NOT GOOD. You can try lots of things and the Bucs did, but defenses knew what was coming at that point. A lot of our offense depends on timing and that’s useless when you add a rollout. Overall, it was a disaster losing both guards. Defense played probably better than they should have for their talent level in their last 8 games of so. I’d call that really good coaching with the lack of talent they had. We can become a really good team perennially if we get more talent on defense long term and retain our offense or add 1 more speedy player. We need to use Sean Tucker more too.one hole and he gets even with a safety and he’s gone with his speed. That’s the kind of advantage Jahmyr Gibbs delivers. We need to use it!
March 23rd, 2026 at 5:36 pm
The words “defensive minded Coach” and “Todd Bowles” should never be in the same sentence.
March 23rd, 2026 at 5:48 pm
“And on the first 2 teams (2020 & 2021) we had some incredible beasts named Suh, JPP & yes, RNR playing with them.”
You’re forgetting someone, who in my opinion had the best 2 year span of his entire career in ‘20 & ‘21.
In those 2 yrs he had 80 combined tackles, 45 solo, 15 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, 31 QB hits as a rotational guy. Was playing DE for us in ‘18. Moved inside in ‘19 and learned how to apply himself just after a year in the system.
The shoes I think Elijah Roberts is going to try to fill, because Logan Hall couldn’t.
March 23rd, 2026 at 5:53 pm
I just disagree about the talent level. Is it the level of Philly or Seattle, of course not. But it was better in 2025 than it was in 2024 when Winfield was hurt, Hayes and Funderburk were getting lots of reps.
The D was the same or got worse cause it didn’t have as good of an offense to rely on. So the O has to carry the team and in the Bucs wisdom with a D minded coach they have a first time OC, 4th in 4 years. The HC/DC can’t coach up the team on either side, so he’s useless and the team takes a step back.
But of course it’s not his fault, injuries 2024, no talent 2025, our QB who put the team on his back early in the season is to blame!
It’s nonsense. Blame Baker for his early season heroics then if you want. Without those the Bucs have a top 7 pick.
March 23rd, 2026 at 7:49 pm
It’s not Baker or Bowles’s fault. It’s the randomness of injuries. God knows this team has been hammered by them the past 2 years. We easily make the playoffs if even just our 2 guards had stayed healthy. It’s time for some luck, and a tougher, beefed up defense with a stronger pass rush. That’s key.
March 23rd, 2026 at 7:53 pm
hmmmm, will it work this time….my no trade mock
Ioane
JRod or Hill Jr
Will Lee (CB)
Landon Robinson (DT)
Deion Burks (WR)
Caden Curry
Tyreak Sapp
I know we have a pretty good wr room, but we need a little something since Evans is gone…and I like Burks at that position of value, dude is strong too.
March 23rd, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Our best players on the team are on our O-line and WR’s. Now think about which position groups got hit the hardest with injuries. We had like 50 million in salary sitting on the bench or in the training room every single week!
March 23rd, 2026 at 8:09 pm
just because i think ira is using fake math when trying to support the defense doesnt mean i am taking a swipe at bowles.
the defense is in desperate need of draft capital .
March 23rd, 2026 at 8:51 pm
The one common denominator with everything that has gone south with the Bucs since Cooper Cupp exposed that cover zero play call in the 2021 playoofs has been Todd Bowles. No matter how you look at it, Todd is the weak link. The Bucs have to excel in offense and special teams to overcome his below average D and mediocre game/time manageent skills. Coen managed to do that in 2024, until he called that sweep play vs DC which cost the Bucs a win (he has yet to win a playoff game as an offensive playcaller) but compared to Grizz/Bowles managing the offense he looked Mike Martz circa 1999.
March 23rd, 2026 at 8:51 pm
I’m tired of hearing about Sadiq. Another high RAS score guy with 1 year of production. Almost identical to what we have already in Culp. If that’s what the Bucs need, than play Culp more. It would be irresponsible to waste a first on Sadiq when we have desperate needs on defense.
March 23rd, 2026 at 9:46 pm
If they draft a TE in the 1st round it will be because they don’t trust Bowles to get a defensive player to max out their potential.
Drafting a TE is a guarantee to do nothing in the playoffs for the duration of that players rookie contract. Its a horrible idea. The only good thing about Sadiq being on the board at 15 is hopefully a dumb team trades up for him.
This team has a speedy TE on the roster and Bowles won’t allow him on the field because he isnt a 5-tool player. Devin Culp ran a 4.47 and can’t block, just like Sadiq.
March 24th, 2026 at 1:21 am
5-12.
March 24th, 2026 at 8:06 am
11-6