Is Receivers Gauntlet Coming Early For Tampa Bay?
May 11th, 2026
On Thursday, Joe will celebrate what’s considered a national holiday at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
That’s the day the 2026 schedule will be released in its entirety. Oh, what a night! Fall planning begins. The upcoming season finally feels real. Saints hate starts to re-percolate. Joe’s dozen interns start their dogged annual research.
Joe got thinking more about the schedule watching former NFL defensive back Bryant McFadden break down his top-5 NFL wide receiving corps for CBS Sports. His top four, in order, are the Bengals, Cowboys, Rams and Lions. And whaddya know, all four are on the Bucs’ schedule. Only the Rams will be a Bucs home game.
What a nightmare it could become if the Bucs get those four teams early in the season. The leaky Bucs pass defense would have to be fixed in a hurry.
This is not a scenario Joe wants to see. But beating, say, the Bengals on the road on opening day could be a heck of a springboard for the revamped Bucs defense, as long as it doesn’t mirror the Bucs’ 48-40 win on opening day in New Orleans in 2018.
Joe wonders how the schedule could influence Todd Bowles’ early-season defensive lineups. The Bucs can’t afford to start the season slow, something they’ve never done on Bowles’ watch.
May 11th, 2026 at 3:51 pm
Wont matter if we’re able to get consistent pressure with the front 4/5…
hopefully Bowles and his new staff will “coach it better”…
its time to start welcoming these types of challenges instead of being scared of them
GO BUCS!!!!
May 11th, 2026 at 3:53 pm
F the Ain’ts
May 11th, 2026 at 3:57 pm
Hearing Vikings in Minnesota
May 11th, 2026 at 3:59 pm
Todd better get a fast start. His notoriously bad mid season performance will get him fired this year. Hoping that won’t be the case but nothing in his past data says otherwise.
May 11th, 2026 at 4:07 pm
We playing San Fran this year ?
Looking forward especially to smacking the Lions around since aqua (and his butt buddies) suck their coaches prick so much. Would love to play the Jags for the same reason. 😍
Let’s go Bucs
May 11th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
Revamped dline is going to change alot.
May 11th, 2026 at 4:26 pm
Hearing the Vikings on opening day, @upstate? I could go for that.
May 11th, 2026 at 4:35 pm
I believe we beat the Vikings on the road to open the season years ago. The season they went 15-1.
May 11th, 2026 at 4:36 pm
I hope we don’t play Cincy early. Rather play them after Burrow goes down again.
May 11th, 2026 at 5:12 pm
I Fre good about our four first games don’t care who it’s against
May 11th, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Feel
May 11th, 2026 at 5:21 pm
If Walker and kancey can stay healthy for 75% of the season, our Dline might be scarier than the democrats woke ideology.
May 11th, 2026 at 5:23 pm
If the pass rush comes through, it shouldn’t be a problem.
May 11th, 2026 at 5:43 pm
The Falcons, Panthers, Saints drafted some really good WRs
And the Saints drafted TE Oscar Delp
Our secondary will have to step up, no doubt
And Minnesota recently signed Juan Jennings, to go with Addison and Jefferson
May 11th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
It will definitely set the tone for how the rest of the NFL teams decide to play us. During the last third of last season I think most of the teams didn’t care how many rushes they attempted against us because they all know they could make up yards through the air.
May 11th, 2026 at 6:07 pm
Lakeland
I agree
Pass rush will have to step up too
GO BUCS
May 11th, 2026 at 6:10 pm
OMG we have to play good teams. Who’d a thunk it.
May 11th, 2026 at 6:16 pm
A team that almost always wins their early games and then tails off is probably injury prone.
May 11th, 2026 at 6:49 pm
I’m going to be looking closely at the defensive performance early in the season. The rule is defense is ahead of the offense’s early. If Todd’s side can’t carry the load early then Zac will be the new HC in 2027. The offense will be top 10. Defense??? Who knows. Potential is there but our elderly inexpensive unmotivated HC/DC probably not up to the task.
May 11th, 2026 at 6:51 pm
Zyon, Parrish, Smith, Winfield, Morrison, Scott… the talent is there, but it might take them a little while. Morrison & and Scott have to prove themselves. Winfield needs to find his old form and Zyon needs to prove last year was a fluke.
And it all becomes much easier with a healthy Kancey and Bain & Yaya finally becoming the edges Tampa has been seeking
May 11th, 2026 at 6:51 pm
Zyon, Parrish, Smith, Winfield, Morrison, Scott… the talent is there, but it might take them a little while. Morrison & and Scott have to prove themselves. Winfield needs to find his old form and Zyon needs to prove last year was a fluke.
And it all becomes much easier with a healthy Kancey and Bain & Yaya finally becoming the edges Tampa has been seeking
May 11th, 2026 at 7:26 pm
SC Bucs Fan Says:
May 11th, 2026 at 6:10 pm
OMG we have to play good teams. Who’d a thunk it.
________
Amen.
May 11th, 2026 at 7:35 pm
Yes the nfl is a passing league and those teams mentioned are very good with the pass. Currently I have no faith in either McColumn and Morrison. If those two start, with or without a pass rush, it won’t make much difference the secondary will be exploited big time. I hope Parrish can play one side and we trade for a good caliber corner. If not it will be a very leaky secondary. We may shut down the run, but teams won’t care because we won’t be able to stop the pass.
May 11th, 2026 at 8:18 pm
Comment of the day goes to: J Says:
May 11th, 2026 at 5:21 pm
If Walker and kancey can stay healthy for 75% of the season, our Dline might be scarier than the democrats woke ideology.
May 11th, 2026 at 9:54 pm
Well I heard the Bengals receivers have short arms so I’m not worried
May 11th, 2026 at 10:13 pm
Todd Bowles defensive secondary against four great receiving corps, I’m sick already.
May 11th, 2026 at 11:11 pm
1 of 4 made the playoffs.
May 12th, 2026 at 12:03 am
The question THEY should be asking themselves is “what are we going to do with all these quality receivers when they blitz on 3rd and 14?!” The Bucs are not locked in here with them, they are locked in here with the Bucs
May 12th, 2026 at 12:22 am
If you’re just going to have your guys stand around flat footed in zone, it really doesn’t matter who is playing.