Jason Licht Shoulders Depth Blame
May 13th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
The 2025 season left Bucs fans hunting for disinfectant, pitchforks, anger therapy and a desire for change.
Change certainly came, though some fans don’t think it was enough.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht kept his front office intact was the coaching staff got a massive makeover. However, Licht knows where he came up short. He addressed that while visiting Wake Up Barstool on FS1 yesterday.
“I’ll take one for the team. I felt like we needed a little bit more depth,” Licht said.
“We had some injuries that affected us. We were very intentional this year of beefing up our front-7 on defense and I think we accomplished that. Now they still have to come in here and the rookies still have to prove themselves. But even in free agency with A’Shawn Robinson and [Alex] Anzalone and Kwon Muhammad, on that defensive front, we feel like we added a lot of talent, a lot of energy, a lot of leadership — guys that really have a lot of passion about the game. We’ve seen it already in OTAs.”
Licht went on to talk about how much energy the recent return of Rakeem Nuñez-Roches has brought, and he cited re-signing offensive tackle Justin Skule and drafting Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth as quality depth moves.
“We still have to roll the ball out there and play this year, but we feel good about where we are right now.” Licht said.
The Bucs should feel good about their depth, though there’s a lot of hope being placed on asssuming cornerback Zyon McCollum snaps out of his funk and corner Benjamin Morrison progresses to plays like a good second-round pick — and that rookie fourth-round pick cornerback Keionte Scott can hit the ground running.
May 13th, 2026 at 11:46 am
It seems like ‘intentional’ Is the ‘26 buzz word in the NFL.
May 13th, 2026 at 11:48 am
Last season they had more question ❓❓ marks than an episode of Jeopardy
May 13th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Last season, the very real problems with lack of depth got inside Baker’s head, and his mental errors made the situation worse. If the Bucs can keep the team intact around him this year, I expect he’ll have a career season. Hopefully, that will show in the playoff results!
May 13th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
” there’s a lot of hope being placed on assuming cornerback Zyon McCollum snaps out of his funk ”
Speaking of snapping out of funks has anybody heard or seen the name Antoine Winfield Jr. in a podcast or sports article anywhere, including here in the last calendar year? You may have heard of him. The former First Team All Pro highest paid safety in the NFL. Yeah that AW3. This dude has dropped off the face of the earth as far as sports media is concerned. Haven’t heard his name in a Buc press conference, Joe Bucs Fan article or Locked on Bucs or any of the Buc fan podcasts on YouTube. It’s pretty remarkable that he’s turned into a ghost.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Baker had his career year in 24, the other full year starting are mediocre, he should get somewhat of a pass playing behind 3rd string guards, definitely would wait on that extension
May 13th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
A patchwork O Line and a rookie OC with ZERO experience. What could possibly wrong? Anyone watching could see Baker was really uncomfortable. Hopefully Zac brings experience and play calling to match skill sets of our players and QB.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:13 pm
I100% agree with the headline. He could of made some changes during the season too. But I also think Bowles was guilty of being over confident of some players.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
still need a vet CB and a capable OG…but the depth has improved tremendously
would like to see Bredenson as our starting Center and Barton at LG next to Wirfs…that could be a dominate pair imo
GO BUCS!!!!
May 13th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
BucU:
For a guy like Winfield to be featured in a story other than stats-based, you either have to do something (go on a talk show or a podcast, which teams generally do not want) or the team has to make the player available. Not sure if you noticed but it’s the offseason. Since the 2025 regular season ended, Joe can count on one hand how many players the Bucs have made available to talk (Egbuka was made available through USAA/the NFL, not the Bucs).
With underwear football opening up to the fourth estate later this month, Winfield will speak sometime in the next few weeks, Joe is confident of that.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:38 pm
The depth at CB needs to be addressed. Need at least one starting caliber CB or we will be in the same place as we were last year with the offensive line and specifically the guard play. Need at least competent backup OG also.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Need at least one more competent backup OG also. And that’s if Brederson and Cody are fully healed.
May 13th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
Jason Licht … “I’ll take one for the team. I felt like we needed a little bit more depth”.
Love Jason … the master of understatement.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Maybe Zyon’s “mysterious” hip injury that didn’t show itself as he walked quickly off the field and into the tunnel and subsequently landed him on IR registered with him.
May 13th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
JL backhanded acceptance of responsibility for failure. What an ego!
May 13th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Wow !!! Like a true Government……. Tell on yourself / failure with no concern of getting fired
May 13th, 2026 at 1:39 pm
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All hot air coming out of Bud Licht from both ends.
2025 was billed as the year we take a step toward the SB.
Instead we got a putrid 2-7 effort after starting 6-2.
That’s coaching , players, GM, and Ownership all in the same smelly basket.
We’re now supposed to believe that they have corrected the mess they made???
Bowles is such a crappy HC he could knock a buzzard off a sh@t wagon.
That alone proves they learned nothing. Todd should be gone already.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Yes depth and talent appears better. However the exception b. In my opinion neither Morrison or McColumn are starters. Bucs taking a huge gamble on 1 of them being capable of starting. Yes they seriously need another vet. Hopefully Parrish can move outside, but that leaves 1 side open. That likely is a dangerous miscalculation in my opinion. Maybe Morrison steps up , big gamble. McColumn I have zero faith in.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
We have no depth at cornerback!
We are a screwed if 2 guys go down!
May 13th, 2026 at 2:13 pm
Now, where’s the depth on the o-line? Linebackers? Cornerbacks?
May 13th, 2026 at 2:33 pm
They got hurt at WR and O -Line.
Don’t blame him for WR, they had plenty but then had a crazy amount of injuries.
The O-Line depth is on him and the coaches. Some of those guys clearly should not be in the NFL
May 13th, 2026 at 2:37 pm
All Licht had to do was read this blog the last few years. lol. The fans seemed to know there was no depth on this team and didn’t believe Licht’s hype about certain players that could never produce. Glad he finally saw it, but this team still needs a couple of good veteran CBs. Hope he can find them.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Bud Licht is whistling in the graveyard.
“ Take one for the team” LMAO. Building the team is your one job.
Be glad to see him and Bowles gone. There are better football minds out there.
May 13th, 2026 at 4:12 pm
Hopefully they are training Chukwama at G this offseason.
Between him, Schrauth and Skule… the OL should be taken care of and much better depth wise this season.
I agree about CB being the weak spot but losing 1 guy isn’t an issue when Parrish can kick outside. We have lots of bodies in the secondary, problem is the same as the WR group was last year.
Lose McCollum and BMo, now it’s a bunch of midgets. We need 1 more guy with length.
May 13th, 2026 at 4:17 pm
Sneed, Trevon Diggs and Adoree Jackson all still out there, if I am reading correctly.
Some risk there, but you aren’t picking up anyone at this point that doesn’t carry some kind of risk.
May 13th, 2026 at 4:19 pm
With dope there’s hope.
May 13th, 2026 at 4:45 pm
I don’t think it’s a mistake to pin your analysis of your talent based in part on your rookies. The main question about Keionte Scott is his wrist. Unlike Morrison, who missed an entire season (or nearly an entire season) before he got drafted, Scott’s injury seems minor enough to be ready for training camp. If Morrison, and other Bucs from last year’s rookie class, had a productive offseason, then we should expect a better team to take the field on September 13th than the one we had last year.
May 13th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
Blah blah blah,he shoveling the same crap as the wynchmob! Gets old doesn’t it
May 13th, 2026 at 5:58 pm
Maybe he should have played Zyon more ?
May 13th, 2026 at 7:19 pm
Agree they need 1 more vet CB who can start and/or provide quality depth.
Their starting oline and backup OTs are rock solid. They could use another interior guy to provide depth. But Freeney and Big Billy S should is a good start with guys like Klein, Foerner, Haggard, Lutvosky and Scott battling for a roster spot.
So really 1 vet CB is really needed and another solid guard would be nice.
May 13th, 2026 at 10:04 pm
What gets old is watching the same Bugs Bunny and Bozo the Clown cartoons.
THAT’S what’s old!
May 13th, 2026 at 11:01 pm
words are irrelevant. the record is the reality.
and losing 2 hofers and an elite corner, replacing them with rookies, journeymen and injury rehabbers is probably not going to be a short term improvement.
May 14th, 2026 at 12:06 am
The “Take one for the team” line says everything. Jason knows where the majority of the blame lies, he just can’t say it publicly.
May 14th, 2026 at 2:23 am
Going into the season with David and Dennis as the ILBs deserves a mea culpa.
A wasted second round pick on a QB and reaching for JTS and Hall and Braswell and Morrison all contributed to the depleted depth situation.
May 14th, 2026 at 7:17 am
“”BucU:
For a guy like Winfield to be featured in a story other than stats-based, you either have to do something (go on a talk show or a podcast, which teams generally do not want) or the team has to make the player available.””
Joe,
My post wasn’t meant as a dig at Joe Bucs Fan website or any other Buc fan sites for not having Winfield featured at all.. It was the exact opposite. Winfield’s play since the big pay day has warranted zero articles featuring him. He’s gone from first team all pro to not even an afterthought in Buc circles. When Buc safeties do come up in conversation it’s now Tykee Smith who gets talked about. It’s mind boggling to me. He’s gone from first team All Pro to not even the best safety on the team. If any articles were to be posted about him it should be to analyze why he’s turned into a ghost.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Jason Licht holds himself accountable and the response by some is there is no accountability..(?). Puzzled by some of these type of comments. Licht is responsible for the team success or lack thereof. Seems this is a clear acknowledgement of where the buck stops.
Rock on, JL. Just don’t be making same mistake twice.