TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are staring down a 2026 NFL Draft that will define the final chapter of the Baker Mayfield era. After a 9-8 finish in 2025 that saw the offense stall in the Wild Card round, GM Jason Licht has no room for error. The mandate is clear: immediate impact. With the salty Gulf breeze carrying the weight of a closing championship window, the Bucs cannot afford to gamble on “project” players who won’t contribute from the first snap in September.
Licht didn’t sit on his hands during the 2026 free agency cycle. The departure of Mike Evans left a massive void in the heart of the franchise, but the front office moved with surgical precision to stabilize the floor. Re-signing Cade Otton kept Mayfield’s favorite security blanket in town, while adding Kenneth Gainwell creates a versatile lightning-and-thunder dynamic with Bucky Irving. The addition of Jake Browning as a high-end insurance policy behind Mayfield proves the Bucs are all-in on the current window. They aren’t rebuilding; they’re retooling for a fight in an increasingly athletic NFC South.
On defense, Todd Bowles got the reinforcements he craved. Alex Anzalone arrived to provide a veteran brain for the middle of the field, flanked by the massive frames of A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad. The depth is there. The “want-to” is there. However, the secondary still lacks a definitive eraser, and the edge rush needs a closer who doesn’t rely on a blitz-heavy scheme to find the quarterback.
On paper, Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell looks like the prototype. He’s a blur off the line, possessing the kind of bend that makes offensive tackles look like they’re moving in slow motion. But for a Tampa Bay defense that prides itself on physical, gap-sound integrity, Howell is a luxury the Bucs can’t afford. His 248-pound frame gets swallowed up in the run game. Too often in the 2025 SEC season, Howell was washed out of plays by physical tackles who reached his chest first.
Tampa Bay needs a three-down foundational piece, not a third-down specialist. Drafting Howell would be a bet on his 4.59-speed rather than his ability to hold a point of attack. In a division featuring physical ground games, a defender who can’t set the edge is a liability, not an asset. Licht needs a hammer; Howell, at this stage, is a scalpel.
The allure of KC Concepcion is obvious. He is a human joystick with the ball in his hands, a YAC machine who turned the SEC into his personal highlight reel last year. But look at the Buccaneers’ current depth chart. Between Bucky Irving’s receiving chops out of the backfield and Otton’s efficiency in the short-intermediate game, the “underneath” role is already at capacity. Concepcion thrives in the same spaces the Bucs already occupy.
The offense is crying out for verticality—a receiver who can climb the ladder and win 50/50 balls now that Evans is gone. Concepcion, for all his twitchy brilliance, doesn’t stretch the field. Investing a premium pick in a player whose skill set overlaps with existing starters is an inefficient use of resources. This team needs a mountain on the outside, not another gadget in the slot.
“We aren’t looking for guys who need two years to find their weight in the weight room. We need guys who can handle the heat in the trenches right now. The standard here is winning, and that doesn’t change because of a birth date.”
— Todd Bowles, Buccaneers Head Coach
The NFC South is no longer a division where a mediocre record guarantees a home playoff game. The rise of young quarterbacks in Atlanta and New Orleans has raised the stakes. If the Bucs miss on their first-round pick by taking a “high-ceiling” project like Howell, they risk falling into the cellar of the division. The 2026 Draft must provide a day-one starter at either Edge or a true X-receiver. Anything less, and the window that opened with Tom Brady and stayed propped open by Mayfield will finally slam shut.
