Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans will not get many answers during the final stretch of offseason practices. Training camp will divide the players and start to define the final roster.
There are a lot of questions with the Buccaneers roster this year, as is always the case, but fans wanting to know where they should focus some of their attention won't have to look far.
Several players need to show more than what they have so far. There is room to grow, and if these players can take a positive step forward, the Buccaneers' season will be better as well.
Several Tampa Bay Buccaneer players are entering a pivotal year for themselves and the team
SirVocea Dennis
On the one hand, Dennis is exceeding expectations. A three-year veteran drafted in the fifth round, Dennis has better stats than players drafted before him, but it's time for him to take the next step forward.
Dennis is heading into a critical year four, and right now, he isn't making a strong case to be offered a second contract. The right side of the linebacker interior isn't set in stone. Dennis is chasing free agent addition Christian Rozeboom.
Rozeboom is intriguing. He posted more than 120 combined tackles and intercepted Baker Mayfield in week 18. If Dennis wants to be a starter, he needs to fight for it. Fans want to see him step up and do just that. He has shown signs of getting better, but now he has to take the next step and secure his place on the Tampa defense.
Graham Barton
Barton was taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was a highly touted center coming out of college. Despite starting every game (he has missed only one) and taking 100% of the offensive snaps, fans want to see him take the next step.
Barton is good, but he has yet to become the dominant center fans expected. On an offensive line that is ranked consistently as one of the top 10 in the league, Barton, at times, comes off as the weakest player. That has to change.
What fans want to see is dominance. Barton can be that good, but something isn't clicking every down. If he can turn it around this year, he could become a Pro Bowler. He has the tools and physicality to get to that level, but he has to make the self-commitment to get better.
Bucky Irving
Kenneth Gainwell is the latest addition to the Tampa Bay running back room. After playing four seasons with the Eagles, he spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bucky Irving is the starter, but last year, his inability to stay healthy was problematic. Irving started 9 of the 10 games he played in, but he had only one rushing touchdown. After an incredible rookie season that saw him post 1,122 yards and 8 TDs, he fell to 588 last year.
There is no competition for the starting job. Irving is competing against his own ability to stay healthy. Fans want to see if what Irving turned in during his rookie season was the real deal or if last year's problems were.
In his five seasons, Gainwell has yet to reach 1,000 yards in a single year. His best came in 2025 with the Steelers, who still didn't value him enough to keep him. He ran for 537 yards on 114 carries, another career best.
If Irving can't stay healthy this year, Gainwell will get his opportunity.
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