The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2026 season has been a nightmare to this point, as a Baker Mayfield injury and overall regression has led them to a 1-5 start, with the lone win coming via another Dallas Cowboys primetime implosion.
The Bucs may be one bad break away from declaring this season a lost cause, which is putting Jason Licht's roster in a precarious position as far as 2026 is concerned. However, the fix may not be as Herculean a task as it seems.
The Buccaneers can get their mojo back and set themselves up for success if they are able to lock in and identify some of their biggest issues.
6 easy steps to fix Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 1-5 start
1. Fire Todd Bowles
Saying "fire the coach" is often the refrain of those who are incapable of analyzing the deeper day-to-day issues with a given roster. Sometimes, however, a firing is the culture change a team needs. Bowles is at the end of his rope, as his whiff on hiring Zac Robinson and declining defense are both strong suggestions that new blood must come in.
2. Hire an offensive-minded coach
Bleating on about hiring an offensive-minded coach doesn't have as much weight as it used to after Mike Macdonald just beat Mike Vrabel in the Super Bowl, but Tampa needs that schematic spark of creativity. After letting promising candidates like Dave Canales and Liam Coen leave the building as they committed to Bowles, they need to hire someone who can ensure Baker Mayfield is maximized.
3. Keep riding Baker Mayfield until the wheels fall off
Mayfield's injury has taken all of the wind out of this team's sails, and they weren't exactly on fire beforehand. However, with this team's offensive line and a new coach who could be more in tune with what Mayfield wants to do offensively, Tampa shouldn't waver in their commitment to Mayfield despite the rocky start.
4. Stop trying to make Rueben Bain work as a 3-4 OLB
While Bain started to flash in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, this role as an outside linebacker is just not suited for the short-armed lineman. Bain needs his hand in the dirt to take advantage of his natural power, and his lack of amazing speed off the edge makes this role wholly unsuited for him.
5. Trade Yaya Diaby
Diaby's pass rush efficiency has declined this season, and he is looking less and less like a player Tampa Bay will be willing to keep long-term. With the ability to reinvigorate the defense in the 2027 NFL Draft coming, Diaby may be better served as depth on a contender rather than someone who is regressing as a starter with the Bucs.
6. Draft the highest-ranked defensive player available in the NFL Draft
As it currently stands, the Bucs may be in a position where one of two blue-chip prospects in Texas pass rusher Colin Simmons and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore could fall right into their laps. Even if they win a few more games and miss on those two, a draft that is very deep in terms of defensive linemen and playmaking secondary stars may be very kind to Tampa Bay.
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