The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had recently taken ownership of the NFC South, but that came to a halt in the 2025 NFL Season. After another strong start, the wheels began to fall off, and the coaching deficiencies began to be very well-known.
It was probably the right move to bring Todd Bowles back, as bad as that sounds. The team had won three NFC South titles in a row under Bowles and had gone from 8, to 9, to 10 wins in those seasons. We simply cannot forget about that, but some might want to.
A lot of what Tampa dealt with though were simply injuries, as many key players, especially on offense, missed a large chunk of the season. With a healthier roster and a new offensive coordinator in 2026, the Buccaneers' path to another rock-solid 10-win season and division title is on the table.
The Buccaneers are no strangers to the playoffs and could get back with ease in 2026
Here is Nick Villano for FanSided.com on why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be back into the playoffs way sooner than you might think:
We might be higher on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than most, but this has the foundation of a championship franchise. The defense has stars at every level. The offense does, as well. Tristan Wirfs is one of the best offensive tackles in the league. Bucky Irving, when healthy, can be a super-duper-star. Emeka Egbuka looks like one of the best young receivers in football, and adding him with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin gives them one of the deepest receiver rooms in the league.
Two issues here: is Baker Mayfield a good enough quarterback, and is Todd Bowles a good enough head coach? Let’s start with the quarterback. Mayfield has a history of decent playoff stats. It’s nothing crazy, but he does have an all-time record. Nobody has thrown a touchdown on a higher percentage of their playoff passes than Baker Mayfield. He’s also 30 years old, so there’s plenty of meat on the bone. Honestly, he just needs to be consistent in the regular season.
Bowles is the big issue. We’re not sure he’s a good head coach. The Buccaneers got exposed with Liam Coen in Jacksonville. They need a really good offensive coordinator. Honestly, the fact that Bowles is on the hot seat makes us more excited about their future prospects since this wasn’t the best coaching cycle for offensive minds.
It's pretty clear that Liam Coen was the main reason why the Buccaneers' offense was so prolific in 2024, but that year also showed just how good the team can be. It's not like there aren't more bright offensive minds out there, and Todd Bowles does know how to run a defense.
This isn't some dysfunctional dumpster fire like some may have thought it was in 2025 - off seasons happen to the best of teams, and as soon as some of these players get healthy, the Buccaneers will be back in a good spot.
The offensive coordinator hire is going to be huge, though, as he has to be able to cater to what Baker Mayfield does well while also ensuring all of the viable weapons get a piece of the pie. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can absolutely return to the playoffs in the 2026 NFL Season - let's not pretend like they can't.