When the negotiating period for 2026 NFL Free Agency opens up, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite having limited cap space, need to be one of the most active teams in attempting to find deals on the defensive side of the ball, such was the plight of their front seven in ruining what could have been a special campaign.
The Bucs totally collapsed with no defensive cover to keep their opponents at bay, as injuries on offense proved insurmountable with the defense handing Baker Mayfield deficits and pressure that were simply too much to face.
So Tampa Bay have to begin the process of using the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency, both, to rebuild a front seven that is legitimately one of the worst in football despite the Bucs status as perennial playoff contenders.
The Buccaneers need to get revenge on the Chargers
In the NFL today, pass rushers are a priority, and the Bucs do not have a single player currently resembling a game breaker. Meanwhile, the team that both made the playoffs and stole away Tampa's dream offensive coordinator hire, Mike McDaniel, had two in the 2025 season - and both are set to hit NFL Free Agency this March.
Future Hall of Fame candidate Khalil Mack is one of those players, and while the 34 year old is still somewhat useful after registering 11 quarterback hits in the 2025 NFL regular season, he is clearly not the main prize on the Chargers for the Buccaneers to steal back in some McDaniel minded revenge.
No, the real gem the Buccaneers should want to target as a dream signing off the edge in free agency this year is the 27 year old Odafe Oweh. The Bucs need to be going after underrated pass rushers entering their prime who do have current production at the highest level of the NFL, and Oweh is a playoff edge defender coming off a solid 7.5 sack season.
With his raw athletic tools and his rapid development in recent seasons, Oweh has what it takes to be an even bigger success in Tampa Bay and form a competent edge partnership with YaYa Diaby, who is another player only scratching the surface on what he can become.
Now, is Todd Bowles the right guy to develop either Diaby or Oweh into superstar edge rushers. No, but the Buccaneers need to go for the best guys they can over the next four seasons, and Oweh is absolutely someone who should be near the top of their list in March.