Buccaneers Fans Will Love New Preseason Ranking

On a recent episode of the Mina Kimes show, the popular ESPN NFL analyst teamed up with CBS analyst JP Acosta to rank the top 10 best defenses heading into 2026.

Surely to the surprise of some, both Kimes and Acosta had the Buccaneers within their respective top 10 lists, with Kimes listing the Bucs at 8 and Acosta at 10.

"The lack of pressure has been the biggest problem on this team, particularly pressure with the 4-man rush," Kimes said. "It's just something they have not been able to fix since the Super Bowl run. And I looked at this depth chart, and I think Yaya Diaby is a great number two, I really do. Bain Jr., Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was like crazy productive last year — and look he's 31 you want him to be rotational — and then addressing the LB position with Alex Anzalone, and then they drafted Trotter Jr. As far as like, answers for pass rush, this could be a very improved 4-man rush."

Acosta echoed Kimes' enthusiasm for the Buccaneers' defense, and made sure to point out that first round pick, Rueben Bain Jr., could really open things up for other players along the defenisve line.

Expect Rueben Bain Jr. to Make a Big Difference for the Bucs

"I think Rueben Bain Jr. is such a fun fit in this defense" Acosta said. "Because not only is he going to play 110 mph, but he's going to be a really good stunter, looper, he's going to open up a lot of things for Calijah Kancey, who is one of the bigger question marks, bigger x-factors in the NFC. If he can just stay healthy, there's your winner as a pass rusher. I love adding Josiah Trotter to this defense, he was one of my favorite prospects entering this draft because he just plays so much bigger than his size."

Kimes loves how Bain fits into the defense, not just as a pass rusher, and believes that health in the secondary might be the biggest key for the defense to reach its potential.

"Reuben Bain Jr. is really good against the run, too. I know this is going to be a really good run defense
"Kimes said. "Now if you can just get pass rush juice and if those guys can stay healthy on the back end, that's where you go from being like a top 10-15 defense, to being 5-10, which is where I have them."

Even though the Buccaneers added a bunch of new players to their defense through the draft and free agency, it feels like most people aren't considering them as a serious threat on that side of the ball quite yet. Well, don't count Mina Kimes or JP Acosta among them, as both of these respected NFL analysts absolutely love what the team did to address their issues heading into 2026, and expect the Bucs to perform like a top 10 defense this season.