Eight Bold Predictions For The 2026 Buccaneers Season

The NFL regular season is finally here. We are officially in the opening week of the season. Before you know it, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be taking the field for meaningful football games. 

There have been a lot of opinions on what the Bucs will do this year; some good and some bad. This seems to be a team that not many know what to expect with. There has been talk from firing everyone and rebuilding to winning the Super Bowl.

So this is my last chance to plant my flag. What are my expectations of the Bucs this year and where they might surprise you. Here are my eight bold predictions for the 2026 Buccaneers season. 

• Ted Hurst Leads The Buccaneers In Touchdown Receptions

The loss of Mike Evans has been talked about to death for different reasons. However, one of the biggest on the field losses will be his presence in the red zone. Fortunately, the team did well to address that loss.

Hurst is a very promising third round rookie receiver. He’s 6’3 and has an outstanding ability to adjust to the ball and make contested catches. Even if he is just used situationally as the fourth wide receiver, I expect him to get a lot of looks near the end zone.

• The Bucs Have Multiple First Time Pro Bowlers

First and foremost, if Calijah Kancey then I believe he will be a pro bowler. He is one of the best interior pass rushers in the league and a much better run defender than he is given credit for. I’d go as far as to say that he could be an All Pro this season.

Beyond that, there are a few candidates who could make the pro bowl. Luke Goedeke is regarded as one of the best right tackles in the NFL. Reuben Bain looks like he is about to take the league by storm. Emeka Egbuka was the favorite to win offensive rookie of the year for much of last season.

There are a lot of young options who could make the pro bowl for the first time.

• Jalen McMillan Leads The Bucs In Receiving Yards

With Evans gone, the offense has to sort out who their go to guy will be. And while I don’t believe the Bucs have a true number one option, they have four guys who can be good number two options. One will emerge as the best of the bunch.

My money is on McMillan here. He’r probably the best separator of the bunch and is someone who can be that reliable go to guy who moves the chains. Let this guy work out of the slot and carve opposing defenses up. 

• The Bucs Have Two Top-10 Finishers In Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Obviously, Bain is the favorite to win this award. He was widely regarded as a top five prospect and he has ample help around him to help him get to the quarterback. He could be the best player from the 2026 draft class.

After that, the Bucs have a pair of potential defensive stars. Josiah Trotter is an enforcer in the middle who the team is very high on. However, don’t overlook Keionte Scott who I believe will be a star under Todd Bowles.

• The Bucs Finish Top-5 In Sacks

This one might not be as crazy as you think despite the Buccaneers being so desperate for pass rush last season. Under Bowles, this defense had finished in the top ten of sacks every season before last year. This year, I believe they will get back to that.

The additions of Bain, Al-Quadin Muhommed and David Walker to the edge room will be a big boost. Kancey returning healthy will be as well. This will allow Bowles to blitz when he wants to as opposed to out of necessity and that will make everything more effective. 

• The Bucs Will Have The Number One Rush Defense

This defensive line is incredibly good and deep. Of course, that starts with star nose tackle Vita Vea. He has anchored a top five run defense in six of his eight seasons, so that feels like the starting point.

On top of that the addition of A’Shawn Robinson will add toughness and run defense in the middle. Rakeem Nunez-Roches will do the same as a depth player. Then the combination of Trotter and Alex Anzalone are plenty good enough to lead this run defense as their primary tacklers.

• The Bucs Win The NFC South By Three Games

I believe that the NFC South gets more criticism than it deserves. While there is only one true contender, there isn’t a bottom feeder either. I think all three of the Bucs division rivals will be hovering around .500 this year.

So if the Bucs want to meet this prediction, they will have to win 11 or 12 games. I think that is well within the range of expected outcomes. It’s easy to see the Bucs at 12-5 and the next best team in the NFC South at 9-8.

• The Bucs Go To The NFC Championship

Those outside of the Buccaneers fanbase might call me crazy, but I think this is one of the best teams in the NFL. They have no glaring weakness unlike most of the other teams who I view as contenders. On top of that, they have good depth to overcome injuries more than most teams could.

Right here and now, there is only one team that I would say is definitively better than the Bucs in the NFC and that’s the Los Angeles Rams. Assuming these two teams don’t meet before the NFC championship, then these are the two teams that I would pick to make it. What happens after that…we’ll just wait and see.