Point-Counterpoint: What Is The Bucs’ Biggest Offensive Strength?

That’s exactly what Tampa Bay is trying to replicate with Zac Robinson as the new offensive coordinator this season. Robinson was also on the Rams staff as the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022 when Mayfield arrived there. They worked hand in hand and know what works together in this Sean McVay-inspired offense

Robinson is also best friends with Coen, so of course there’s going to be some replication of what Coen did to get things to work. And why wouldn’t he? We’ve seen what a great version Baker Mayfield looks like and how much it impacts Tampa Bay in the winning column.

The best version of Mayfield is when he gets to throw with rhythm and timing. It can be quick to intermediate passes or doing things like getting Mayfield on a bootleg, moving the pocket, and allowing him to throw on the run. The advantage that the Bucs have with Robinson that they didn’t have with Coen at the time is that Robinson is an experienced play-caller with two years in Atlanta as the offensive coordinator. He’ll understand the in-game adjustments more and overall scheming than Coen even did as a first-year play-caller in the NFL.

Don’t buy into what happened while Robinson was with the Falcons, either. That was a different team with different personnel. The Bucs have much more talent overall than Atlanta did. Last season saw a dip from Tampa Bay’s offense because of injuries but mostly because Josh Grizzard wasn’t using Mayfield they way that Coen did so successfully. Robinson will make sure that they do, and if he can, the it could put the Bucs back at the top of the NFC South division and winning double-digit games.

Counterpoint: When It’s At Full Strength, The Bucs’ O-Line Is The Offense’s Biggest Strength 

By Bailey Adams

I certainly hear Matt Matera’s point loud and clear, and I think he hit the nail on the head regarding the fact that a team will usually go as far as its quarterback takes them. But I strongly believe a quarterback can only take a team so far when he’s playing behind a pieced-together offensive line. That’s why I’d say for my money, Tampa Bay’s biggest strength as an offense is its offensive line – when it’s at full strength.

We just saw in 2025 what things can look like when the Bucs don’t have their full starting five offensive linemen playing together. It wasn’t pretty. It affected Baker Mayfield, it affected the run game and it affected the offense’s ceiling. But the fact is, Tampa Bay didn’t play a single game last season with its projected starting offensive line together.

Tristan Wirfs missed the start of the regular season, and by the time he returned, Luke Goedeke was out with his own injury and Cody Mauch had suffered a season-ending injury. So, even when Goedeke was back and Tampa Bay had its two starting tackles back in the lineup, the unit was still missing Mauch on the interior. Not to mention, Ben Bredeson wound up suffering an injury of his own, and there were times when the offense was cycling through three or four different guard combinations to try to find the best one.

The point is, last year was tough for the offense in a lot of ways, and I think so much of it came down to the injuries to the offensive line. What we saw in 2025 highlighted what a strength of the team this unit is when it’s fully intact. I think at full health, a line of Wirfs, Bredeson, Graham Barton, Mauch and Goedeke is one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL. So, when you look ahead to 2026, the idea of having those five guys healthy should get everyone really excited about the offense’s ceiling.

Having one of the best O-lines in the league back together again, especially if Mauch returns to form after his season-ending knee injury, will be massive for the Buccaneer offense. It’ll make Mayfield more comfortable. It’ll give new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson more options. It’ll help Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell and the run game. And it should have Tampa Bay looking closer to what it was offensively in 2024 again.

That’s what everyone wants, isn’t it?