Oct 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) hands the ball off to running back Bucky Irving (7) against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Where does the Buccaneers' skill position stack rank amongst the rest of the NFL?

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing much of their roster to the table in 2025 that they had in 2024.

They have numerous elite players on both sides of the ball and have also added through free agency and the draft to put together a more formidable depth chart.

There is plenty of buzz going around Tampa Bay, as we are less than a week out till training camp begins and the pads come on.

The Bucs' offense continues to be the bright spot on the team, with the defense having a couple of down seasons. And CBS Sports took it upon themselves to rate the Buccaneers' stack of quarterback, running back, and wide receiver or tight end against the rest of the NFL.

According to the panel of voters and writer Jared Dubin, the Bucs 'triplet' of Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving and Mike Evans is good enough to place them in the "fringe top-10" tier, having them ninth overall.

Bucs Trio Drastically Underrated

“The Bucs made the second-largest year-to-year leap in the rankings behind only the Commies, jumping from 21st to ninth. This is personally a bit rich for me, with the trio above getting double credit for what Liam Coen and the offensive line did to put them in position to succeed last year," wrote Dubin. "It's easy to forget that Mayfield led the NFL in picks, for example, and posted a 2.8% interception rate that was nearly identical to the one that got him benched in Carolina. The touchdowns more than made up for it, obviously, but we'll have to see whether that holds under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.”

While Dubin makes some valid arguments in his assessment of the Bucs' offense, I would have to disagree with some of the sentiments.

The Bucs' offense was perhaps a bit above average in 2023 under Dave Canales before Liam Coen entered the fold the following season. Coen did take the Bucs' offense to another level, but it can't be all attributed to his scheme or play calls.

Getting a steal in the draft by the way of Bucky Irving drastically improved the run game, opening up the passing game for Mayfield to have the best season of his veteran career.

Yes, much of that can be attributed to the offensive line, but that didn't change much either from the 2023 season. Saying the Bucs trio of Mayfield, Irving and Evans is "a bit rich" while having the likes of the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs is just blasphemous.