A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Which players matter most for the Buccaneers heading into the 2025 season?

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated May 20, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be welcoming in some fresh, new faces in 2025. They had a solid free agency, 2025 NFL Draft and will have a new coordinator at the helm of the offense in Josh Grizzard, who will look to keep the Bucs' offense running on all cylinders.

There is plenty to be excited about in Tampa Bay thanks to the construction of the roster as we quickly approach OTAs, where we will get our first glimpse of what the team could potentially look like during the regular season.

The Buccaneers' roster might not be one of the strongest in the NFL, but they have plenty of firepower to go along with the cohesion that has been built.

Every NFL roster has impactful players on it, and the same goes for the Bucs. While every player matters in achieving the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, there are usually a few that stand out amongst the rest. According to Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, the three players that will matter most for the Buccaneers are wide receiver Mike Evans, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

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"Evans missed time due to a hamstring injury, making his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season a dramatic milestone. Still, he posted the second-highest single-season receiving grade of his career at 90.2," wrote Sikkema. "Wirfs had a career year, earning a 94.1 pass-blocking grade while allowing just 13 total pressures on 1,061 snaps. Winfield saw a dip to a 57.8 overall grade in 2024 after dealing with injuries, but he nearly won Defensive Player of the Year the season before and is a strong candidate for a bounce-back campaign."

It is hard to argue that these three players are almost invaluable to the Bucs' success. Wirfs is an All-Pro from both tackle positions and has been instrumental in keeping Baker Mayfield clean in the pocket. Evans continues to be Evans and is in search of his 12th-consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, which would go a long way in helping the Bucs' offense perform at a high level. Meanwhile, AWJ will be looking to have a bounce-back season as he dealt with injuries throughout 2024 after supplanting himself as one of the best safeties in the league.

While it is difficult to go against Sikkema's choices, one could argue that the production from either starting cornerback, a coming-out party for edge rusher Yaya Diaby or even the play of Mayfield could be seen as bigger influences on how the 2025 season will turn out.

Either way, the Bucs have the roster to contend for a Super Bowl, but it will take everyone in the locker room to be on the same page if they hope to break their recent trend of early playoff exits.