Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers' Offensive Preview, Training Camp 2026

The Bucs have a new play-caller in Zac Robinson, and his tendencies as the Falcons' OC lend some insight into what the offense will look like in Tampa, but he will also be striving to cater his strategies to the specific skills of a strong offensive cast

Jul 22, 2026 at 09:00 AM

Senior Writer/Editor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off training camp next week, and when they do they will begin in earnest the task of absorbing Zac Robinson's offense, continuing a process that started during the offseason workout program. Robinson was hired in January to replace Josh Grizzard, and thus Buccaneer players once again face the challenge of learning a new system. What might that offense look like, and how will the offensive depth chart shake out after al the work and competition in the month of August? Let's take a look.

In terms of personnel, the Buccaneers appear on paper to have all the pieces necessary to field a top-five offense, as they did as recently as 2024. That season, with the same starting quarterback, the same five starting offensive linemen and many of the same skill-position players on the roster as now, Tampa Bay's offense ranked third in total yards, fourth in points scored, fourth in rushing yards, third in passing yards, second in first downs, first in third-down conversion rate and fourth in red zone touchdown efficiency.

Baker Mayfield is back for a fourth season under center in Tampa. Over the span of his first three seasons with the Bucs, Mayfield has ranked third in the NFL in passing yards and second in touchdown passes and has compiled a passer rating of 97.4. In 2025, he was considered a legitimate MVP candidate during the first half of the season before injuries to both him and much of his surrounding cast sent the Bucs into a difficult second half. Mayfield is entering the final year of his current contract, so there is no lack of motivation, though that cleary has never been an issue for him anyway. Mayfield's rugged style of play and win-at-all-costs approach has made him the sort of leader that gets the similar type of effort out of his teammates.

The Buccaneers' offensive line, a top-five unit in 2024, never had a chance to gain any cohesion in 2025 and saw its overall performance dip in 2025. The expected starting five of Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke never played a single down together. Last season, Wirfs wasn't ready to go until Week Four due to July knee surgery and Mauch only played two games before hitting injured reserve. Bredeson later joined him on IR. All five are healthy and expected to start training camp with no limitations. There is also an expectation that this group will fit well into Robinson's scheme, as the new coordinator will lean on their athleticism and movement ability.

The Bucs saw Rachaad White depart in free agency but replaced him in the backfield with Kenneth Gainwell, who had a career year with the Steelers last year. Gainwell, a natural pass-catcher who racked up 1,023 yards from scrimmage, 73 catches and eight touchdowns for Pittsburgh, complements Bucky Irving with a similar size and running style profile. Irving dealt with multiple injuries throughout his sophomore season but with better health fortune could repeat his outstanding rookie campaign, when he was among the league leaders in forcing missed tackles. Sean Tucker led the Bucs with eight touchdowns last year and is a great goal-line weapon as well as a very capable three-down back, giving the Bucs great depth at the position.

Obviously, the Bucs' offense is down one franchise legend after Mike Evans chose to take on a new challenge in his Hall of Fame career in San Francisco. Still, the Bucs have enviable depth here, too. To continue banging the same drum, this is is a unit that should benefit from better health fortune in 2025. Chris Godwin will start this season on time after a full offseason of healthy work, Jalen McMillan is now beyond his scary neck injury and rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka should benefit from a more defined role and more help in a healthy receiving room. Egbuka is expected to play primarily the "Z" position, while Godwin is likely to go back to dominating in the slot, which makes McMillan, rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst and second-year plyaer Tez Johnson all options for the "X." More likely, Robinson will have a variety of different personnel packages with that group and not necessarily one dominant X. There is further depth beyond that with Kam Johnson, David Sills and even last year's QB-to-WR convert Garrett Greene. Training camp will be an exercise in determining which receivers make the regular-season roster and exactly how their roles are defined.

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TAMPA, FL - June 17, 2026 - 2026 Mini Camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Photo By Doug DeFelice/Tampa Bay Buccaneers