During the height of the free agency craze, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed several physical standout performers to bolster the roster at various places, including linebacker Alez Anzalone, running back Kenneth Gainwell, special teams ace and safety Miles Killebrew, defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad. This cast of characters take the field with a tough and uncompromising disposition and the game-shifters will fortify both sides of the football for Tampa Bay in 2026.
"I am excited that we brought in a lot of hard-nosed guys and a lot of leadership coming from Alex, coming from Gainwell, obviously to Killebrew and we brought in A'Shawn and Al from Detroit, so I feel like we got better from the middle to the upper-part of our roster from that standpoint," described Head Coach Todd Bowles via "Good Morning Football." "So I am really excited to see those guys get going and I think we got better from a special teams standpoint and I think Gainwell can do a bunch of things and we think the world of Alex and we think A'Shawn gives us a lot of juice, so we feel like we got better and got some guys that can really help us."
Anzalone will bolster the middle of the Bucs' defense with his hip fluidity on coverage drops, gap-to-gap quickness and ability to navigate traffic to meet backs in the hole, squeezing routes from off coverage and well-timed blitzes. Gainwell, an adept change-of-direction slasher, can alter his track and runs with outstanding vision. He can stack cuts and makes smooth transitions. While his skillset is not a bruiser, between-the-tackles type of complement to Bucky Irving, Gainwell adds another force that defensive coordinators will have to account for.
Killebrew, who leads all active players in blocked punts (four), looks to impose his will against the opposition with earth-shattering strikes without sacrificing technique. He has a commanding presence in the box and explodes with proper leverage. Killebrew plays with intensity, as does Muhammad. Despite not starting a single game in 2025, Muhammad posted 11 sacks for Detroit. The Bucs have not had a player eclipse double-digit sacks since 2021 and Muhammad will help spur the club's pass rush. He sets a firm edge and can crash down the line of scrimmage. Muhammad has an effective speed-to-power bull and Robinson utilizes his power and length to push blockers back. When he anchors, he is nearly unmovable and is gap sound.
