Tampa Bay’s 2026 offseason sits in a pretty familiar place for a veteran-led team: the window is still open, but the roster is asking for smart, surgical upgrades more than flashy headlines. Around the pass rush specifically, the market is already warming up, with recent coverage spotlighting Odafe Oweh’s surge after arriving with the Chargers, his playoff impact, and why teams like the Buccaneers could make sense as a landing spot if he hits free agency.
Buccaneer's own roster math makes the priorities obvious, too. That’s why the best “sneaky good” free-agent work for the Bucs is going to live in the middle of the roster, not on a billboard. You’re looking for players who raise the weekly floor, and that can help the team get where they deserve. Let's see them right now!
Nakobe Dean and a possible good start
Nakobe Dean is the kind of linebacker swing that fits Tampa Bay’s need and timeline. FOX Sports listed Dean among its top 2026 free agents and even pegged him as a potential Buccaneers signing, noting the production flashes, the pass-rush ability, and the durability questions that likely keep his price from exploding.
If you’re the Bucs, that’s exactly the profile you chase at linebacker right now: someone young enough to be part of the post-Lavonte transition, talented enough to play real snaps immediately, and not very priced that can't be paid. Dean doesn’t have to be flawless, of course. He has to give Todd Bowles a linebacker who can run, blitz, and survive in space.
Devin Bush could wear the Bucs jersey easily
Devin Bush is another linebacker who checks the sneaky box because the market tends to remember his uneven stretch in Pittsburgh more than what he just did in Cleveland. Bush’s 2025 stat line was loud: tackles, picks, touchdowns, sacks, forced fumbles, and noted that they are high on him in its free-agent grading, including the Carolina Panthers being one of the most interested in signing him. He is the type of signing that can stabilize the unit quickly with great speed, being exactly what the Buccaneers want.
Ed Ingram could help Baker Mayfield
Up front, Tampa Bay has every reason to treat offensive line depth as a real priority after 2025 turned into a week-to-week shuffle. That’s where Ed Ingram fits. He’s a guard with legitimate starting experience and a profile that helps a line settle down over a long season. Ingram brings practical value: he’s built for interior contact, can handle power, and has enough mobility to work in concepts that require guards to climb and connect at the second level. In pass protection, his job is straightforward: keep the interior clean so Baker Mayfield can step up rather than drift into edge pressure. That matters in Tampa’s offense, because interior leakage is what turns normal dropbacks into rushed throws and stalled drives.
Ingram can start if needed, can be the first man up, and can give you steady snaps without forcing the scheme to babysit him. And the Bucs need that as soon as possible.
John Franklin-Myers can surprise in Tampa Bay
On defense, John Franklin-Myers aligns well with what Todd Bowles asks of his front. He can play across the line, hold up on early downs, and still give you real pass-rush snaps when the game turns to third-and-long.
That versatility matters in Tampa because Bowles leans on rotation and matchup pressure. He wants multiple bodies who can win in different ways, not a front that collapses the moment one rusher gets doubled. Franklin-Myers brings a sturdy base against the run and enough length and power to affect the pocket, even when he doesn’t finish with a clean sack. He’s at his best when he’s allowed to move, kick inside on passing downs, and attack guards who can’t handle speed-to-power.
That creates more options for how the Bucs line up its rush packages, especially when the opponent’s protection slides toward the bigger name on the edge. For Tampa Bay, he fits as a dependable piece who raises the weekly floor of the front. You’re getting snaps that don’t have to be protected by the scheme, plus a player who can stay on the field in multiple situations, which is exactly what keeps a defense functional over 17 games.
Alontae Taylor is a great secondary option
Alontae Taylor makes sense for Tampa Bay’s secondary because he plays the position the way Bowles likes to coach it. He competes at the catch point, brings real physicality as a tackler, and has experience handling different assignments rather than living in a narrow role.
This is different in a defense that asks corners and nickel defenders to trigger downhill, fit the run, and pressure at times. Taylor’s production profile also matches what Tampa typically values: pass breakups, disruption, and plays that end drives.
He’s the type of corner who can live on the outside in certain matchups, slide inside when needed, and give you flexibility with personnel groupings so Bowles can stay aggressive without constantly substituting. For the Bucs, the appeal is dependability across multiple jobs. Taylor can take on tough snaps, tackle in space, and give the secondary a steadier weekly baseline, which is exactly what you want when the schedule turns into a stretch of quarterbacks who will punish any softness.
Tampa Bay’s own coverage has been blunt about linebacker being the glaring roster need, and the free agent pool is unusually rich there. And there’s another layer hanging over the spring that Tampa can’t ignore: the trade market at edge rushers.
Recent reporting tied the Buccaneers to Maxx Crosby as a “perfect” destination, with Dianna Russini noting a growing belief in league circles that Crosby is interested in a change of scenery, and Jeremy Fowler adding that Crosby’s priority is joining a winning program.
If that scenario develops later in the offseason, it won’t replace the need for smart free-agent signings.
The timing is right. With the cap high again in 2026, teams that spend wisely can add real players without turning the next two years into dead money.
That’s where Tampa can win this spring, and possible the next Super Bowl. Who knows?
