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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be ready to make some noise during the 2025 NFL season. Tampa Bay has dominated the NFC South for the past several seasons, first under Tom Brady and now under Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers did not have any postseason success in 2024, so they'll be plenty motivated to get back to the playoffs in 2025.
Tampa Bay's Super Bowl window will not stay open forever. To be clear, they are are not a superpower in the NFC like Philadelphia or Detroit, but Tampa is always in the mix. However, that window could be closing with veterans like Mike Evans and Lavonte David getting up there in age.
Tampa made several good moves this offseason to fortify the roster ahead of another postseason push this fall. They extended Chris Godwin on a $66 million contract and drafted several talented rookies during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Buccaneers will need all hands on deck if they want to repeat as NFC South champions in 2025. They may even need contributions from their depth and rotational players.
Below we will explore three Buccaneers hidden gems who every fan needs to know about ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Sterling Shepard gives the Buccaneers incredible depth at wide receiver
The Buccaneers have some seriously impressive depth at the wide receiver position.
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Emeka Egbuka are excellent starters for Tampa Bay. Everyone on the depth chart, aside from Evans and Godwin, moved down a spot after Tampa drafted Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Buccaneers also have a pair of youngsters in Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer in reserve. They also have the veteran Sterling Shepard.
I could have easily written this about McMilland or Palmer, but I feel that they receive the proper amount of attention. Instead, I feel that most NFL fans have completely forgotten that Shepard is still on the Buccaneers in the first place.
Shepard quietly had his best season in a few years in 2024 with the Buccaneers. He logged 32 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown. This was his best season since 2021 with the Giants.
To be clear, Shepard is not a superstar in the making. The veteran wide receiver is 32 years old and is likely to play only one or two more seasons in the NFL at most.
That said, Tampa is truly blessed to have a veteran like Shepard as their sixth wide receiver heading into mandatory OTAs.
If the Buccaneers deal with any injuries at wide receiver this season, they'll have plenty of talented players like Shepard ready to step up.
Could 2025 be a breakout season for SirVocea Dennis?
SirVocea Dennis is a talented linebacker whose NFL career has been crippled by injuries.
Dennis was a backup linebacker in 2023, but started the 2024 season out on a hot streak. In just four games played, Dennis logged 22 total tackles and one sack. His best performance came in Week 2 against Detroit, where he had 11 total tackles.
Unfortunately, he suffered a brutal injury that ended his 2024 season.
The case for Dennis being a hidden gem is quite simple. If Dennis returns in 2025 and plays like he did during the first few weeks of 2024, he could easily steal a starting spot away from Anthony Walker Jr.
Even if Dennis does not have a huge impact in 2025, he could be forced into action in 2026 as a starter.
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Walker is only on a one-year contract, and veteran Lavonte David will turn 36 in January. That could leave Dennis as a starter by default heading into the 2026 NFL offseason.
Whether it happens now or later, Buccaneers fans need to be on the lookout for SirVocea Dennis.
David Walker could be thrust into action sooner rather than later
David Walker is a fascinating edge rusher who some NFL draft experts hailed as their favorite prospect of the 2025 class.
Walker spent two seasons at Southern Arkansas before transferring to Central Arkansas for his final two collegiate seasons. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compared Walker to Mohamed Kamara from the 2024 draft class. I think this comparison is spot on, but I believe Walker has even greater upside.
Walker piled up impressive stats during his collegiate career, proving that he is an explosive and powerful edge rusher. He should fit perfectly into Tampa's 3-4 defensive scheme.
I believe that Walker's scouting profile and upside as a pro alone make him a great hidden gem. But what makes Walker even more enticing to me is that he could see the field sooner rather than later.
The Buccaneers took a chance on Haason Reddick in free agency, giving him a $14-million contract. Reddick flamed out during the 2024 season with the Jets because of a lengthy contract dispute with the team.
When he was on the field, he was not very impressive. He only managed one sacks and 14 total tackles during the regular season.
Don't get me wrong, Reddick has plenty of upside if he puts it all together in Tampa Bay. Ignoring the 2024 season, Reddick has posted 11+ sacks per season going back to 2020. He could be a force multiplier for the Buccaneers if he works out.
But there is no guarantee that happens.
If Reddick does not pan out in Tampa, Walker is one player who could see progressively more and more snaps throughout the regulars season. He could even be a household name by the playoffs.
Buccaneers fans should keep an eye on Walker throughout training camp and the regular season.
