We are less than 24 hours away from the start of the 2026 version of Tampa Bay Buccaneers OTAs.

For those unaware, OTAs are “organized team activities”. Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, OTAs occur during Phase III of the offseason and are the penultimate practices before mandatory minicamp.

Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

There’s plenty to discuss when it comes to the main storylines for Buccaneers OTAs, so we’re going to split things up into offensive and defensive perspectives.

With that being said, let’s dive into the main topics surrounding the Buccaneers defense heading into OTAs.

Top defensive storylines heading into Buccaneers OTAs

1. The battle between Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison begins

The Buccaneers defense underwent a much needed makeover during the offseason, creating some questions on all three levels.

One said question is who starts on the outside opposite Zyon McCollum? The selection of Keionte Scott in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft gives the Bucs a viable target at nickel, which pushes Jacob Parrish into a different spot than he was in last year. Per Pro Football Focus, Parrish played 351 snaps in the slot last year, which easily led the way in Tampa Bay.

Parrish will still play inside on occasion, but he’ll compete with Benjamin Morrison for the majority of snaps at CB2 on the outside. The winner will play a vital role in the defense, with the other providing capable depth.

“It’s an interesting challenge, but Jacob’s skill set is elite,” Buccaneers cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson told reporters. “He’s a guy that can play inside [and] he’s a guy that can play outside… This defense isn’t like, ‘Hey, open up a book and it’s ABCD.’ It’s got some complexities to it, you know? And this guy can manage those complexities…

“… He just loves the game. So, I think it is a challenge for certain guys, but for Jacob, I don’t think that’s a challenge. I think it’s honestly going to unleash his skill set even more.”

Morrison had a tough rookie season as he dealt with injuries, but don’t rule him out. Like Parrish, he’s entering a totally different scenario in 2026, as he’s fully healthy. That wasn’t the case last year coming off hip surgery and it should make a difference in the coming weeks and months.

“Ben is elite with his skill set and what he has,” said Johnson. “He’s a long body, he’s twitchy, can play man to man. We kind of thought things may be how they were his first year, understanding the significance of the injury, how, you know, it was a [long-term] thing that was going on there.

“So we kind of knew the first year was going to [have], you know, some ups and downs, some lower extremity things that we’re going to have to deal with. But he’s healthy, he looks great out there now, working out in the offseason program, but also in the individual drills when I’m getting a chance to work with him. He’s taking those next steps mentally in the room, those different things that, you know, he wanted to learn last season.”

This is easily one of top battles to monitor over the offseason and I’m willing to wager it takes the top spot.

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2. Rueben Bain Jr. is ready to take off

The Buccaneers are very bullish on Bain Jr. heading into OTAs and it’s easy to see why. He could easily represent the missing piece the pass rush needs to get back to not only top-tier status, but he might even be able to help Todd Bowles finally get home with four guys.

Regardless, there are leaders when it comes to the top pass rush positions, but there are no locks. The door is left open for Bain Jr. to snag the No. 1 spot with a strong offseason.

“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard, he understands to pay homage to the guys that come before him that were down there and he tries to pattern his game like that,” Todd Bowles told reporters during rookie minicamp. “He’s a very smart player, not just a tough player, he understands what he’s walking into and what he wants to be.”

The Buccaneers have a strong rotation at EDGE with five viable options. However, they need someone to step up and be a double-digit-type sack producer and Bain Jr. can certainly be that guy.

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3. Who ends up playing next to Alex Anzalone?

It’s safe to say Anzalone has one of the starting inside linebacker jobs locked up. He’s a seasoned veteran that can do it all and the Buccaneers are paying him starter money.

The second linebacker spot, like EDGE, has favorites, but no one has officially won the job, just yet. Josiah Trotter is widely and logically considered the favorite to snag the gig, but the rookie has a lot to prove.

SirVocea Dennis didn’t take a step forward in 2025, but has plenty of experience in Bowles’ defense and can provide quality snaps at times. Christian Rozeboom is coming off back-to-back seasons that saw him record at least 122 tackles, 1.0 sack, and one interception in each year, himself. He easily constitutes the wildcard of this bunch.

There’s plenty of reason to like Trotter as the guy, here, but it won’t be an easy fight. Expect Dennis and Rozeboom to make some waves over the next few months, themselves.

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4. Special teams battles begin

Since this is the defensive purview, we’ll throw in a special teams mention considering defense and special teams are lumped together in fantasy football.

Not only is there legit competition at both returner spots (Kenneth Gainwell, Kameron Johnson, and Sean Tucker are the top names), but there are contests brewing at punter and long snapper, as well.

Riley Dixon will have to fend off UDFA rookie Aidan Laros, who is extremely versatile and has a strong leg. Dixon did not have a good year in 2025 and his current contract structure makes it easy for the Buccaneers to part ways if he doesn’t have a good offseason.

Evan Deckers, the incumbent long snapper, has a different type of competitor in veteran Scott Daly. The former Chicago Bear has taken over 600 snaps at the position since 2021.

That’s a lot of experience and like Dixon, Deckers’ contract can be tossed out the window with little to no penalty if the Bucs choose.

Similar to the defense, a couple of key faces on special teams could look a lot different by the time Week 1 rolls around.

The Buccaneers did a great job injecting tons of optimism back into the fanbase and locker room. Now, it’s about making sure all of that translates onto the field and it all starts this week.