The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly have a lot of room for improvement on the offensive side of the ball in 2026. The Bucs’ offensive struggles were well documented, with a disjoined passing game and sputtering running game leading to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

There were plenty of reasons beyond just the game plan. Baker Mayfield had an off year while dealing with the injury bug during the season, most notably a banged up shoulder. Mike Evans missed almost two months with a broken collarbone. Bucky Irving also missed a lot of time with shoulder and foot problems.

With Evans off to San Francisco, the offense has a relatively big question mark over its collective heads going into 2026. And that has ESPN’s Bill Barnwell relatively low on the Bucs.

Barnwell ranked the collective offensive skill position groups for all 32 teams, and the Bucs checked in at No. 22.

Bucs check in at No. 22 in ESPN’s ranking of NFL skill position rosters

After touching on Evans’ departure and noting the rookie wall that Emeka Egbuka hit, Barnwell turned his attention to the Bucs’ running back room, and he made note of Irving’s struggles — both health and productivity-wise — last season.

“Bucky Irving was also sidelined for two months by foot and shoulder injuries, and across his two stretches of active play, he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry,” Barnwell wrote. “Irving turned only 6.4% of his designed rush attempts into 10-plus yard gains, down from 13% as a rookie. The Bucs swapped out Rachaad White for Kenny Gainwell, who was wildly productive for the Steelers in a situational role, and there’s a chance that he is Tampa’s best back.”

If Bucky Irving can prove he’s healthy, he’ll show he’s the straw that stirs the offense

Kenneth Gainwell isn’t going to be the Bucs’ best back next season absent another disastrous result from Irving on the injury front.

The Bucs’ 2024 fourth-round pick is simply too talented, as we saw in his rookie season back in 2024, when he totaled over 1500 yards from scrimmage. Liam Coen did yeoman’s work using Irving’s speed and elusiveness in space, both in the run and passing attacks. The upside there is beyond anything the Bucs have elsewhere on their roster, and if used properly, Irving could once again look like one of the better and most dangerous running backs in the entire NFL.

Gainwell brings a lot to the table, particularly in the passing game, but if the Bucs’ offense makes a big move forward in 2026, it’s going to be largely thanks to a resurgence from Irving in his third season.