The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass defense was one of the primary culprits for the team’s second-half collapse last season, going from first in the NFC South for the vast majority of the season to out of the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Todd Bowles’ defense struggled to contain opposing passing attacks, and there were a number of factors behind that, including a glaring lack of a pass rush. The Buccaneers’ secondary was overwhelmed and overworked, forced to cover receivers for longer stretches, which led to breakdowns.

However, there were still positive signs from that unit, as Pro Football Focus noted in its ranking of all 32 NFL secondaries ahead of the 2026 season. Tampa Bay came in at No. 15.

Elite discipline, surprising pressure numbers

Pro Football Focus observed that Tampa Bay was elite in two particular areas: minimizing penalties, with the fewest in the NFL at 13, and creating quarterback pressures from the secondary, where they ranked third in the league behind only AFC champion New England and eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle. PFF had the following to say about the Bucs:

“The most disciplined secondary in football last season, Tampa Bay’s group committed just 13 total penalties. But the Buccaneers weren’t scared to get aggressive either — their 35 pressures from defensive backs was only surpassed by the two conference champions last year. Antoine Winfield, Jr. bounced back after his injury-stricken 2024 campaign, but his play was still a far cry from his elite seasons of 2021 and 2023.”

You want your players to play with discipline regardless of the situation. Being able to continue that trend of minimal penalties would obviously be optimal in 2026 for Tampa Bay.

As far as the secondary pressure, the difference between the Bucs and the Patriots/Seahawks is that the latter had the pass rush from their front seven such that they didn’t have to rely on generating pressure in more exotic ways. The hope for Tampa Bay is that the secondary won’t have to be called upon as much to create pressure with a revamped edge rusher room this year.

Reinforcements up front should ease the burden

The Bucs spent their first-round pick, No. 15 overall, on prolific Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain, Jr. Tampa Bay also added Al-Quadin Muhammad from Detroit in free agency. David Walker’s return from a knee injury that cost him the 2025 season could also pay big dividends.

In a way, it was unfair how much the secondary had to carry the burden for the lack of a pass rush last season. If the back end of the Bucs’ defense can get a little more help from the front end this year, the pressure numbers from the secondary end up going down — and that could ultimately end up being a good thing for Tampa Bay’s defense in 2026.