Top 5 remaining roster needs for the Bucs after first wave of free agency

The Bucs still have plenty of work to do this offseason.

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Mar 15, 2026 2:09 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers headed into free agency this month with a lot more roster questions than answers. One of those ended in a particularly painful fashion, with Mike Evans opting to leave the franchise and head to San Francisco to continue his illustrious career.

Jason Licht and his staff managed to answer some of those other questions. They addressed a bare RB room by signing Kenneth Gainwell and tendering RFA Sean Tucker. They re-signed tight ends Cade Otton and Ko Kieft. They found a new veteran backup quarterback in Jake Browning. And they got a much needed versatile inside linebacker in Alex Anzalone.

But the work elsewhere remains, and not surprisingly, most of it comes on the defensive side of the ball. Here are the five most pressing roster needs after the first week of free agency.

5) Interior offensive line

We saw how poor things can go when you don’t have quality depth on your offensive line last season, with guards Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson both missing big chunks of time (almost all of the season for Mauch). The Bucs’ offensive line never looked the same without their starting guard duo on the field, as well as tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke both banged up and missing significant time.

Adding a capable reserve IOL this offseason should still be a priority, whether that’s a draft pick to mold into a future potential starter at left guard, or finding a solid veteran at some point during the offseason or during training camp cut downs.

4) Safety

The Bucs have their starters set in Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Tykee Smith, but losing the versatile Christian Izien hurts. The team signed Miles Killebrew, and while he’s an excellent special teamer — which the Bucs need to significantly improve in 2026 — he’s not going to be a major factor on the defensive side of things.

Finding a quality player in the middle to late rounds of the draft should be in play for Tampa Bay in April.

3) Cornerback

Tampa Bay’s CB room is in a worse spot from where they ended the season, as their best cornerback from 2025 in Jamel Dean signed elsewhere, inking a three-year deal with the Steelers. Zyon McCollum had some stretches of tough play after his contract extension last year, and Benjamin Morrison struggled to stay healthy. CB Jacob Parrish was a revelation as a rookie last year, and he at least has the nickel corner spot locked down.

The Bucs probably won’t spend their first-round pick at the position, but if there’s someone on day two that they like, it would make a lot of sense.

2) Linebacker

The signing of Anzalone was one that I called for before free agency got underway, and the Bucs answered the call with a very affordable two-year deal. Anzalone instantly improves the Bucs’ pass coverage ability at the position, perhaps the sore thumb of the entire defense last year.

But the Bucs had two insider linebacker positions they needed to address coming into free agency, and that’s just one taken care of. Lavonte David’s decision to return or retire is still pending, and SirVocea Dennis looked like a backup rather than a starter last year. Beyond them, only Nick Jackson is under contract.

The Bucs need their long-term answer and new leader at the position, and there are a number of potential choices coming up in April who could be in play over the first two rounds, including Georgia’s CJ Allen, Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, and Texas’ Anthony Hill, Jr.

1) Edge rusher

What else?

I liked Al-Quadin Muhammad as a potential pickup, and the Bucs landed the promising rotational pass rusher last week on a one-year deal. But Tampa Bay still needs multiple options at the position. With the first wave of free agency down, most of the notable names have been scratched off the board, with Joey Bosa the top unsigned edge rusher and Maxx Crosby still with the Raiders and on the trading block.

Edge rusher should be strongly in play at pick No. 15, with players like Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, or Auburn’s Keldrick Faulk potentially available around that point. That is, unless they decide to pull the trigger on Crosby or otherwise make a splash move to acquire an impact veteran edge.