Todd Bowles Talks 'Different' 2026 Buccaneers Team at NFL Owners Meeting

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't have the same roster makeup as they did last year, but Todd Bowles stlll thinks the team has gotten better.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Every team has roster turnover from year to year, but there will be a lot of change for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026.

The Bucs will be down two franchise legends, with wideout Mike Evans heading to the other Bay to play for the San Francisco 49ers and linebacker Lavonte David retiring after a 14-year career. Additionally, longtime players like cornerback Jamel Dean and running back Rachaad White have departed, too, leaving some room for new blood to come in for 2026.

Head coach Todd Bowles spoke at the annual NFL Owners Meeting in Arizona on Monday, and he said that while the team is going to look different, he maintains that it has gotten better in free agency with additions like LB Alex Anzalone, RB Kenny Gainwell and defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson.

Todd Bowles talks 'different' Buccaneers team

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles walks around the field during warmups prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"We thought we got better. We got different, but we got better," Bowles said, per PewterReport. "I think Logan [Hall] is a little more athletic than A'Shawn [Robinson], A'Shawn brings a lot of toughness and stoutness and sturdiness to that standpoint. I thought Rachaad [White] was a good back for us on third down who could block, but [Kenny] Gainwell brings a little more versatility... you'll never replace Lavonte [David], but [Alex] Anzalone's in his own right a very good linebacker in this league and he wears the green dot and commands respect."

Check out what #Bucs HC Todd Bowles had today about A’Shawn Robinson replacing Logan Hall and Kenneth Gainwell replacing Rachaad White 👀 pic.twitter.com/u7TSnXgCL3

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) March 30, 2026

Tampa Bay's newest free agency additions certainly bring a different dimension to the team, and almost all of them come with experience. Of the seven free agents Tampa Bay signed from outside teams this year, four of them are age 30 or older, and players like Anzalone and Robinson can serve as veteran leaders for the defense.

Things will likely look even more different after the NFL Draft. The Bucs still need quality starters at a few positions, most prominently at edge rusher, and the Bucs are likely to select a defensive player with the No. 15 pick. That, combined with some much-needed depth everywhere on the defense, could make this Bucs team look a lot different on that side of the ball next season.

Outside of White's departure and Gainwell's arrival, Tampa Bay's offense looks much the same — but time will tell if Mike Evans' departure will affect that unit in a big way.

Things certainly look different in Tampa Bay, but it's a bit too early to know if things are better. Fans will have to wait until the beginning of the NFL season this fall to find out whether that claim holds water.

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