Projecting Bucs Depth Chart and 53-Man Roster After the Draft: Position by Position

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly got a lot of work done during the NFL Draft.

They brought on three players who could be starters right away in Missouri's Josiah Trotter and Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. and Keionte Scott, all three of whom could impact the defense immediately. They also drafted an intriguing wide receiver prospect in Georgia State's Ted Hurst, who could get starting snaps sooner rather than later, and they added some strong depth in Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart, Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth and LSU tight end Bauer Sharp.

Now, the team looks toward rookie minicamp to try out some UDFAs and to build its 90-man roster for training camp. Before that, though, we thought we'd do a projection on Tampa Bay's 53-man roster and what it could look like for the Bucs after the 2026 NFL Draft.

Without further ado, here are our current projections as rookie minicamp draws closer:

Offense

Position	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
QB	Baker Mayfield	Jake Browning	Connor Bazelak
RB	Bucky Irving	Kenneth Gainwell	Sean Tucker	Owen Wright
WR (X)	Emeka Egbuka	Ted Hurst	David Sills V	Tez Johnson
WR (Z)	Jalen McMillan	Ted Hurst	Tez Johnson	David Sills V
WR (Slot)	Chris Godwin	Emeka Egbuka	Jalen McMillan	Tez Johnson
TE	Cade Otton	Payne Durham	Ko Kieft	Bauer Sharp
LT	Tristan Wirfs	Ben Chukwuma	Justin Skule
LG	Ben Bredeson	Dan Feeney	Billy Schrauth
C	Graham Barton	Ben Bredeson	Dan Feeney	Billy Schrauth
RG	Cody Mauch	Dan Feeney	Billy Schrauth
RT	Luke Goedeke	Ben Chukwuma	Justin Skule

Defense

Position	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
EDGE	Rueben Bain Jr.	Al-Quadin Muhammad	David Walker
DT	Calijah Kancey	Elijah Roberts	DeMonte Capehart
DT	Vita Vea	A'Shawn Robinson	Rakeem Nunez-Roches
EDGE	Yaya Diaby	Anthony Nelson	David Walker
LB	Alex Anzalone	Christian Rozeboom
LB	Josiah Trotter	SirVocea Dennis
CB	Zyon McCollum	Benjamin Morrison	Josh Hayes	Chase Lucas
CB	Jacob Parrish	Benjamin Morrison	Josh Hayes	Chase Lucas
Nickel	Keionte Scott	J.J. Roberts	Chase Lucas
S	Tykee Smith	Miles Killebrew	J.J. Roberts
S	Antoine Winfield Jr.	Miles Killebrew	J.J. Roberts

Special Teams

Position	Starter	2nd	3rd
K	Chase McLaughlin
P	Riley Dixon
LS	Evan Deckers
KR	Keionte Scott	Tez Johnson	Sean Tucker
PR	Keionte Scott	Tez Johnson	Sean Tucker

Quarterbacks (2): Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning

No surprises here. Mayfield returns as Tampa Bay's incumbent starter and could even get an extension this offseason, while Browning comes in from free agency to be QB2. Connor Bazelak, Jalon Daniels and Chandler Morris will all compete for the practice squad spot.

Running Backs (4): Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker, Owen Wright

Irving and Gainwell make for Tampa Bay's 1-2 punch here, and both should split reps as Tampa Bay's lead back. After that, the Bucs liked Tucker enough to sign him to a longer deal, and he could occasionally spell both of them. Wright has special teams upside and Tampa Bay liked what he did last year, so in this scenario, he's back on the roster.

Wide Receivers (6): Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst, Tez Johnson, David Sills V

Godwin, Egbuka and McMillan are the incumbent starters, with Godwin playing slot and both Egbuka and McMillan starting outside. Hurst could break in as an X or Z wideout with his immense athletic potential, and Sills V also has the frame to do so and is well-liked by Zac Robinson. Johnson is the odd man out here, but the Bucs like him enough to use him wherever he's able to slot in.

Tight Ends (4): Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Bauer Sharp

Four tight ends is a bit of a bold prediction, but I think four make it and Devin Culp is the player pushed out. Otton was recently extended and will start, and Durham could play alongside him to create the 12 personnel that Robinson likes to call. Kieft is a vital special teams player and could fit in as an extra blocker or fullback in some packages, and Sharp has the tremendous athletic upside and special teams ability to make a small impact right away.

Tackles (4): Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Ben Chukwuma, Justin Skule

Another bold prediction, perhaps. The Bucs will carry four tackles — Wirfs and Goedeke start, and then they'll have two swing options in Chukwuma and Skule. The Bucs liked Chukwuma enough in his limited starts last year, and they also clearly liked Skule enough to bring him back in free agency.

Interior O-Line (5): Graham Barton, Ben Bredeson, Cody Mauch, Dan Feeney, Billy Schrauth

Barton, Bredeson and Mauch all start at center, left guard and right guard, respectively. There's some extra depth at o-line with Feeney, returning from last year, and Schrauth, who the Bucs drafted in the fifth round this year. Elijah Klein is probably off the team by the time it's all said and done, but Luke Haggard is likely the first man out and could serve as extra depth on the practice squad.

Defensive Tackles (6): Vita Vea, A'Shawn Robinson, Calijah Kancey, Elijah Roberts, DeMonte Capehart, Rakeem Nunez-Roches

A massively improved unit from last year, Vea and Kancey will hold down the fort on the interior while Robertson likely fills the last part of the 3-4. Roberts showed a lot of potential last year, and the team now has some solid rotational depth with Capehart and Nunez-Roches.

EDGE (5): Rueben Bain Jr., Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, David Walker

Another vastly improved room. Bain will join Diaby as the two starters on the line, with Muhammad and Nelson the first rotational pieces afterward. The Bucs really like Walker, so it will be interesting to see just how much play time he gets in 2026.

LB (4): Alex Anzalone, Josiah Trotter, Christian Rozeboom, SirVocea Dennis

Anzalone and Trotter start in a room that now has complete starter turnover from last year. Dennis is relegated to a backup role with special teams upside, and Rozeboom will fill much the same role in Tampa Bay after he joined the team in free agency.

CB (6): Jacob Parrish, Zyon McCollum, Benjamin Morrison, Keionte Scott, Josh Hayes, Chase Lucas

The Buccaneers drafted Scott to play nickel, so now, we think Parrish will take over at starting outside corner for Morrison alongside McCollum. Hayes and Lucas make the final roster due to their special teams ability, but the Bucs will hope neither of the two gets any starting corner reps in 2026. In perhaps a big twist, Scott's 4.33 speed should put him firmly in play to take over return duties in Tampa Bay.

Safety (4): Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, J.J. Roberts, Miles Killebrew

Winfield Jr. and Smith man the fort at safety together for the second straight year. The Bucs love Roberts, who could serve as a nickel or safety, and Killebrew is a special teams ace with lots of experience who is sure to make Tampa Bay's roster after arriving there in free agency.

Specialists (3): Chase McLaughlin, Riley Dixon, Evan Deckers

Special teams make special teams! McLaughlin returns as kicker, Dixon returns as punter and Deckers returns as long snapper for the Buccaneers for the second straight season in 2026.

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