Projecting the Buccaneers' 3 Most Looming Future Needs And Why They Matter

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are focused on the 2026 season ahead of them as they're set to try and reclaim the NFC South after a poor end to 2025.

With a new offensive coordinator and quite a few new pieces all across the board, the Bucs are primed to make a run this season. But that doesn't mean we can't look ahead a little bit, too, and there are a few areas on the team's roster that could still use some more talent in later years.

These areas may be fine for now, but general manager Jason Licht might need to take a closer look at them after this season has wrapped up. Here are three positions Tampa Bay may need to address in the future — and why those positions could matter in a big way.

Cornerback

The Buccaneers look solid at outside corner for now. The room is currently headed by veteran cornerback Zyon McCollum, second-year CB Benjamin Morrison and defensive back Jacob Parrish, who will be moved to the outside this season after playing nickel last year during his rookie year.

The room remains shaky. McCollum has been up-and-down after he signed a three-year, $48 million extension. He posted the second-worst passer rating allowed of his four-year career last year (100.9) and the most touchdowns allowed of his career (6).

Morrison has promise, but he's been battling injuries for quite some time now. He came into the NFL last year recovering from hip surgery, and he suffered multiple hamstring injuries across the course of 2025. He made a good pick during OTAs, but he injured his leg shortly after that and missed the end of OTAs and all of mandatory minicamp.

Finally, Parrish showed a lot of promise at nickel, but it's unknown just how he'll adjust to playing outside. We also don't know exactly how much he's gonna play outside, so if he isn't able to beat out Morrison or McCollum, that would be concerning, too.

With the departure of Jamel Dean, the Bucs don't have a bona fide CB1. If head coach Todd Bowles, a defensive-minded coach, wants to stick around in the long term, he'll have to figure out which cornerback that is going to be, even beyond 2026.

Linebacker

The Bucs completely changed their linebacker corps by signing Alex Anzalone in free agency and drafting Josiah Trotter out of Missouri in the second round of this year's draft. Trotter could stick around for a while, but there's reason to be concerned about Anzalone.

Anzalone was brought in for his coverage prowess, and while he showed much better coverage prowess than the Bucs did last year, he is already 31 years old. He could be valuable for Tampa Bay in the short term, but the Bucs should already be thinking about the future at this position after bringing in a veteran who is only getting older.

It should also be mentioned that while Trotter is young and has shown a lot of talent as a run stuffer and blitzer, his coverage skills left a lot to be desired at Mizzou. Those skills are tough to come in with immediately in the NFL and he could learn quickly, but if he does not, the Bucs might not have a long-term solution for a mainstay coverage linebacker in the near future.

It's hard to get a great linebacker in the NFL, but they are nevertheless very important. Anzalone is a solid producer who should do well for the Bucs next season, but at his age and at Trotter's young age, the linebacker room is still a big question mark heading into the future.

Tight End

The Buccaneers love Cade Otton for how often he stays on the field and does the "dirty work" — So much so, in fact, that they signed him to a three-year deal worth $30 million this offseason.

Otton provides a lot of volume, but he's not a spectacular producer. The Bucs will need a better playmaker in the future, especially one who can be a red-zone threat — Otton caught just one touchdown last season and with Mike Evans' departure to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bucs could use another option.

None of the other two tight ends in Tampa Bay's room look to be his immediate successor. Tight end Payne Durham is the most similar to Otton, but he hasn't impressed enough to get much playing time on the field. Ko Kieft is mainly a fullback and a blocker and is certainly not a TE1.

The one thing in this room the Bucs could be looking forward to is Bauer Sharp, who they drafted in the sixth round in the draft this year. Sharp is more of a move tight end who heavily focuses on receiving, but he's really impressed so far in minicamp and OTAs.

Sharp is a sixth-round pick, though, so gambling on him may not be wise. And if Otton looks pedestrian once again this season, Tampa Bay will really be yearning for a stronger tight end in a room without much depth there.

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