The Buccaneers have added seven players from the 2026 NFL Draft and signed several undrafted free agents. The depth chart is taking shape ahead of training camp, which starts in late July.
Key points
Buccaneers added 7 players in the 2026 NFL Draft
Several undrafted free agents signed
Depth chart is shaping up ahead of training camp
Training camp begins at the end of July 2026
Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) rushes the line during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) rushes the line during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The 2026 NFL Draft has concluded, and with its end brings new beginnings for 100s of hopeful pros.
The Buccaneers added 7 total players in the draft proper, however they also signed many undrafted free agents and invited others mini-camp. Plenty of spots are already solidified up and down the depth chart, but others will be interesting to watch when training camp begins toward the end of July.
Letās assess the current roster and how itās shaping up.
Mayfield faces a critical prove-it year as he guns for another long-term contract extension, but he remains the undisputed QB1. The Bucs signed a proven backup in Jake Browning, who should stand to upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater.
Bazelak returns after being an UDFA last year and impressing in preseason, so heāll have the inside edge on new UDFA signing Jalon Daniels from Kansas. Daniels is a good athlete with explosive running ability and a good arm, but he is notably lagging in the mental and technical aspects of the game, so heāll need to have a tremendous camp and preseason to stick as the practice squad option.
The game-day active top 3 is already set in stone (pending injury of course).
Irving will look for a major rebound after serious shoulder and knee injuries derailed his season. Gainwell replaces Rachaad White and offers more dynamic playmaking ability, perhaps at the cost of some overall consistency and pass protection. Tucker is back once again and has proven useful with the occasional production outburst.
Josh Williams was suspended last year, but the team liked him as a kick returner and running back depth. Owen Wright also impressed in preseason as a pure running back reserve.
The Bucs maintain a talented receiving corps thatās gotten progressive younger, and thatās even more true now.
Chris Godwin might be in his last season with the team, depending on how he progresses from his past leg injuries. He looked more like himself toward the end of 2025 but is entering his age-30 season. Emeka Egbuka ripped off a torrid start last year but he cooled off when teams started keying on him and Tampaās offensive efficiency fell off in general. The first-rounder will hope to build on the positives in his sophomore season.
Jalen McMillan suffered a broken neck in the preseason and didnāt return until December, but noticeable flashes in limited snaps seemed to indicate his late-season heater from 2024 had some serious legs. Ted Hurst is the new man to factor into the equation and immediately inserts as the roomās most dynamic athlete. His combination of size and speed is tantalizing, but he requires lots of work on the fundamentals so this classifies more of a pick for the future ā heāll get some packages here and there but shouldnāt be a serious threat to any of the aforementioned three.
Tez Johnson remains tiny but useful as someone who can separate from man coverage and make some splash plays here and there with his joystick-like movement skills. Kameron Johnson was one of the leagueās better punt returners but will likely be very limited in his receiving role. Sills is a fine veteran with size whoās been there, done that, but heās currently on the outside looking in.
Dennis Houston and Garrett Greene are camp bodies who might earn more practice squad time.
Cade Otton is back on a brand-new deal to continue his TE1 duties, which might miff some fans but the truth is heās very solid at every aspect of the job. Payne Durham is in a contract year, and it feels like he really needs to show some more receiving utility than he has to this point (17 catches for 184 yards and 2 TDs in 46 career games).
Bauer Sharp is the new man on campus and should get the inside track to netting a roster spot. Heās very athletic and tough, showing dual versatility as a receiver and blocker. Ko Kieft offers absolutely zero receiving value but heās a very good blocker who contributes on special teams. Devin Culp is the odd man out, as heās purely a receiving threat who hasnāt done much receiving in two years (6 catches for 94 yards, 1 TD).
The starting 5 for this unit is not changing unless injuries become a factor again. Wirfs is arguably the best left tackle in football, an indomitable force whose long-term services are secured. Luke Goedeke isnāt a world-beater but heās very good and reliable when heās healthy.
Ben Bredeson is imperfect but solid, especially in pass pro, but staying healthy will be critical for him. Cody Mauch has made serious strides but will need to rebound in a contract year while coming off a major knee injury. A lot was asked of former first-rounder Graham Barton, as he played multiple games at left tackle in 2025 and saw constantly revolving doors on either side of him at guard. With more stability, hopefully he can take the next step at the keystone.
In terms of depth, new rookie Billy Schrauth from Notre Dame offers a much higher ceiling than what the team had been dealing with. A good athlete with encouraging strength and intelligence, Schrauth likely couldāve been a third- or fourth-round pick if not for various lower body injuries. If he can stay healthy, he should immediately slot in as the primary left guard backup.
Elijah Klein and Luke Haggard didnāt really impress last year, and this might be their last year to prove theyāre worth keeping. The Bucs liked what Dan Feeney provided as veteran depth in a pinch, so heāll likely get to stick around.
Ben Scott and Marshall Foerner feel like camp bodies. They currently have two swing tackles, Ben Chukwuma and Justin Skule (who returns after a 1-year sojourn with Minnesota), but it feels like Chukwuma has the inside edge given his youth, upside, and prior performance in actual games last season.
The Buccaneers made a conscious effort to toughen up their trenches, and as such the defensive line is a solid spot.
Kancey, if he can ever stay healthy, is a demonic disruptor who can terrorize the passer (66 pressures, 22 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks in only 29 games). Vita Vea might be in his last season with the Bucs, but hopefully he can provide one more season full of highlight reel pocket explosions. AāShawn Robinson is on a one-year deal as a veteran enforcer who will bring much-needed grit.
Elijah Roberts got forced into an unexpected number of starts as a 2025 fifth-rounded and showed some encouraging pass-rushing flashes. Heāll be a needed rotational piece to spell Kancey and Robinson as necessary, depending on the scenario. Rookie Demonte Capehart, another fifth rounder, was inconsistent at Clemson but possesses impactful size and strength to handle reps at nose or five-technique.
Elijah Simmons is a LOAD of a human, and he proved useful as a run stuffer in limited snaps last season. Nunez-Roches returns as a decent veteran depth option who brings familiarity and energy. Hutmacher and Jayson Jones have work to do to show theyāre rosterable.
At long last, the Bucs have an edge rusher rotation that should finally impact games on a more consistent basis.
It all starts with their new first-round pick, the intimidating Rueben Bain Jr. A steal at 15th overall when most outlets viewed him as a top-10 overall player in the class, Bain will immediately start opposite Yaya Diaby and offers a different element with his alignment versatility, vicious hands, and pure bend. His size outlier creates some risk, but Bain seems well-equipped to defy the odds.
Diaby has firmly established himself as a good edge rusher in the league, though being a true difference-maker continues to evade him. His 19 total sacks and 78 pressures in 41 starts are good figures, but having threats opposite of him should help make that production more meaningful. Muhammad is a late-career breakout player who set a career-high with 11 sacks in Detroit, so hopefully he can carry over some of that success as Tampaās third rusher.
David Walker has been insanely hyped up since the Bucs picked him in the fourth round last year, though we havenāt actually seen him play since he tore his ACL in training camp. With any luck, Walker will get to make the most of his snaps as a rotational disruptor. Anthony Nelson will stick around as someone who does the dirty work with his overbearing length and in-depth knowledge of the scheme.
Chris Braswell is a bust whose time feels up unless thereās massive improvement. Kamara and Whitley are camp bodies.
The Bucs required a total makeover at inside linebacker, and they at least started that process this off-season and should see marginally better play there at minimum.
Anzalone is a long-proven veteran with coverage chops and leadership skills, so heās a fine short-term solution as āmoneybackerā in Todd Bowlesās scheme but he will still be 32 years old. The Bucs made their highest draft investment at linebacker since Devin White in 2019, as they made Trotter a top-50 pick. His NFL pedigree has helped develop his instincts and demeanor, and a higher athletic ceiling than his predecessors should help Trotter achieve his potential as a true MIKE linebacker. He should give Bowles more options given his run defense chops and pass-rushing skill.
Dennis might find a more comfortable role as a third linebacker who doesnāt need to be out on the field for all three downs, while Rozeboom is primarily special teams depth. Nick Jackson was a preseason darling in 2025 but will need to keep asserting himself to stay as a practice squad option.
Perhaps the most interesting position group to monitor in camp, thereās a range of outcomes that could occur here.
Most notably, it feels like the Bucs really like Jacob Parrish as an outside corner and are going to give him every opportunity to win the starting job opposite Zyon McCollum, who stunk last year but is getting paid big money so heās starting to begin the season no matter what. Ben Morrison struggled with injuries and confidence issues last year but has plenty of talent, so Tampa surely wouldnāt mind seeing him earn the job if he can get right.
New fourth-rounder Keionte Scott is Bowles slot incarnate ā one of the best scheme fits of the entire draft. Heās a supremely talented blitzer and run defender with good enough cover skills, and I can promise you Bowles wants to see him and Parrish on the field at the same time as much as possible.
Outside of those top 4, the Bucs seem likely to add a higher-profile veteran to the mix. Josh Hayes is a special teamer and nothing more, as is Damarion Williams. Hall and Lucas are drifters with no real defensive value.
The Bucs will field one of the leagueās best safety tandems once again.
Winfield Jr. remains a difference-maker who can affect the game all over the field, while Tykee Smith handled his transition from nickel to primary strong safety very well. Theyāll be on the field together a vast majority of the time.
The team really liked UDFA JJ Roberts last off-season but he tore his ACL in the preseason. Given how well he impressed in practices and preseason games, heāll get another stab at being the the teamās third safety. Rashad Wisdom has also stuck around as practice-squader and occasional game-day active, so heāll keep getting opportunities to do that.
Killebrew was signed because of his All-Pro special teams background, not at all for his defense. Weāll see what Marcus Banks can show to stick around on the practice squad.
Q&A
What players did the Buccaneers draft in 2026?
The Buccaneers added seven players during the 2026 NFL Draft.
How many undrafted free agents did the Buccaneers sign after the draft?
The Buccaneers signed multiple undrafted free agents following the 2026 NFL Draft.
When does Buccaneers training camp start in 2026?
The Buccaneers' training camp is set to begin toward the end of July 2026.
What is the current status of the Buccaneers' depth chart?
The Buccaneers' depth chart is solidifying with key positions filled, while some spots remain competitive as training camp approaches.
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