Power Rankings: Buccaneers Fall 1 Spot, Edge Most Improved

Power Rankings: Buccaneers Fall 1 Spot, Edge Most Improved

ESPN ranked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17th in its way-too-early power rankings in February; nearly three months later, they slid down one spot to 18th in the newest edition Tuesday.

The updated power rankings included the most improved position group for each team. ESPN Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine wrote that the edge position is the unit that has improved significantly since February.

She highlighted one key offseason signing, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and a home-run draft pick by Tampa Bay in this year's draft, Rueben Bain. Laine said the Buccaneers are trying to return to the dominant edge rushing team they were in 2020, when they won the Super Bowl.

"Back then, the team won the Super Bowl with a seven-percent sack rate (seventh highest in the NFL)," Laine wrote. "Per ESPN Research, the Bucs ranked 23rd in sack rate (5.8 percent) in 2025, the lowest for a Todd Bowles defense since the 2017 Jets."

The pair of former Miami Hurricanes are elite pass rushers and could help revitalize Tampa Bay's pass rush.

Tampa Bay signed Muhammad to a one-year contract, worth up to $6 million. The 31-year-old is coming off a career year pressuring the quarterback with the Detroit Lions.

AQM, as he is known around the league, tallied 11 sacks and 53 pressures last season, and added 25 tackles (15 solo) to his performance. Muhammad's career-high in sacks is an explosion from the three he had in 2024 with the Lions.

His second-highest sack total was six in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts. The 6-foot-3 edge rusher has been a journeyman in the NFL. He is playing for his fifth team in nine seasons.

Muhammad has had a rough career in the NFL, being cut and re-signed to a team's practice squad multiple times. He received a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs in December 2023.

While his value for Tampa Bay may look like a steal, his past issues in the league have dampened his perception. Muhammad will aim to recapture a similar performance to help the Buccaneers' pass rush.

Bain fell to Bowles and general manager Jason Licht at No. 15 in this year's draft. Many mock drafts projected teams to select him before Tampa Bay had a chance, but the unpredictability of the draft made him slip.

Bowles said it was a no-brainer decision to draft the former Hurricanes star because he fits the identity the team has formed throughout free agency.

"The type of play that he does and the attitude he plays with and the force he plays with, it was really a no-brainer, and he fit everything we're trying to do and get back to from a mental physicality standpoint, and his play shows that, and it was an easy decision," Bowles said on April 24.

Bain was an opposing quarterback's nightmare. The 6-foot-3 edge recorded 83 pressures (tied for the most ever in the PFF college era) and 9.5 sacks in his final season at Miami.

One reason Bain might have slipped in the draft is due to the fact that his arms measured 30 7/8 inches, which is among the shortest recorded in modern combine history.

Tampa Bay's 15th pick will play outside linebacker in Bowles' scheme, still utilizing his aggressive pass rush style to speed up quarterbacks.

Laine noted that the Buccaneers needed to "recapture their mojo" in February, highlighting the team's hot start and cold finish to the season.

"After one of the hottest starts of any team in the first half of the 2025 season, the Bucs missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2019," Laine wrote. "Quarterback Baker Mayfield struggled after back-to-back seasons of personal bests, the defense seldom looked like it was in 'attack mode,' and the special teams unit was nightmarish."

Laine said Tampa Bay needed to find marquee players, especially after Mike Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers and Lavonte David retired.

The Buccaneers opted to bolster their defensive depth in the offseason; nothing splashy or eye-catching, but players with proven production who can step up when needed.

They signed players like Alex Anzalone, A'Shawn Robinson, Kenneth Gainwell and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches. However, Bain could be the marquee player Tampa Bay needed, seeing that he landed in the team's hands after falling in the draft.

The team may have fallen one position in the power rankings, but they improved their pass rush through home-run acquisitions and may have instilled a new cultural identity that fuels a winning season.

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