Keep informed with our daily updates: News, notes and more throughout the 2026 Offseason

Scott Smith

May 29 Updates

The NFL will speed up its process of getting team rosters down to 53 players for the regular season in 2026.

When the league expanded its regular season schedule to 17 games in 2021 and concurrently reduced the preseason slate from four weeks to three, it also streamlined the process of roster reduction. After years of splitting the overall cutdown from 90 to 53 players into several stages during the preseason, teams were allowed to keep their entire camp rosters until after the final preseason game and then make all of their cuts at once. Those came on the Monday following the final preseason weekend in 2021 and have been on Tuesday in each of the past four seasons.

However, in 2026, all roster cuts down to the 53-man limit will be due by 6:00 p.m. ET on the Sunday of the final preseason week, August 30. The Buccaneers play their last preseason game in Jacksonville on Friday, August 28.

For practical purposes, this is not a drastic change for team runners. In recent seasons, most teams had informed players of their roster moves over the weekend anyway, though some chose not to officially send in their cuts until the deadline date. Without a fourth preseason game, there is now an extra week between the final preseason game and the first week of the regular season, which teams use to prepare for their openers. It makes sense to have regular-season rosters formed before the start of that week of work.

Players waived on Sunday will be eligible to be claimed off waivers until 1:00 p.m. ET on Monday. The first game on the NFL's 2026 schedule is on Wednesday, September 9, with the Seahawks hosting the Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. The Buccaneers first game is on Sunday, September 13 in Cincinnati.

to review the Bucs' 2026 game schedule, andherefor a printable version.

Cody Mauch#69 GHeight: 6-6Weight: 303 lbsCollege: North Dakota State

May 27 Updates

The Buccaneers have a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson and they are in the early stages of installing his playbook. The move into Phase 3 of the offseason workout program means the beginning of OTA practices, which mark the first time this year that offensive and defensive units can compete against each other directly. As Head Coach Todd Bowles explained, the goal of this phase of the program is to get all 91 players on the same page so that they can hit the ground running when training camp arrives in late July.

"It's really the basics and the fundamentals," said Bowles. "It's a progression type of deal. We've been walking through for about three weeks now, so we have a pretty good grasp on the scheme but we haven't gone up against anybody. So [it's] starting over, getting the rookies acclimated, the free agents acclimated so that by the time training camp comes, everybody is on equal round to compete. That's really the basis of these OTAs."

As Robinson and the Bucs' offensive staff leads the players through the playbook, there are plenty of things that are familiar as well as some new pages that diverge from what the team has been doing in recent years. One of those is the addition of more "wide zone" run concepts, something that the men responsible for executing the blocks find exciting.

"One thing we're all really excited about is we're an athletic offensive line, so I think the amount of wide zone that we're going to start incorporating is going to be really good," said fourth-year guard Cody Mauch. "All five of us, our tight ends included too, getting out in space and moving laterally not only will that be good but it will complement our gap scheme that we've been good at in the past, as well. Let alone for the wide zone play to be a good play, for us it's just setting everything else up. It's going to take some time to work out the kinks and whatnot but that's what we're here for. So I'm pretty excited about that."

As Mauch notes, the Bucs have primarily leaned on "gap" schemes in recent years, to varying results. In 2024, the Bucs ranked fourth in the NFL with 149.2 rushing yards per game and third with 5.25 yards per carry. Last year, in no small part due to lengthy injury absences from Bucky Irving and multiple offensive linemen, those rankings slipped to 21st (114.5 yards per game) and 26th (4.13 yards per rush).

On gap running plays, the running back mostly works vertically toward the line, where the blockers are working to create running lanes in specific areas. There can be horizontal movement involved with some of the blockers, such as a "puller" who comes across to seal off an edge or lead the back through a hole. A common variety of this that the Bucs have used is called "duo" where the blockers are trying to create at least two double-teams on defenders.

On wide zone plays, the linemen flow in one direction and are not assigned with going after a specific defender but in blocking whoever is in their assigned area. The running back works horizontally and either takes the ball outside the tackle box or cut back sharply through the first seam he finds. The Bucs hope that finding success with this approach will also make their gap scheme more effective.

to hear more of Coach Bowles' thoughts at the start of OTAs.

May 26 Updates

In August of 2023, the Buccaneers lined up a pair of joint practices with the New York Jets in the week leading up to the team's game at the Meadowlands in Week Two of the preseason. A year later, the Bucs did the same thing with the Jaguars, extending their stay in Jacksonville for several days to get in two joint workouts prior to a Week Two preseason game.

This summer, the Bucs are going to replay both of those sessions.

The full NFL schedule dropped on May 15, and that included the Buccaneers' three-game preseason slate for 2026. The team will play road games against the Jets in Week One and the Jaguars in Week Three, sandwiched around the lone home contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the Bucs' first OTA of their offseason program on Tuesday, Head Coach Todd Bowles indicated that the Bucs are working to turn both of those road trips into extended affairs that will include joint practices with their opponents. There are not currently plans to hold any joint sessions at the Bucs' headquarters this summer.

"We lined it up with the Jets and we're in the process of trying to line it up with the Jaguars, as well," said Bowles. "We'll probably just play Kansas City."

Bowles said the Buccaneers and Jets have agreed to a pair of joint practices. That was the plan in 2023 as well, though the Jets at the time coached by Robert Saleh eventually chose to call off the second shared session. The Bucs then moved their practice to the New York Giants' complex.

to view the Bucs' full 2026 schedule.

May 21 Updates

The Buccaneers signed second-round draft pick Josiah Trotter on Thursday, meaning they have a full roster of 91 players under contract as training camp looms later in the summer. NFL teams are allowed to carry 90 players during the offseason and through their preseason schedules before the cutdown to 53 for the regular season. The Bucs' 91st player is German tackle Paul Rubelt, who carries a roster exemption as a product of the International Player Pathway program.

Of course, the roster could be tweaked between now and the start of training camp, but probably not in any dramatic fashion. Last year, for instance, the Bucs didn't sign any new players after their round of undrafted rookie additions until the addition of veteran guard Michael Jordan as camp was beginning.

That means we can break down that 91-man roster fairly confident that it's makeup won't change significantly before the start of camp. And compared to the rosters that the Bucs have taken into their previous four training camps with Todd Bowles as the head coach, the positional numbers break down very close to what they have been for those other camps.

The biggest discrepancy is at the running back position, where the Buccaneers currently only have four on the roster. They've started camp with at least five in each of the past four years, and in 2023 and 2024 they carried seven. The slightly heavier positions are offensive ine and outside linebacker, where the Bucs took 15 and eight to camp, respectively in both 2024 and 2025. Currently, the team is carrying 16 offensive linemen and nine outside linebackers.

Overall, the Bucs have 42 offensive players, 44 defensive players and five specialists on the roster. That's almost identical to last year, when they started camp with a 90-man roster and had 44 on defense, 41 on offense and five in the specialist group. In each of the three previous seasons, however, the offensive roster outweighed the defense by a handful of players. The Bucs have four quarterbacks on the current roster, which is the amount they've taken into camp in three of the past four seasons, as well.

Here are the position-by-position totals for the current roster and the rosters with which the Bucs opened their last four training camps:

Position - Current-2025-2024-2023-2022

• Quarterback: 4-4-4-3-4
• Running Back: 4-5-6-6-5
• Wide Receiver: 12-12-13-11-14
• Tight End: 6-5-6-6-6
• Offensive Line: 16-15-15-17-16
• Total Offense: 42-41-44-43-45
• Defensive Line: 11-12-11-10-10
• Outside Linebacker: 9-8-8-9-8
• Linebacker: 8-7-7-7-6
• Cornerback: 8-9-9-10-8
• Safety: 8-8-7-6-8
• Total Defense: 44-44-42-42-40
• Specialists: 5-5-5-5-5

to review the Bucs' current 91-man roster.

Danny SmithSpecial Teams Coordinator

May 19 Updates

The NFL introduced its new "dynamic kickoff" format in 2024, and when that failed to produce as big of a jump in percentage of kickoffs returned as had been hoped, they made a very significant tweak to the rules in 2025. Now, a kick that landed in the end zone for a touchback brought the ball out to the receiving team's 35-yard line to start the subsequent drive.

That definitely worked. After the percentage of returns only increased from 22.9% in 2023 to 34.7% in 2024 when the touchback was put at the 30-yard line, it more than doubled last season to 75.9%. The Buccaneers followed suit for most of the season; in their first 13 games only nine of their 64 kickoffs landed in the end zone and only four produced touchbacks. However, some coverage breakdowns along the way pushed Head Coach Todd Bowles to switch up over the final month, as 17 of their 18 kickoffs over four games went into the end zone, all for touchbacks. The one that didn't was supposed to, and Miami's Malik Washington returned it 47 yards to set up a field goal drive in a painful three-point loss for the Buccaneers.

In January, the Buccaneers hired a new special teams coordinator in long-time NFL assistant Danny Smith, most recently of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past 13 seasons. Smith is entering his 30th season as a special teams coordinator in the NFL, with previous stints in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Washington and Pittsburgh. Smith has a strong preference in the coverage-vs.-touchback debate, and it's based on not wanting to hand the opposition an optimal result.

"It is situational, but I can tell you this and one year don't make a study; this is pretty new to all of us: The 35-yard line was the best starting point in the National Football League a year ago," said Smith. "So if you're kicking it out of the end zone and just giving it to them on the 35, you're giving them the best field position in the league."

Smith is referring to average kickoff drive start, and he's right on the money. The New York Jets led the NFL in that category last year with an average start of their own 34.6-yard line. That stat takes into account all drives that start after a kickoff, including ones with touchbacks and ones with returns. Defensively, the worst average kickoff drive start allowed was the 33.1-yard line, by the Falcons. Smith's Steelers were fifth-best in that category, at 29.0; the Bucs were 30th, at 32.8.

As Smith noted, there are some game situations where a touchback would be the preferred choice, just not many of them, in his opinion.

"Now, is there a time for that? Yes," he said. "Few and far between, okay? Few and far between. They've got a dangerous returner back there, there's two minutes left in the game and we're up by 14 points. Let's bang this out and turn it over to our defense, and let's go home with a win. You gotta know how to win that game. I'm not worried about our stats, I'm not worried about our net, I'm not worried about all that crap at that time. How do we win this game?"

Assuming that Bowles and Smith are on the same page a solid assumption given the hire it sounds as if the Bucs will be getting the ball into the hands of opposing kickoff returners with frequency this season. And that's largely because Smith is confident the results in coverage will be better in 2026.

"So there's certain circumstances where you would [choose a touchback], but again to me they're few and far between because I like to kick and cover and I think we'll be capable of doing that," he said.

for more of Coach Smith's thoughts about joining the Buccaneers and producing results on special teams.

Cade Otton#88 TEHeight: 6-5Weight: 247 lbsCollege: Washington

May 12 Updates

In March, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed tight end Cade Otton to a new three-year deal with a significant financial investment, committing to a player who has given the team everything he could over the past four years.

Otton's receiving numbers have not been insignificant; he has 207 receptions for 2,018 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons, including back-to-back 59-catch campaigns in 2024 and 2025. Those 118 catches for 1,172 yards the past two years puts him just outside the top 10 in both categories among NFL tight ends. But the Bucs value Otton for a lot more than his pass-catching, and made that clear when they prioritized re-signing him early in the offseason.

"He does a lot for us," said Tight Ends Coach Justin Peelle. "And, yeah, maybe the numbers aren't up there amongst the top ones, but he does a lot of things for us that I think a lot of people don't realize. He's really good in the run game, obviously. We had some injuries, obviously, at the tackle position, so we had to do some different things with him to protect those edges and [he is] an unselfish player. Team leader on this team, does a lot for this team that go unrecognized. And he doesn't say anything about it, either; that's just the guy he is."

Perhaps the most notable numbers defining Otton's career so far come in the participation category. Over the past three seasons, he has led all NFL tight ends in offensive snaps played, with 2,913. Arizona's Trey McBride and Chicago's Cole Kmet are second and third with 2,753 and 2640 snaps, respectively, but they also have played three more games than Otton in that span. In terms of the percentage of offensive snaps played in the games in which he has appeared, no other tight end comes close in that three-year span. Otton is at 94.1% and no other tight end is higher than 85.5%.

And this is where the Bucs might be able to get some of Otton's other numbers up a bit if they can just pull back a bit in the participation category.

"That's something I've actually looked at in the last couple years, is figuring out a way how youI don't want to say 'save' him, but keep him fresh throughout the year," said Peelle. "That's really more on me than anything. I've just got to be able to rotate those guys in.

"But then there are timesI think we were in nine games last year that were decided by three points, or whatever that number was. I have such trust in him. I know he's going to do the right thing. Not that those other guys won't but it's just a security blanket, so to speak. You know he's going to do it right and most of the time he's going to winIf I could get him five or six extra plays off during the game or on the sideline just for a quick breather, over the course of a year that will add up."

To that end, the Buccaneers also re-signed blocking tight end Ko Kieft, drafted LSU pass-catching threat Bauer Sharp in the sixth round and signed Rutgers' Kenny Fletcher Jr. as an undrafted free agent. The Bucs' tight end room also includes 2023 fifth-round pick Payne Durham and 2024 seventh-round pick Devin Culp. It looks like the team could look for some combination of those players to lighten the load just a bit on Otton as he starts his second contract.

for more of Coach Peelle's analysis of the Buccaneers' tight end group.

May 9 Updates

On Saturday, the Buccaneers increased their total of undrafted rookies signed to 15, bringing in Nebraska linebacker Javin Wright. The team also waived first-year running back Michael Wiley with a non-football injury designation.

Wright (6-4, 232) played in 46 games across six seasons at Nebraska, moving into the starting lineup as a senior and leading the team with 86 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He also added 3.0 sacks, one interception and four passes defensed while playing in 12 games and starting 10. Overall, Wright made 13 starts for the Cornhuskers and finished with 180 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.

Wiley first joined the Bucs last October, spending the second half of the season on the team's practice squad before re-signing to a reserve/futures contract in January. He played his college ball at Arizona and originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Commanders in 2024.

to read about the other 14 undrafted players the Bucs have signed.

Josiah Trotter#45 LBHeight: 6-2Weight: 237 lbsCollege: Missouri

May 8 Updates

Linebacker Josiah Trotter, the Buccaneers' second-round pick in the 2026 draft, had a unique advantage upon reporting to his new team that very few rookies enjoy. Trotter, as it turns out, already has a close relationship with his position coach, Mike Caldwell.

Trotter already had NFL connections before he landed with the Buccaneers. His father, Jeremiah Trotter, was a linebacker in the league for 11 seasons, earning four Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro honors while with the Philadelphia Eagles. And during his first four seasons in Philly, the elder Trotter was teammates with Caldwell, another linebacker who logged 11 seasons in the NFL.

Josiah was born in 2005, so he only saw the tail end of his father's playing career, which coincidentally ended with a three-game stint in Tampa in 2007. He was not around yet when his dad and Caldwell ran together for the Eagles from 1998-2001; however, the Caldwell and Trotter families kept in touch after both left Philadelphia in 2002 (Trotter would later return for three more seasons in Philly).

"I know him very well, him and his family," said Josiah of Caldwell. "We've been family friends for a long time, even sharing Thanksgivings together or coming over to watch the Super Bowl, whatever the case was, especially when they were living in New Jersey. But it's really cool, a full-circle moment for me and my dad and my family. It's really cool to be able to have that."

Caldwell will be helping Trotter get acclimated to the NFL and to Todd Bowles' defensive schemes as quickly as possible because the rookie will be competing for a starting job as the "MIKE" linebacker next to free agent acquisition Alex Anzalone. The Bucs still have incumbent starter SirVocea Dennis and also added free agent Christian Rozeboom in the offseason, but getting a potential long-term starter at a position that no longer can rely on Lavonte David was clearly a priority in the draft.

Facing this challenge, Trotter got some advice from his dad before reporting to the Buccaneers for his first onfield work.

"Be myself, have fun, go in there, work hard and just try to learn the playbook as best as you can," said Trotter, echoing his father's words. "Then just go out there, cut it loose and have fun."

for more of Josiah Trotter's thoughts on the first day of work.

April 24 Updates

General Manager Jason Licht and the Buccaneers executed a draft-weekend trade for the first time in three years on Friday night, picking up an extra fifth-round pick for moving down seven spots in the third round.

The deal was with the Green Bay Packers and it occurred just before the Bucs went on the clock for pick number 77 at approximately 10:00 p.m. ET. The Buccaneers agreed to send that pick to the Packers in exchange for pick number 84 and pick number 160 in the fifth round. The Packers used pick number 77 on Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan.

The Buccaneers now have six more picks to spend on Friday night and Saturday. They currently own number 84, number 116 in Round Four, numbers 155 and 160 in Round Five, number 195 in Round Six and number 229 in Round Seven.

Calijah Kancey#94 DLHeight: 6-0Weight: 280 lbsCollege: Pittsburgh

April 20 Updates

The Buccaneers kicked off their nine-week offseason workout program for 2026 on Monday and Calijah Kancey was in attendance. That makes sense, because more than anything, Kancey plans to be there in the upcoming season.

"My main goal is to play every game," he said on Monday regarding what he'll be focusing on as the work for 2026 begins. "That's my main goal. No stats, no nothing just play every game. Be ready to play every game."

It's easy to understand why this would be Kancey's primary concern. The 19th-overall pick in the 2023 draft, he has shown that level of talent when available, but that availability has been the issue. Three years in, Kancey has yet to play a full 17-game season. He missed three games and large parts of several others due to a training camp calf injury in his rookie campaign. Another calf injury knocked him out for five contests in 2024.

Neither of those issues led to a stay on injured reserve, but that changed last year when, in just the second week of the season, Kancey tore a pectoral muscle, an injury that required surgery. Initially thought to be done for the season, Kancey worked hard to get back on the field in Week 18, helping the Bucs win a must-have contest against the Carolina Panthers. (Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, the Bucs won all three games in which Kancey took part.)

As a first-round pick, Kancey's initial NFL contract was four years long, with a team option for a fifth season. He is headed into his fourth season, and the Buccaneers must decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option by May 1. Kancey said he hasn't given that issue any thought.

"I'm here to play football," he said. "I wish I had more knowledge on it, but that's not [something] I'm worried about. I know if I go out there and do what I need to do, it will all happen. That's the least of my worries."

Certainly there's good reason for the Bucs to exercise that option, with the hope that Kancey's injury fortune will improve going forward. In his 29 games played, Kancey has recorded 11.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and a whopping 30 quarterback hits. In 2024, when he had 7.5 sacks in just 12 games played, Kancey was credited by NFL Next Gen Stats as creating 37 quarterback pressures. Players who can put that type of pressure on a passer from up the middle of the pocket are highly coveted in the NFL.

for a breakdown of the Bucs' 2026 offseason program.