With the NFL preseason having come and gone, it’s finally time for attention to shift toward the 2025 NFL regular season.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they are hoping to improve on last year’s first round playoff exit which saw the team fall at home in the opening round of the playoffs to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
That said, having won four consecutive NFC South Championships, the Buccaneers will be measured by their success in the postseason.
One key area for improvement for the Bucs, that likely isn’t talked about enough, is on special teams. Not only have the Buccaneers struggled to find a reliable punter, which is extremely valuable in the battle for field position, but dating back for as long as most can remember, they’ve also struggled mightily when it comes to achieving any sort of advantage in the return game.
Well, if we can take anything away from this preseason, it’s that the Buccaneers may finally have the pieces in place to dramatically improve these two key areas of their football team.
Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (83) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
7th round draft pick, Tez Johnson, was an explosive playmaker for the University of Oregon. Despite being severely undersized, Johnson’s agility and ability to elude defenders in space is truly exceptional. This was on full display throughout his first NFL preseason as Tez proved to be a truly dynamic returner.
On Sunday morning, following the team’s final preseason game, Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles specifically mentioned the return game as a positive takeaway from the preseason when he said, “our return game has shown up for the first time in quite a long time – that was good to see.”
NFL Denver Broncos punter Riley Dixon / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Bucs haven’t had a reliable punter since Bryan Anger in 2016. The Jake Camarda draft experiment failed miserably, and Jason Licht has been working hard to rectify that mistake. Enter, Riley Dixon. After bouncing around with a number of different teams, the Bucs signed Dixon to a two-year, $6 million contract back in March, and the early returns, at least during the preseason, are extremely encouraging.
When Bowles was asked to discuss any surprises on the team following the preseason, he immediately directed the conversation to the performance of his new punter and could barely contain his excitement.
“I don’t think anything surprised me, but the best feeling I have is that we have a punter. He’s done a very good job and he was outstanding this summer in camp and everything else. He was really a game changer that really wasn’t talked about and I’m happy as hell about him.”
Is the preseason an accurate indicator of regular season performance? No. Does Todd Bowles’ newfound confidence in his special teams unit mean they are guaranteed to excel this year? Also no. But they’re both positive signs worth taking note of at this point of the year.
The proof will be in the pudding.
But if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get big improvements in both their return game and their punting game, it very well could be the difference between a first round playoff exit and a push for a Super Bowl.
