The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to keep momentum churning as we enter training camp before the 2025 season officially kicks off.
The Bucs didn’t undergo any drastic changes this offseason, the biggest being another changing of the guard at OC by promoting Josh Grizzard to the role, but there is still a ton of pressure on them as they search for a deeper playoff run.
The NFC South is once again theirs for the taking, but they will have to battle the tribulations of a vigorous NFL schedule to get there.
As mentioned, Tampa Bay didn’t do much this offseason, once again flying under the radar, but made some excellent decisions in free agency and the NFL Draft.
Before training camp begins, The Athletic released their latest power rankings, and they seemed to have come off the Bucs bandwagon a bit as they had them sliding four spots to 16th best.
It’s an interesting spot for the Buccaneers, especially with the likes of the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers all ahead of them.
This isn’t a knock on those teams by any means, but I believe that the Bucs have fewer questions and are in a better position as a team to be ranked higher.
The Bucs offense was just fine entering the offseason, returning all 11 starters, but they only added to a top-five unit in the league with the likes of Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson. The Bucs knew they had some work to do on the defensive side of the ball, as this was their weakness last year, so they doubled up along the defensive line and secondary in the NFL draft while adding elite pass rusher Haason Reddick in free agency.
Jun 10, 2025; Tampa Bay, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) participates in mini camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
So why the recent drop in rankings? The answer is clear.
The unknown surrounding Chris Godwin’s return and whether or not he will look like the Godwin of old once he does return are factors. And then, as recently announced, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is expected to miss at least the first four games of the season after having surgery on an MCL injury he suffered last season. Both were added to the Bucs’ PUP list on Tuesday.
While the game isn’t left up to a single player or handful of players, losing guys such as Godwin and Wirfs can have an impact, especially early on or late in a season. The NFL season is grinding, and the Bucs want to take all the precautions necessary to protect their stars for later in the season.
The start might not be as glorious as some have hoped, but the 2025 Bucs have something cooking. And if all goes well, then they could find themselves in an advantageous position to drastically move up in the power rankings by the season’s conclusion.
