Bucs' Set of 'Triplets' Ranked 19th in NFL
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense in 2026 is both deep and balanced, even though it may lack superstar power.
Not counting the three seasons Tom Brady was the Bucs' quarterback, wide receiver Mike Evans has been the unquestioned star of the offense for a long time. Evans is now gone, having left Tampa to join the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
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Without Evans, the Bucs still have a solid 1-2 punch at receiver with Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr., even if neither is viewed as a true WR1. Both have the talent to be a team's top option, but Egbuka must show he is the player we saw in the first half of his rookie season in 2025, not the one who struggled badly during the second half. Godwin, meanwhile, must prove he can stay healthy after missing significant time over the past two seasons with injuries.
Baker Mayfield is a franchise quarterback, although he is not ranked among the top 10 in the NFL.
Bucky Irving is a potentially dynamic running back, but he also missed seven games in 2025 and was nowhere near as productive or explosive as he showed as a rookie in 2024. The Bucs brought in Kenneth Gainwell to join Irving in the backfield, giving Tampa an exciting RB duo.
Jared Dubin and others at CBS Sports ranked each NFL team's set of "triplets" (QB, top RB, and top pass-catcher). The lack of players at the very top of their positions hurt the Bucs in Dubin's rankings, where they came in 19th.
The RankingsThe group at CBS Sports had varying opinions of Tampa's triplets, with one ranking as high as 13th and one as low as 21st. They used Egbuka over Godwin as the Bucs' top pass-catcher. The average ranking was 18.1, good for 19th in the league.
"There's a big tier break here, with the Bucs checking in an average of 2.5 spots higher than the Jaguars. Still, Tampa is one of the biggest fallers from year to year on this list, dropping from ninth overall all the way down to here at 19th. Mayfield didn't have his best season under former OC Josh Grizzard after Liam Coen left for Jacksonville, while Irving was injured and ineffective and Egbuka slowed down considerably after the incredibly hot start to his NFL career."
As Dubin states, Tampa fell a whopping 10 spots in the rankings from last season. While some of that drop can be attributed to the absence of Evans, there is also a cloud of doubt surrounding whether Egbuka and Irving can play up to their potential for a full season.
Until they do, there will be uncertainty about how good the Bucs' offense will be.
Final ThoughtsMayfield has been as consistent as any QB in the league over his three years in Tampa. He is considered a fringe top-12 quarterback and has been a Pro Bowler in two of his three seasons with the Bucs.
The Bucs suffered in the ranking because of the uncertainty around Egbuka and Irving. Both have enough talent to be Pro Bowl-level players, but they must show it consistently.
Aside from the "triplets," Tampa also has Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and rookie Ted Hurst at receiver, and Gainwell is a dynamic running back as both a runner and receiver.
Having potentially one of the best offensive lines in the NFL as well could make the Bucs' offense one of the tops in the league.
Even without many individual superstars.
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