The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2026 NFL Draft with an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, as their need for an edge rusher remains paramount, but won’t force it if their management doesn’t line up with the No. 15.
“We see a need for help there on the defensive end,” general manager Jason Licht said Wednesday. “I’ve had conversations with Todd (Bowles) about this a lot over the years, the last two years. He hates the word ‘defensive’ head coach. He proved to me last year that he was not upset about taking Emeka (Egbuka) as he says you have to take the best player who helps you win games, period, so we have a coach to win that way. together to make these decisions.
“I feel like I’ve said this every year, you can never go wrong with taking the best player. You’ll be glad at some point that you did that instead of trying to force a pick.”
The Bucs have fluctuated and missed veteran running backs in recent seasons. In 2025, YaYa Diaby led the club with seven sacks – no other winger scored more than three. Tampa added 31-year-old Al-Quadin Muhammad, who had 11 sacks last year in Detroit, to a one-year deal in free agency, but a long-term impact player off the edge is still needed.
“I mean, we can all say and write down and we have numbers that we look for the ideal [edge rusher]but it’s also hard to do [come by],” Licht said when asked if there was any particular type of edge rusher ideal for Bowles’ system. “JPP’s (Jason Pierre-Paul), God only made a few of them. Yes, you’d want big, tall guys, but sometimes power comes in different packages. A guy can have great speed and quickness, but he’ll just wash off the corner because of a lack of foundation and a lack of strength. At the end of the day, you’re just looking for a really good footballer who can do all those things.”