{"id":754565,"date":"2026-02-15T20:38:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754565\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T20:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:38:28","slug":"5-sneaky-good-nfl-free-agents-buccaneers-must-sign-in-2026-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754565\/","title":{"rendered":"5 sneaky good NFL free agents Buccaneers must sign in 2026 offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tampa Bay\u2019s 2026 offseason sits in a pretty familiar place for a veteran-led team: the window is still open, but the roster is asking for smart, surgical upgrades more than flashy headlines. Around the pass rush specifically, the market is already warming up, with recent coverage spotlighting Odafe Oweh\u2019s surge<\/a> after arriving with the Chargers, his playoff impact, and why teams like the Buccaneers could make sense as a landing spot if he hits free agency.<\/p>\n

Buccaneer’s own roster math makes the priorities obvious, too. That\u2019s why the best \u201csneaky good\u201d free-agent work for the Bucs is going to live in the middle of the roster, not on a billboard. You\u2019re looking for players who raise the weekly floor, and that can help the team get where they deserve. Let’s see them right now!<\/p>\n

Nakobe Dean and a possible good start\"PhiladelphiaBill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Nakobe Dean is the kind of linebacker swing that fits Tampa Bay\u2019s need and timeline. FOX Sports listed Dean among its top 2026 free agents<\/a> and even pegged him as a potential Buccaneers signing, noting the production flashes, the pass-rush ability, and the durability questions that likely keep his price from exploding.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re the Bucs, that\u2019s exactly the profile you chase at linebacker right now: someone young enough to be part of the post-Lavonte transition, talented enough to play real snaps immediately, and not very priced that can’t be paid. Dean doesn\u2019t have to be flawless, of course. He has to give Todd Bowles a linebacker who can run, blitz, and survive in space.<\/p>\n

Devin Bush<\/a> could wear the Bucs jersey easily\"ClevelandMandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Devin Bush is another linebacker who checks the sneaky box because the market tends to remember his uneven stretch in Pittsburgh more than what he just did in Cleveland. Bush\u2019s 2025 stat line was loud<\/a>: tackles, picks, touchdowns, sacks, forced fumbles, and noted that they are high on him in its free-agent grading, including the Carolina Panthers being one of the most interested in signing him. He is the type of signing that can stabilize the unit quickly with great speed, being exactly what the Buccaneers want.<\/p>\n

Ed Ingram could help Baker Mayfield\"HoustonMandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Up front, Tampa Bay has every reason to treat offensive line depth as a real priority after 2025 turned into a week-to-week shuffle. That\u2019s where Ed Ingram fits. He\u2019s a guard with legitimate starting experience and a profile that helps a line settle down over a long season. Ingram brings practical value: he\u2019s built for interior contact, can handle power, and has enough mobility to work in concepts that require guards to climb and connect at the second level. In pass protection, his job is straightforward: keep the interior clean so Baker Mayfield can step up rather than drift into edge pressure. That matters in Tampa\u2019s offense, because interior leakage is what turns normal dropbacks into rushed throws and stalled drives.<\/p>\n

Ingram can start if needed, can be the first man up, and can give you steady snaps without forcing the scheme to babysit him. And the Bucs need that as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

John Franklin-Myers can surprise in Tampa Bay\"DenverRon Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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On defense, John Franklin-Myers aligns well with what Todd Bowles asks of his front. He can play across the line, hold up on early downs, and still give you real pass-rush snaps when the game turns to third-and-long.<\/p>\n

That versatility matters in Tampa because Bowles leans on rotation and matchup pressure. He wants multiple bodies who can win in different ways, not a front that collapses the moment one rusher gets doubled. Franklin-Myers brings a sturdy base against the run and enough length and power to affect the pocket, even when he doesn\u2019t finish with a clean sack. He\u2019s at his best when he\u2019s allowed to move, kick inside on passing downs, and attack guards who can\u2019t handle speed-to-power.<\/p>\n

That creates more options for how the Bucs line up its rush packages, especially when the opponent\u2019s protection slides toward the bigger name on the edge. For Tampa Bay, he fits as a dependable piece who raises the weekly floor of the front. You\u2019re getting snaps that don\u2019t have to be protected by the scheme, plus a player who can stay on the field in multiple situations, which is exactly what keeps a defense functional over 17 games.<\/p>\n

Alontae Taylor is a great secondary option\"NewMandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Alontae Taylor makes sense for Tampa Bay\u2019s secondary because he plays the position the way Bowles likes to coach it. He competes at the catch point, brings real physicality as a tackler, and has experience handling different assignments rather than living in a narrow role.<\/p>\n

This is different in a defense that asks corners and nickel defenders to trigger downhill, fit the run, and pressure at times. Taylor\u2019s production profile also matches what Tampa typically values: pass breakups, disruption, and plays that end drives.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the type of corner who can live on the outside in certain matchups, slide inside when needed, and give you flexibility with personnel groupings so Bowles can stay aggressive without constantly substituting. For the Bucs, the appeal is dependability across multiple jobs. Taylor can take on tough snaps, tackle in space, and give the secondary a steadier weekly baseline, which is exactly what you want when the schedule turns into a stretch of quarterbacks who will punish any softness.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay\u2019s own coverage has been blunt about linebacker being the glaring roster need, and the free agent pool is unusually rich there. And there\u2019s another layer hanging over the spring that Tampa can\u2019t ignore: the trade market at edge rushers.<\/p>\n

Recent reporting tied the Buccaneers to Maxx Crosby as a \u201cperfect\u201d destination<\/a>, with Dianna Russini noting a growing belief in league circles that Crosby is interested in a change of scenery, and Jeremy Fowler adding that Crosby\u2019s priority is joining a winning program.<\/p>\n

If that scenario develops later in the offseason, it won\u2019t replace the need for smart free-agent signings.<\/p>\n

The timing is right. With the cap high again in 2026, teams that spend wisely can add real players without turning the next two years into dead money.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Tampa can win this spring, and possible the next Super Bowl. Who knows?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay\u2019s 2026 offseason sits in a pretty familiar place for a veteran-led team: the window is still…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754566,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[211,11095,7,2318,6563,477,6,18732,704,250,2597,2596],"class_list":{"0":"post-754565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","8":"tag-buccaneers","9":"tag-devin-bush","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-john-franklin-myers","12":"tag-maxx-crosby","13":"tag-nakobe-dean","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-editorials","16":"tag-tampa-bay","17":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","18":"tag-tampabay","19":"tag-tampabaybuccaneers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116076577830224365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}