John Romano: Is it too much to ask for the Buccaneers to offer a reason to believe?

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 30, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — Not every quarterback is a Hall of Famer.

Not every coordinator is a genius, not every receiver is a beast, not every line is impenetrable.

You’ve seen enough football to know that precious few offenses are good enough to be considered elite. So, no, you don’t need fireworks. You don’t need records, innovations or viral moments.

You do, however, need a reason to believe.

And that’s where the Buccaneers have fallen short.

Three weeks into a new offensive system, there is no evidence that the Bucs have a plan, a pathway, a hope of evolving into efficiency. You don’t look at this offense and see the promise of better days. Instead, it has the look of wasted potential.

Are the Bucs a running team? No. A vertical passing team? No. A spread-‘em-out, pick-‘em-apart, methodical team? Heck no.

It’s still early in Zac Robinson’s tenure as offensive coordinator, but it’s hard to say what the Bucs do well — if anything — on offense.

“I don’t know if we have an identity,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “With all the (penalty) flags being thrown, I don’t really know if we have an identity yet, but we’ve got to get one quick.”

For some offenses, the whole is greater than the individual parts.

For the Bucs, the opposite seems true.

Baker Mayfield has had moments of greatness in the past. But not in 2026. Bucky Irving was a revelation as a rookie. But not in 2026. The offensive line was promoted as one of the best in the league. But not in 2026. Emeka Egbuka was a star waiting to happen. But not in 2026.

The Bucs were 18th in the NFL in scoring in 2025 and 21st in yards gained, and Tampa Bay management decided that was such a vast underperformance that first-year coordinator Josh Grizzard was fired. And now, three weeks into the next season, the Bucs are scoring less points and gaining fewer yards.

Grizzard, at least, could point to injuries to Irving, Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, both offensive guards and Tristan Wirfs.

Robinson didn’t even have that excuse until Mayfield went down with a dislocated thumb in the final minutes on Sunday against Minnesota.

Now penalties, as Bowles pointed out, have been a problem. The offensive line has been called for eight holding penalties (two declined), four false starts, one illegal formation, one delay of game and one chop block (technically on Irving) in three games. But what we don’t know is if those penalties are rooted in problems with the offensive scheme.

The reality is the Bucs have had a different offensive coordinator for five consecutive seasons, which means cohesion is not an asset.

With October around the corner, are the Bucs still trying to figure out their offensive identity?

“Yeah, at times, it feels like that,” said receiver Chris Godwin. “But I feel like that’s also expected. This is, what, five or six years in a row of a new coordinator? It takes time to figure out what you have and pair that with the skill guys you have. We’re taking some time to gel. Obviously, we would have liked it to happen faster, but we’ve just got to figure it out.”

Identity might feel like a meaningless buzzword, but an offense needs to be able to rely on certain truths. Can we count on this play working 80% of the time? Can we force defenses to protect against this threat? Can we get in a rhythm instead of constantly needing a big play to bail us out?

Maybe it does take time with a new system, but an 0-3 start and a backup quarterback means the Bucs are already out of time.

“It’s hard, because you see the good and the guys know it,” Robinson said before the Vikings game. “It’s like you show the good clips and you’re like, ‘Man, when we are rolling, we’re rolling,’ and the guys can feel that.”

It’s possible that rookie Jalon Daniels provides a spark with Mayfield out for the next three weeks, but the odds are against it. Since 2024, rookie quarterbacks have gone 56-89 in the NFL. And that includes guys like Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, who were taken near the top of the draft.

To expect Jalon Daniels, who was an undrafted free agent, to step into the huddle and help the Bucs climb out of the NFC South cellar?

Yeah, that doesn’t sound plausible this morning.

Maybe it’s best to shoot for something less dramatic.

Like a reason to believe.

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