Executives Poll Places Bucs Fourth-Best In NFC
September 3rd, 2025
Joe loves the anonymous but legitimate surveys of NFL team power players and the results that follow.
Mike Sando of TheAthletic.com, the former longtime ESPN insider, is one of the masters of compiling this data.
He’s got a new release that features eight NFL executives ranking the NFC teams by order of finish and offering commentary. The Bucs ranked fourth and there was little range in their placement. The Bucs’ got one sixth-place vote and the rest were threes, fours and fives.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Votes: 4-3-5-4-4-6-3-5 | Avg: 4.4 | Median: 4 |
One year ago, when the Buccaneers were coming off a third consecutive NFC South title, execs ranked Tampa Bay between seventh and 11th in the NFC on all ballots. Winning a fourth division title in a row, led by the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense by EPA per play, has made believers, with all eight execs ranking the Buccaneers between third and sixth entering 2025.
“I think their only weakness is the secondary,” one of the execs slotting Tampa Bay fourth in the NFC said.
Having a first-time offensive coordinator for a third consecutive season would be scarier if newbies Dave Canales and Liam Coen hadn’t parlayed one-year stints into head-coaching jobs.
“What’s new?” another exec said. “They are running the same offense.”
“My Rookie of the Year non-quarterback is the receiver they took, (Emeka) Egbuka,” another exec said. “They’ll get (Chris) Godwin back at some point. They’ll get healthier on the offensive line.”
Joe was intrigued to see the Falcons ranked 11th in the NFC. That’s a lot of non-believers. Not one of the eight executives ranked Atlanta better than the Bucs, and only one of eight had them has high as No. 7.
READ NEXT
"Nobody Like Deeply Respects Even The Buccaneers"