NFC South preseason focus: Buccaneers’ post-Coen drop highlights the division’s volatility

The NFC South has a reputation for unpredictability, and that theme shows up quickly in the preseason conversation. Tampa Bay is the central reference point, because last season the Buccaneers were viewed as a surprise, yet the team ultimately disappointed relative to where its roster and momentum suggested it could go. The issue was not simply results, but consistency, particularly on offense and in how quickly the team’s production faded after early promise.

According to Yahoo Sports’ preseason framing, Tampa Bay’s season leaned heavily on health and timing. The division’s hierarchy did not settle the way preseason discussions often assume, and the Buccaneers were among the teams that struggled to maintain form as injuries accumulated. That matters in the NFC South because short stretches can swing divisional standings, and offensive rhythm is especially hard to replace once starters are sidelined and game plans have to adjust week to week.

The second major factor highlighted in the preseason assessment is coaching continuity. Tampa Bay’s offense showed regression after offensive coordinator Liam Coen departed in the offseason. That change becomes a focal point heading into the new preseason cycle, not only because offensive coordinators are responsible for the weekly scheme, but because their departure can ripple through playcalling tendencies, tempo, and how quickly an offense can install a new identity. When an offense loses stability, preseason performance becomes a bigger test than usual.

Putting the Buccaneers into the broader division picture, the takeaway is that preseason optimism can unravel quickly in the NFC South. The league’s game-to-game variance is always real, but this division amplifies it because every team is built to compete with relative speed and physicality, which can expose depth issues when injuries hit. In that environment, a team does not need to be “bad” to miss the division. It only needs to be less consistent than the opponent it is chasing.

Preseason Week 1 also serves as a practical checkpoint: it is where coaching staffs try to prove their plan can translate to game situations, even if the starters are not playing full workloads. For Tampa Bay, that translates into whether offensive production can remain functional after the coordinator change, and whether the unit can avoid the same kind of late-season regression that colored last year’s story.

What to watch next is straightforward but demanding for the Buccaneers and, by extension, the NFC South. Tampa Bay needs signs of offensive structure that do not disappear under adjustment periods, and the team needs enough durability to keep key roles intact long enough for a coherent preseason-to-regular-season transition. If the Buccaneers can show that the offense has a stable baseline, the division picture changes quickly. If not, the same volatility that defined the previous season will likely define the one ahead.