Tampa Bay began its voluntary OTA workouts Tuesday morning.
It didn’t take long for Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan to express that Tampa Bay’s offense will look different this season.
“I think we’re just going to open the playbook up. I feel like last year we just had a lot of plays that just weren’t called, but this year I feel like we’re repping a lot of them and we’re giving coaches confidence to call them,” McMillan said following the first day of OTAs.
Buccaneers Wide Receiver Promises Team Will “Open Up The Playbook” in 2026
The quote could be interpreted as either a subtle shot at former offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard or praise for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
Grizzard was fired this offseason after just one season as the team’s offensive coordinator. He was promoted from passing game coordinator following Liam Coen’s departure to Jacksonville after the 2024-25 season.
Grizzard struggled in his first season as a play caller. Tampa Bay averaged 22.4 points per game, ranking 18th in the NFL. The Bucs ranked in the bottom 10 in the league in both passing and rushing yards per game.
Under Coen in 2024, Tampa Bay averaged 29.5 points per game, ranking fourth in the NFL. The Bucs ranked inside the league’s top five in both passing and rushing yards. Grizzard returned many of the players who made Coen’s offense so successful.
Grizzard’s struggles led to his dismissal, and former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson was hired to replace him.
Robinson, 39, also completed his first season as a play caller in Atlanta last year. The Falcons averaged 20.8 points per game and ranked 19th in passing yards and eighth in rushing yards.
Last season, Atlanta dealt with uncertainty at quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. struggled before his season ended with an injury in Week 11. Veteran Kirk Cousins finished the season with mixed results. In Tampa Bay, Robinson will have quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has started 53 of 54 possible games since signing with the Buccaneers in 2023.
McMillan’s comments echoed Robinson’s message from his introductory press conference.
“I think before you even get to scheme specifics, it is your style of play and we want our guys to always be in attack mode and we want our guys to play with relentless play energy, effort, and strain,” Robinson said.
McMillan has proven to be an X-factor for Tampa Bay’s offense during his two-year career. He is averaging 13 yards per reception. He missed the first 13 games of last season following a serious neck injury suffered during the preseason. McMillan returned in Week 15 and recorded 178 receiving yards over the Buccaneers’ final four games.
Video: Bucs receivers Emeka Egbuka and Ted Hurst run through position drills on the first day of OTAs. pic.twitter.com/8iC4ijcx8F
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 26, 2026
Another potential X-factor for Tampa Bay’s offense is rookie receiver Ted Hurst, who got his first action with the team’s receivers on Tuesday. Hurst totaled 1,965 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over the last two seasons at Georgia State.
Along with Hurst and McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin join the Buccaneers wide receiver room.
Robinson has plenty of pieces to “open up the playbook” this season and help Tampa Bay field a more explosive offense in 2026.
Main Image: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
