Bill Barnwell believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two of the NFL’s best reserves heading into the 2026 season.
In ESPN’s preseason All-Backup Team, Barnwell selected running back Kenny Gainwell and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad as two of the league’s top players who aren’t expected to open the season as full-time starters.
Gainwell earned the nod after a productive 2025 campaign in which he averaged 4.7 yards per carry while also catching 73 passes. Barnwell noted that Gainwell ranked sixth in the NFL in success rate among running backs with at least 100 carries and posted an explosive run rate that was roughly league average. He believes those traits make Gainwell an ideal rotational back and someone capable of handling a larger workload if needed.
Muhammad’s inclusion came after one of the most surprising seasons of his career. Playing opposite Aidan Hutchinson in Detroit, the veteran edge rusher recorded 11 sacks and 20 quarterback knockdowns, earning the first double-digit sack season of his career.
Despite that production, Muhammad found a limited free-agent market before signing a one-year, $4 million contract with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers then reinforced the position by selecting Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th overall pick, ensuring Muhammad will likely be part of a deep edge rotation rather than a featured starter.
Barnwell isn’t expecting Muhammad to repeat his 11-sack campaign, but he believes the veteran will continue providing quality snaps off the edge. That’s exactly the type of role Tampa Bay envisioned when it signed him this offseason.
The selections also speak to the Buccaneers’ overall roster depth. With Gainwell backing up Bucky Irving in the backfield and Muhammad joining Bain, Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, and Chris Braswell in the pass-rush rotation, Tampa Bay has experienced contributors ready if injuries strike or additional snaps become available throughout the season.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Which Bucs players made ESPN’s All-Backup team before the 2026 season?
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
