The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a weird spot right now.

No, the season has not gone the way they have wanted it to. The Bucs are just 2-5, they have one of the worst passing games in football and they have some aging players who haven't produced like expected.

Yes, they are still in the thick of the NFC South fight — they're just 1.5 games back from first place and could get half a game back should the Panthers lose on Thursday and the Bucs beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Another team with the same record, the Indianapolis Colts, have decided to become major sellers at the trade deadline. They dealt star guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, and they traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick.

The Colts have the same record as the Bucs, but they are in far from the same divisional situation. So should Tampa Bay act like them and become sellers at the trade deadline?

There are arguments for and against. But we think they should be.

Why the Bucs Should Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline

Yes, it's a tricky scenario. The Bucs could play catch-up in the division if they get hot, and a string of wins would put them right back in the picture despite the fact that Tampa Bay started its season 0-4.

But for the future? The Bucs are not going to win the Super Bowl. Their future with head coach Todd Bowles is likely limited as well, and so far, they've had just one year with a double-digit win total since 2022. They have aging players on the roster, and now is the time to maximize that value and really get something from those players.

Players like Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Chris Godwin could net some return. Yaya Diaby had a strong game against the Carolina Panthers, but he hasn't looked elite otherwise and is on a contract year — that could save the Bucs some money next year and net some picks.

The Bucs may want to hold on to these players. They're franchise players general manager Jason Licht drafted, and as it stands, the Bucs still have a shot at winning the NFC South — based on how every other team in the division has looked, it might even be a good one.

But what then? Do the Bucs limp into the playoffs, maybe with a losing record? Do they once again get bounced in the first round? Do they even make it at all with such a poor start? Far more things are likely to go wrong than right for this team, and this iteration of Tampa Bay will not be around for much longer.

If that's the case, the Bucs should make like the Colts. They should be taking calls on anyone, and the more draft picks they can get for the future, the better. Plenty of players on Tampa Bay's roster still have value while not producing much this season, and those players are the ones that Tampa Bay should be open for business on.

The Bucs will likely take this game by game. The next one is against the Falcons at 1 p.m., and if they lose that game, they might shift into selling mode before the trade deadline. If they win, they'll likely run the roster they have — even if that would be a mistake.