The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ linebacking unit is not a group that is known around the league, but it is a serviceable unit that is led by future Hall of Famer Lavonte David. Jason Licht has done his best to make the group deeper with a nice mix of youth and veteran talent, but is it enough to finally have respect around the league?
According to PFF, the answer is a hard no.
In their latest positional rankings by teams, the folks at Pro Football Focus looked at the linebacker units around the NFL. When it came time to rank the Bucs’ linebacking group, they had a less-than-favorable outlook on the unit. They ranked the unit 25th overall in the league, placing them at the bottom of the rankings.
Dalton Wasserman wrote up the rankings and explained his thoughts on the unit, explaining, “Lavonte David is still a stalwart in Tampa Bay. His 77.6 PFF run-defense grade last season was his best since 2017. He’s slowed down in coverage but continues to adeptly lead the unit. There are questions about who will complement David. SirVocea Dennis is a solid coverage player but has played only 209 snaps in his career. Veteran Deion Jones logged just 18 postseason snaps for Tampa Bay last season. Anthony Walker Jr. struggled to a 48.0 PFF overall grade in Miami in 2024, though he has played better in the past.”
The Walker signing this offseason was a signal, more so to Dennis, that this season is going to be pivotal for him, as the unit needs to be productive now. They held off on drafting a linebacker, especially with Jihaad Campbell available to them at 19, so it also means they have faith in him.
They cover their angles with the way the group is built, so they have a chance to overperform their 25th placement, but they could also just as well earn that spot.
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