The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 0-2 start has brought to light what seems to be a growing list of issues with the team.

The Bucs are prepared to face the Minnesota Vikings (keys to victory, game prediction), hoping to avoid a dreaded 0-3 start to the season.

Tampa's struggles thus far have been plenty, and must be corrected in a hurry if the Bucs are to have a shot at returning to the playoffs after last year's absence.

While most of the criticism has focused on quarterback Baker Mayfield's disappointing play, the offensive line not meeting expectations, star rookie Rueben Bain Jr.'s disappearing act to start his NFL career, and head coach Todd Bowles' job security, that doesn't come close to covering all of the team's problems.

Adam Slivon of Pewter Report is focusing his anger and disappointment on a different area. In a scathing rebuke, Slivon absolutely shredded the Bucs' defensive leaders.

The defense was supposed to be a team strength this season after the team signed several impact free agents and used three of its first four draft picks on that side of the ball. However, through two games, it has not met expectations or come close to living up to the fearsome reputation legends like Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks earned for the team's defense in years past.

Though the entire defense has underwhelmed, Slivon directed his ire at three players who were being counted on to be the unit's leaders:

Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Alex Anzalone.

All three were elected team captains for the 2026 season. So far, none of the trio have lived up to their titles.

Slivon starts with Vea. The Bucs gave in to Vea's contract demands before the season and made the nine-year veteran one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.

Now it is time for Vea to play like one, as Slivon says.

"From a production standpoint, Vea has been invisible this season, recording just two tackles in 80 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus’ grades tell a similar story, painting a picture of subpar performance and a significant year-to-year decline.

"His 53.7 overall grade ranks 74th out of 120 defensive linemen, while his 56.3 pass rush grade (86th) and 52.4 run defense grade (67th) aren’t much better. Those numbers are a far cry from even last season, when he had a 71.8 overall grade (26th out of 134 defensive linemen) that better illustrated a consistent run-stuffing menace."

Then Slivon turned his attention to Winfield Jr., who has not been the same player he was earlier in his career, before he was made the NFL's top-paid safety.

"Winfield became the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history when he signed his four-year, $84.1 million contract after a record-setting 2023 season. Even if that was a career year, he was presumably hitting his prime and playing like the best safety in the league at that time.

"His production since then has not matched that price tag, as he played only half of the 2024 season and was good, but not great, in 2025. While some might point out that he hasn’t had the chance to take as many chances on the football given the rest of the secondary struggling, I don’t want to hear any more excuses about why Winfield hasn’t been a quality defensive playmaker. The tackle numbers are there, but that means little when he is the last line of defense wrapping up a wide receiver 20 yards down the field.

"As a team captain in his late-twenties signed to a high-dollar deal, he has to start playing like it."

Finally, Slivon tore into Anzalone, who has been a huge disappointment and a shell of the player he was expected to be in his first two games with his new team.

"Anzalone was signed to stabilize the middle of the defense, but he has looked like a complete liability in coverage while missing tackles at an alarming rate. I don’t even have to bring up the advanced metrics to drive this point home, but I will anyway.

"His 28.5 overall PFF grade makes the days of post-Super Bowl Devin White look good. He ranks 71st out of, wait for it, 71 linebackers. His 29.3 coverage grade is marginally better, putting him 69th. There is no other way to describe his play: it has been abysmal.

"This was the same player that was touted for being a quality signing in free agency after Tampa Bay poached him from the Lions after a solid run there. He has time to turn it around, but perhaps Detroit was onto something letting the 32-year old walk."

Slivon hits the nail on the head. These are the three players elected as the leaders of Tampa's defense, both on the field and in the locker room.

So far, none of them has been the player the Bucs need them to be. 

They must turn things around before it is too late and Tampa's season is lost. All three have the talent to be strengths for this team, but time is running out for them to prove their worth, both literally and figuratively.

The trio all have a chance to be difference-makers for the Bucs as they look to get in the win column against a tough 2-0 Vikings squad.