Following Lavonte David’s retirement, a high-stakes vacancy anchors Tampa Bay’s defense. New arrival Alex Anzalone and rising talent SirVocea Dennis now headline a fierce four-way clash for supremacy.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' OTAs are later in the month, and while starting lineups are in the works, Bleacher Report dropped its projections for all 32 teams on Thursday.
Tampa Bay lost wide receiver Mike Evans to the San Francisco for a $60 million payday and linebacker Lavonte David to retirement, which has created more opportunities for other players.
Second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka will have an increased role due to Evans' departure, but the true question mark for the Buccaneers is the linebacker position. Gary Davenport has former Detroit Lions Alez Anzalone and SirVocea Dennis leading the linebacker core, but they aren't penciled in as starters.
"The era-ending extended to the defense in Tampa -- for the first time in forever, Lavonte David isn't prowling the middle," Davenport wrote. "There's a wide-open competition to replace him, with Alex Anzalone, Christian Rozeboom, SirVocea Dennis and rookie Josiah Trotter all battling for two starting spots."
Anzalone is the most experienced out of the four, entering his 10th season after spending four years with the New Orleans Saints and five with the Lions. He signed a two-year, $17 million contract in the offseason, returning to the state where he spent four years with the Florida Gators from 2013-2016.
The 31-year-old may be the most fit to man the lead linebacker role that David held down during his tenure in Tampa Bay.
He is a well-balanced linebacker who can pressure the quarterback when asked, and back into coverage to play his assignments. Anzalone recorded 18 pressures (12th among 88 qualified linebackers) and had a 65.3 coverage grade (21st), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
While Anzalone is the most experienced, Dennis is the most familiar with coach Todd Bowles defensive scheme. Tampa Bay selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft as the 153rd overall pick out of Pittsburgh.
The 26-year-old had a breakout season last year, recording 101 tackles (66 solo), three sacks and an interception. While his performance shows promise to the Buccaneers' front office, with Dennis' fifth-year option around the corner, he has to build on his career year and become a consistent player.
He played 13 games in his rookie campaign, with 65% of his snaps being on special teams. The former Panther suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4 of his sophomore season that required surgery and sidelined him for the rest of the year.
Rozeboom could be a sneaky dark horse for the starting position. The former Carolina Panther signed a one-year, $1.55 million contract with Tampa Bay and has put together a nice two-year run.
He tallied 257 tackles (128 solo), three sacks, one forced fumble and two interceptions in the last two seasons -- Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and Panthers in 2024.
Rozeboom went undrafted in the 2020 draft, starting his career on the Rams' practice squad. Los Angeles cut him, and he played one game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. Then the Rams signed him off their practice squad for a second stint.
He spent a few seasons with Los Angeles, climbing up the depth chart and broke out in the 2024 season.
Trotter is the Buccaneers' 46th pick in this year's draft after Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th pick. The former Missouri Tiger bolsters Tampa Bay's linebacker depth.
He made first team All-SEC in his final season with Missouri, tallying 84 tackles (43 solo), one pass deflection and two sacks.
Losing David, a franchise legend, was a massive blow to the Buccaneers' linebacker core, but they rebounded with the signings of Anzalone, Rozeboom and adding Trotter in the draft.
Tampa Bay's linebacker core is deep, and OTAs will determine who will man the two starting positions to succeed David.
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