Anthony Nelson has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2019, and last offseason, the team signed the native Iowan to a two-year deal worth $10 million.

The Bucs drafted Nelson in the fourth round (No. 107) and the former Hawkeye has found a role as a rotational edge rusher and occasional starter in Tampa.

Nelson has played a part of some of the best football in Bucs history, helping the team win Super Bowl LV in 2021, finish with a 13-4 record the following year, and earn five NFC South titles.

Bucs Roundtable will take a look at where each of the Buccaneers' 2025 free agents stand going into this year's cycle. 

Our series has featured offensive lineman Charlie Heck, guard Ben Bredeson,  linebackers Haason Reddickand Anthony Walker Jr., along with cornerbacks Kindle Vildor and Bryce Hall as well as punter Riley Dixon.

The series will also include players brought aboard before 2025, who the team re-signed, such as nose tackle Greg Gaines.

Nelson played in 15 of Tampa’s 17 games in 2025, starting four and missing the last two due to a knee injury. He ended the year with three sacks, 38 tackles (21 solo), three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits.

One of the highlights of Nelson’s season took place in Week 8. Playing the rival New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, Nelson intercepted a Spencer Rattler pass midway through the second quarter and walked in for a three-yard touchdown. 

It wasn’t just Nelson’s first pick-six, but the first interception of his NFL career. The play also opened the scoring, and the Bucs cruised to a 23-3 win, and Nelson was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

The New Orleans game was one of four that Nelson started last season. With Haason Reddick dealing with injuries, Nelson occasionally got the call to start.

In Nelson’s rookie season, a nagging hamstring injury limited him to nine games.

Since then, he’s never played in fewer than 15, and played in at least 16 every year from 2020-2024.

That 2024 season was arguably Nelson’s best in the pros to this point. He ended the season with six starts -- the second-most of his career (he had eight in 2022) -- and put up four sacks, six tackles for loss and a career-high 13 QB hits. 

With his two-year deal set to expire next January, Nelson is entering a contract year for the third time in his career. 

The first was in 2022, when he had his most starts, and the second was two years ago, which led him to his current extension.

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