As Tampa Bay enters a new era without Lavonte David, internal competition and fresh additions could leave SirVocea Dennis as the odd man out in a revamped defense.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't be able to replace Lavonte David at linebacker.
David, who retired this March after 14 seasons, is one of the best players in franchise history and arguably worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame just for what he did on the field.
He's also one of the best leaders in franchise history, as evidenced by the fact that the Bucs named him team captain 13 times.
If there's another Lavonte David in Tampa's future, chances are he isn't on the current team.
But the show must go on, and for one writer, Tampa's show should go on without one of the current linebackers.
SirVocea Dennis is entering the last year of his rookie contract, having been selected late in the fifth round (pick No. 153) of the 2023 draft.
A lot of fifth-round picks don't last this long in the league, so by that metric, Dennis has done well.
But for Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, the Bucs would be wise to consider trading Dennis, noting that he's likely to be behind Alex Anzalone, whom the Bucs signed from the Detroit Lions, and Christian Rozeboom, whom Tampa signed from the Carolina Panthers.
“They’re both more experienced starters," Moton wrote.
Moton then noted that Josiah Trotter, whom the Bucs drafted in the second round (46th overall) out of Missouri, is a guy who could contribute right away.
"In his first year as a full-time starter, Dennis recorded 101 tackles (10 for loss), three sacks, five pass breakups and an interception, which are solid numbers while on the field for 94 percent of the defensive snaps," Moton noted. "However, Dennis allowed three touchdowns and a 122 passer rating in coverage. Anzalone and Rozeboom are superior cover linebackers, and that will likely factor into the pecking order. As a two-down run defender, Dennis has trade value.
Anzalone had a 65.2 coverage grade in 2025 per Pro Football Focus, allowing two touchdowns and an 88.8 passer rating, breaking up four passes.
Rozeboom gave up three touchdowns and had a 109.3 passer rating against, with an overall coverage grade of 41.9, breaking up a pass.
Last season was the first extended look the Bucs got at Dennis, who had played in 17 combined games over his first two years.
Along with the traditional stats, he had an overall grade of 49.1 per Pro Football Focus, with a 30.5 coverage grade that ranked 84th out of 88 linebackers.
Dennis was much better in run defense (42nd out of 88) and in rushing the passer (13th out of 88).
Tampa head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles' scheme requires linebackers to drop back into both man and zone coverage, so that's a big part of the weekly game plan that Dennis would like to improve upon in 2026 if he is still a Buc.
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