In a recent article for ESPN, Bill Barnwell gave his choice for the "best" and "worst" offseason move for each team in the NFC.

I have already covered Barnwell's choice(s) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' "worst" offseason move. Time to focus on his selection as Tampa's "best" move.

Barnwell again opted not to single out a specific move, rather choosing the Bucs' collective additions at linebacker as the team's top move.

Overall, the Bucs' defense was middle-of-the-pack last season. However, linebacker was a major weakness in 2025. Neither Lavonte David nor SirVocea Dennis performed up to par, and it hurt the entire defense.

David, of course, retired after the season, ending a Hall of Fame career after 14 seasons in Tampa. Dennis will be looking to rebound from a season in which he was bullied in coverage and missed far too many tackles.

Yaya Diaby led the Bucs with only seven sacks last year. Hasson Reddick, once a feared sack artist, was viewed as an impact signing for the Bucs before last season. In his lone year in Tampa, after a contentious season with the New York Jets, Reddick registered only 2.5 sacks, and PFF ranked him 95th out of 115 qualified edge rushers with a 57.2 overall grade.

The Bucs' linebackers looked nothing like what one would expect from a Todd Bowles' defense.

Tampa deserves much credit for acknowledging its weakness and aggressively attacking the position throughout the offseason. The Bucs devoted plenty of resources to and made significant signings at LB.

In free agency, Tampa signed two notable upgrades to their linebacker room, Alex Anzalone and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Both were teammates with the Detroit Lions for the past several seasons, and both bring a different set of skills to Tampa.

Anzalone is one of the NFL's best coverage linebackers, and has the speed and instincts to patrol the field sideline-to-sideline, qualities the Bucs sorely lacked in 2025. Muhammad, on the other hand, is a relentless pass rusher. His 11 sacks last year were a career-best, and four more than any Buccaneer.

Together, the pair should significantly raise the floor of the entire defense and give it the edginess it has been lacking.

Even after the major free agency signings, the Bucs continued to load up at linebacker. With the 15th overall pick, Tampa added LB/EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami, who looks as good as advertised. Bain Jr. is expected to be the face of Tampa's defense well into the future.

Still not satisfied, the Bucs also used their second-round pick on LB Josiah Trotter, son of Philadelphia Eagles' great Jeremiah Trotter. Trotter is a downhill thumper of a linebacker and should be an immediate upgrade over Dennis.

The Bucs made a substantial effort to improve their linebacker corp this off-season. The crop of LBs added all add a different dimension to the defense. From rushing the passer to dropping into coverage to stuffing the run, there is nothing Tampa's new defensive weapons can't do.

I previously wrote that Tampa HC Todd Bowles is staking his tenure on his new defensive additions. So far, that looks like a solid bet. 

There is no other position that the Bucs have improved more than at linebacker. It is easy to see why their LB additions have been named the team's "best" move of the offseason.

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