Unlike the offense, where most starting jobs are already settled, the Bucs’ defense still has several pivotal questions entering training camp. From rookies and young starters to established veterans, plenty of players need a strong summer for Tampa Bay’s defense to reach its ceiling.

Narrowing the list down was a more difficult exercise, but here are five players who must rise to the occasion in 2026.

DT Calijah Kancey

For Calijah Kancey, the issue has never been about talent. Discussing Kancey’s durability has become a broken record, but for good reason.

Kancey has flashed Pro Bowl-caliber disruption whenever healthy, but that has been the biggest obstacle to him becoming the centerpiece of Tampa Bay’s defensive front. His fourth season feels like the tipping point in proving he can become the disruptive force everyone believes he can be. The front seven has been revamped around Kancey, considering the additions of Rueben Bain Jr., A’Shawn Robinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad, along with the return of David Walker (more on him below).

There is no better time for Kancey to put it all together and spearhead the pass rush.

Bucs DTs Calijah Kancey and Elijah Roberts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Schematically, Kancey’s fit within the Bucs’ defense is as perfect as it gets. Vita Vea just so happens to be a 350-pound nose tackle who eats up double teams, creating opportunities for the 2023 first-round pick to use his rare explosive first step to collapse the pocket. This is not just hyperbole. It was on full display during the 2024 season when he had 7.5 sacks in 12 games, including five sacks in a four-game span.

Had he continued to get full reps and in-game experience, he could have helped prevent Tampa Bay from having just 37 sacks as a team. Now, the pressure is on for him this summer. After succumbing to injury before each of his first two seasons and suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2 of his third season, a healthy training camp is the first step toward getting him back on track. Kancey has the chance to remove doubt about him leading the defensive tackle room for years to come.

OLB David Walker

Injuries have not only held Calijah Kancey back, but a torn ACL kept David Walker from seeing the field at all during his rookie season. Seeing Walker go down during last year’s training camp after initially impressing was an unfortunate blow, considering the struggles of the outside pass rush in 2025. It is impossible to make up for the lost time, but what he can do is hit the ground running and compete to see the field often this year.

Bucs OLB David Walker – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While undersized, Walker’s pass-rushing ability should not be doubted. His collegiate production was outstanding, as in 38 games across three seasons at Central Arkansas and one season at Southern Arkansas University, he totaled 82.5 tackles for loss and 39 sacks.

Walker must ball out because the door could begin closing on him. That reality may already be setting in, with Rueben Bain Jr. being the starting outside linebacker next to Yaya Diaby, who is expected to receive a contract extension at some point. With those two as long-term starters and Al-Quadin Muhammad leading the next wave, Walker’s role will be more limited.

Not only does he have to thrive in pass-rushing situations, but every practice against Tampa Bay’s offensive tackles will serve as a litmus test, and Walker has to translate that into the preseason. At 26 years old without an NFL snap, Walker does not have the luxury of a long developmental runway. The spotlight will obviously be on Bain, but Walker’s presence has to make a difference right away, too.

ILB Josiah Trotter

Josiah Trotter has caught his share of flak since being drafted by the Bucs in the second round. Training camp is Trotter’s first chance at quieting the outside noise holding down an inside linebacker spot. Being a premium pick at what has been a dire position of need, he is expected to be the starter next to Alex Anzalone. Given how much the middle of the defense has been a glaring weakness, plenty of eyes will be on the 21-year-old to see just how ready he is.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: Adam Warren/PR

Trotter was not drafted to develop behind veterans, but rather because the organization believes he can stabilize one of the defense’s biggest weaknesses immediately. Understandably, his ups and downs in pass coverage have raised concerns. It is unrealistic for him to be a finished product Week 1, but the strides he makes before the season will say a lot about the state of the position and whether or not he is ready for the responsibilities that come with being a mike linebacker.

Built like an old-school thumper and carrying one of the NFL’s most recognizable linebacker bloodlines, Trotter fits exactly what Todd Bowles wants in the middle of his defense. Bowles’ defense operates best with two linebackers who complement each other well, such as the early days of the Lavonte David and Devin White duo. Trotter has plenty of room to grow, but given the longstanding struggles at the position, he must not only look the part but play the part. Otherwise, it will be a long year of shuffling players and getting picked apart.

CB Zyon McCollum

Shifting focus to the secondary, where the Bucs stand at cornerback does not evoke much confidence. While the group has plenty of promising players, that promise has yet to translate into consistent production. Tampa Bay is in a spot where they are fully trusting in youth over production, evidenced by swapping Jamel Dean for Benjamin Morrison and betting on Zyon McCollum to be the top corner. McCollum is entering his fifth season with time running out to prove that he can be consistent for an entire year. He regressed in 2025, looking vulnerable in coverage, which is a worrying trend considering that he ended 2024 in the same way.

Bucs CBs coach Rashad Johnson and CB Zyon McCollum – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Todd Bowles has spoken about his lack of concentration and his eyes as areas to improve, and the team must see him step up in training camp. It will not be easy going up against the team’s loaded wide receiver room, but that also provides quite the opportunity to rise to the occasion and alleviate worry. Among the trio of McCollum, Morrison, and Jacob Parrish, McCollum has the largest contract and highest expectations to perform. The pass defense — and really the entire defense — needs him to put those struggles behind him in order to be successful.

S Antoine Winfield Jr.

Perhaps the bar for Antoine Winfield Jr. was set too high after his All-Pro 2023 season where he lit up the stat sheet and played like the best safety in the NFL. Expecting Winfield to reach that gold standard year after year is not fair. At the same time, since becoming the defense’s highest-paid player, he has taken a step back in production. He has been good, but not the same elite player that moved the needle.

Antoine Winfield in 2023: 17 games, 122 tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, three interceptions

Antoine Winfield in 2024 and 2025: 26 games, 153 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, two interceptions

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Winfield’s playmaking has dried up to an extent in recent years, with part of the reason being the struggles of the secondary leading to him playing cleanup rather than seeking and going after the ball. The hope is that he has more freedom to roam the backend of the defense with Jacob Parrish rotating in as an outside cornerback and Keionte Scott manning the nickelback position.

For this defense to be successful and bounce back, it needs the best version of Winfield starting in training camp. He does not need to have 12 combined sacks and fumbles, but even half that total would go a long way in flipping the outcome of games in Tampa Bay’s favor. That sure was the case in 2023, as the team would not have made the postseason without his clutch, game-changing plays.

If Antoine Winfield Jr. is playing at an All-Pro level again, the Bucs’ defense becomes far more dangerous. If he is simply good, the unit may struggle to create the splash plays necessary to compete for another playoff run.