INTRO: The Bucs offense was clearly the strength of the 2024 team. If Tampa Bay is going to improve its record and go further in the playoffs in 2025 the defense will need to really step up this season. All eyes should be on inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis and outside linebackers Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby in Week 1 at Atlanta. Dennis will get his first start at middle linebacker, Reddick will make his Bucs debut and Diaby looks to build on a promising season from a year ago. Enjoy this defensive-minded SR’s FAB 5!

FAB 1. SirVocea Dennis Is Healthy, Ready To Have Fun And Make Plays

Bucs inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis has been waiting a year for this moment – opening day at Atlanta versus the division rival Falcons.

Well, almost a year.

On September 29, 2024 in a 33-16 win against the Eagles in Tampa Bay, Dennis’ right shoulder gave out. An injury he had been dealing with and playing through since his days at the University of Pittsburgh finally was too much to bear.

Since then, he’s been counting down the days until his return to action.

Last year wasn’t fun for Dennis, watching the Bucs defense struggle without him in the middle of the field. For a guy who loves football, not being able to play last year hurt more than his shoulder injury itself.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After recording his first NFL sack against Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in last year’s season-opening victory, recording a team-high and career-high 11 tackles in a stunning Week 2 win at Detroit, and being on the verge of taking over as the starter to replace of the less athletic K.J. Britt in Week 4 versus Philadelphia, Dennis was suddenly done for the year.

When he went on injured reserve, the production from the middle linebacker position plummeted with Britt playing every down instead of being in a platoon with Dennis.

Dennis finished with 22 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack in less than four games. He averaged about seven tackles per game. By comparison, Britt, who lacked Dennis’ speed, finished with 72 tackles, just two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and half a sack in 14 games. He averaged just five tackles per game.

Now Britt is gone. There will be no more platooning.

Despite a limited sample size over his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has seen enough to make Dennis the starting inside linebacker this season. Bowles trusts Dennis’ football I.Q. and calls him a “heady” football player.

All Dennis had to do this offseason to stay in his starter role was just stay healthy. After missing time in each of his first two training camps due to a hamstring injury that cost him two preseason games as a rookie and a shoulder flare-up that kept him out of the preseason last year, Dennis finally has a clean bill of health.

“I can’t wait,” Dennis said. “I was healthy all the way through for the first time in my three-year career. So I’m just ready to go out there and get after it in that first game.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I’m going to say [my shoulder] was on my mind the past two or three years. This is the healthiest I’ve ever been. I feel great. I’m not worried about the shoulder at all anymore. Now I’m just focused on my play. Definitely last year it was a concern for me, but I don’t think about it anymore. I’m just looking to go out there and play and have fun and make plays.”

Bowles is thrilled to have Dennis back at full strength for the 2025 season.

“It’s good to see him healthy, you know, with the shoulder the last two years,” Bowles said. “To have him getting shoulder surgery and coming back healthy and not missing the snap is positive.”

Dennis’ brief stint in 2024 was just the appetizer. He’s ready to deliver the main course this year now that he’s finally healthy.

“For sure,” Dennis said. “I gained a lot of confidence. I’m here and I learned I can play in this league. I was having fun playing and I was feeling like my old self out there. All in all, I was out there having fun – that’s what those games were to me. Every chance I got to go out there I was having fun. I’m just excited to get back out there with the guys. I’m excited to be back out there for myself. And I’m excited that I am healthy now. I can’t wait to play on Sunday.”

Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote, who coached inside linebackers the last couple of seasons, is excited to see what a healthy Dennis can do.

“He’s a playmaker,” Foote said. “He’s instinctive. He’s one of those guys where I remember watching him at Pitt – he’s got instincts. That is what you cannot coach at that position. You cannot coach instincts. You’ve got to have a feel for what [the offense] is doing before they do it. If you have that you can make plays.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s very athletic. He likes to play. He wears his little glasses. He doesn’t look tough, but he’s tough. He looks like a dork – he looks like a little dork, but he is tough. He has that ‘it’ factor.”

On a Bucs defense loaded with plenty of talent in big names, Dennis is often overlooked because of his small sample size of games he’s played in due to injuries. But he’s looking to begin to make a name for himself starting in Week 1 at Atlanta against the division rival Falcons.

Tampa Bay’s defense ranked 16th last year in points allowed, surrendering an average of 22 points per game. Atlanta’s offense ranked 13th in points scored, averaging 23 points per game. Yet in wins over the Bucs, the Falcons scored 36 and 31 points.

Dennis can’t wait to slow down Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the early downs and then get after Michael Penix Jr. on third downs.

“It’s exciting,” Dennis said. “They swept us last year. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to play against them, so I’m definitely excited. I know the defensive guys are excited as well, just because of their performance we all had and how that left a bad taste in our mouths. We’re ready to get out there. We’re ready to have fun playing the game.

“But also, you know Week 1 on the road – what’s better than that? So we’re just excited. We’re just ready to go. We’re fired up. The pieces we have on both sides of the ball just makes it even better. So yeah, I know everybody just can’t wait.”

Especially Dennis. It’s been a long time coming.

FAB 2. Can SirVocea Dennis Be The Next Great Bucs Linebacker?

I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the best linebackers in Tampa Bay history over my 30 years of Bucs coverage. With apologies to Richard “Batman” Wood, Scot Brantley and others who suited up in the old Bucco Bruce uniforms, the best linebackers in franchise history are – in order – Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, Lavonte David, Hardy Nickerson and Shelton Quarles.

Could SirVocea Dennis be the next in line to join that illustrious group? Or is Dennis, who is entering his third season in Todd Bowles’ defense, destined to be on a lower tier of linebackers, joining the likes of Devin White, Kwon Alexander, Barrett Ruud and Mason Foster?

Of course it’s way too early to tell given Dennis’ scant playing time in red and pewter. But it just seems like there is something special about the former fifth-round pick out of Pitt, who will start his first game in Tampa Bay on Sunday in Atlanta.

Don’t take it from me. Take it from Dennis’ teammates, including David himself.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs – Photo by: USA Today

“It’s going to fun this year playing next to him,” David said. “He showed that he was a great player last year, making sideline-to-sideline plays. He’s a smart football player. He’s one of those guys you want to have in the middle of the field. I have high hopes for him, and God willing, he has a healthy season. We need him.”

Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote coached Dennis for the first two years of his NFL career and believes he has the ability to become a star in Tampa Bay. He recently joined the Pewter Report Podcast to talk about Dennis, as he enters his first year as a starter in the middle of Tampa Bay’s defense.

“I don’t want to compare anybody to Lavonte David, but I can compare him to the fact that people will follow [Dennis],” Foote said. “Eventually when he becomes ‘that guy’ he’s going to be the next in line as far as being a leader. The whole locker room respects him, and he loves ball.

“He brings an energy that you want, and that you look for. And he’s smart, too. That’s another reason guys will follow him is because they know he knows his stuff. He makes the calls and checks. As we keep going, I can see him sliding right into that role that Lavonte has right now with a ‘C’ on his chest.”

No one in the Bucs locker room knows Dennis as well as defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who played with him at Pitt for four years. Kancey missed the first five games of the season last year due to a calf injury, and by the time he returned to action, Dennis was on injured reserve. After teaming up together for years in college to wreck opposing offenses in the ACC, Kancey and Dennis have hardly had the chance to be on the same field together in Tampa Bay.

“It’s going to be fun to finally play with Voss,” Kancey said. “It’s a long time coming. We’ve talked about this a lot throughout the locker room on a day-to-day basis – finally being out there together how we were in college.”

Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis – Photo courtesy of USA Today

Kancey saw Dennis’ playmaking ability up close and personal on the Panthers defense.

He totaled 239 tackles and 37 tackles for loss as a three-year starter, in addition to 15 sacks, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, including a pick-six, and a fumble recovery. During his senior season at Pitt, Dennis notched 94 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, his three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one pick.

“A healthy SirVocea Dennis would be great,” Kancey said. “He’s a guy that is going to steal your sacks if you are a defensive lineman and steal your interceptions if you’re a defensive back. He’s a ballhawk when he’s healthy, and you guys are going to see it this year.”

“He has a knack for the ball, so if we get a healthy SirVocea you’re going to see big splash plays from him.”

Great linebackers make great plays. They create takeaways, make drive-killing tackles and sack the quarterback. Dennis’ athleticism, his instincts and his football I.Q. give him the skillset to do all of those things.

That was on display in last year’s season opener when Dennis recorded his first NFL sack on Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is incredibly hard to sack due to his quickness and his slippery mobility.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It was a great play call and we had a great double blitz drawn up,” David recalled. “I kind of flushed Daniels out and he ended up getting him down. That’s the type of player Voss is. He was a great blitzer in college. That’s one of the reasons why we drafted him. It’s going to be fun being interchangeable with him and see him blitz the quarterback this year.”

Dennis announced his arrival in Tampa Bay just minutes into his Bucs career during the first rookie mini-camp practice when he recorded a pick-six. He added another one off Baker Mayfield in mini-camp and then another pick-six off Kyle Trask in training camp. Over the past three years, no other Bucs defender has more pick-sixes in practice then Dennis does.

Yet, ironically, Dennis didn’t record a single interception during training camp this year. Does that mean he’s saving them for the regular season?

“For sure!” Dennis said. “My past two camps during my last two years I’ve had many interceptions, but those don’t count. Hopefully, I’m ready to get out there and snag a couple in games and capitalize off those opportunities. Get a real pick-six.”

Sacks, pick-sixes, splash plays – those define great linebacker play in the NFL.

And if Dennis can deliver those in bunches for Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense like he did in college, he could begin his path towards greatness.

FAB 3. Have Bucs (Finally) Developed A Killer Instinct On Defense?

SirVocea Dennis stood in front of his locker with a big black trash bag, emptying it a day after Tampa Bay suffered a gut-wrenching, 23-20 loss at home to Washington in the Wild Card playoffs. Dennis, who had his shoulder surgically repaired just a few months earlier, felt helpless watching his fellow defenders not be able to force a punt – or a takeaway – the entire night.

On third and fourth downs, the Commanders repeatedly converted to the tune of 50% against Todd Bowles’ defense. The Bucs couldn’t kill drives because they lacked a killer instinct. Daniels was sacked just once in the playoffs after being sacked three times in Tampa Bay’s season-opening win over Washington, including once by Dennis.

A sack on Daniels by outside linebacker Yaya Diaby in the playoff game was negated by a penalty on cornerback Zyon McCollum. Defensive tackles Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea both missed sack opportunities at point blank range.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Dennis was dismayed by the lack of drive-killing plays against the Commanders because the Bucs defense lacked a killer instinct. Not just that night, but all season – recording a woeful seven interceptions in 2024.

“In this game you have to have that mentality no matter what,” Dennis told Pewter Report on January 14 after the Bucs’ season abruptly ended. “You always have to have that, especially on defense. On offense, it is what it is, but on defense you have to stop that guy across from you. If you want to be a great player or a great defense you have to have that mentality – kill, kill, kill. We need more of that.”

Despite only playing in the first four games of the season, Dennis could see what was missing on defense. Bowles recognized it, too.

“I don’t feel good about us finishing the season from a playoff aspect, and [in] the middle of the season, having a drought two years in a row,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to be better from that standpoint – from a coaching standpoint, from veterans holding everybody else accountable standpoint, which they do, but we’ve got to do a lot more of that. We’ve got to play not even better football at the end, but we’ve got to have killer instinct.”

Bowles has harped on creating takeaways all offseason and even had a hand in drafting a pair of ballhawk cornerbacks in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, and signing a strip-sack artist in edge rusher Haason Reddick in free agency. The return to health of both Dennis and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. should also help Tampa Bay’s defense make more splash plays.

Bowles demanded tighter coverage from his secondary in the offseason and it paid dividends in training camp and the preseason with more passes broken up and interceptions. In fact, Tampa Bay’s defense recorded six interceptions in the first two preseason games combined.

Bucs ILB Nick Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s all because of Bowles,” Dennis said. “That’s what he harps on. That’s everything he wants to see. That’s everything our coaches want to see. Throughout the spring, throughout the camp – that’s all we talked about. Ball, ball, ball – make sure you get it. I think Bowles is the main catalyst there and lit that fire under our asses to go out and get the ball.”

Tampa Bay’s defense only recorded one takeaway – an interception by Lavonte David – and a safety in two losses to Atlanta last year. The Bucs will have a chance to start the season off on the right foot and showcase their newfound ability to create takeaways against the Falcons in Week 1.

“Yes, we definitely have developed a killer instinct this year,” Dennis said. “Really, it’s all about the ball this year. I mean as a defense, we realized where we were in turnovers. It’s not where we wanted to be. So everybody’s just ball-conscious now – more than we were last year. Everybody’s in the right position to make those type of plays. It’s all about communication.

“It’s all about just going after the ball. It’s all about us playing together so that we can make that happen. I think with this camp and us getting to bond a lot, and us just getting a chance to really know the ins and out of each other and their positions we’re ready to make those plays.”

FAB 4. Will New Bucs Pass Rusher Haason Reddick Make An Instant Impact?

In a recent Pewter Pulse video on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel, I explored the possibility of Tampa Bay’s new outside linebacker Haason Reddick having a big day in his Bucs debut at Atlanta on Sunday. Reddick, who will be playing mostly on the left side against right tackles, faces Elijah Wilkinson in the season opener.

Wilkinson, a former guard, is the Falcons’ third-string tackle and is starting due to a season-ending knee injury to starter Kaleb McGary. Swing tackle Storm Norton is also out due to ankle surgery, which puts Michael Penix Jr.’s blindside in serious jeopardy. Penix, who is making just his fourth NFL start – and his first against defensive mastermind Todd Bowles – is a left-handed quarterback and won’t see Reddick coming.

“Yeah this week Penix has got to see me – and he’s going to see me a lot,” said Bucs outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who will be rushing from the right side versus Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews. “I feel like with him from the cut-ups I’ve seen, he’s not a guy that likes to get out of the pocket. I’m going against Matthews, who is a veteran. He knows what to give you in terms of different looks.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I feel like rushing high on that dude and then falling back inside is going to be key when I do it. Having the presence of Haason on the other side, we can lock the pocket up. Their other tackle is out – both of them – on the right side. Look out – he could be in for a big day. I told Haason, ‘We’re going to have to share that side a little bit.’ I’m going to let him get his first and then I’ll get one on Matthews and then go over there and finish it off.”

Diaby is coming off a bittersweet season in 2024. He improved as an edge rusher in every statistical category last year – except sacks, regressing from 7.5 as a rookie to just 4.5 sacks last season. Diaby had 65 pressures last year, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh last year among edge rushers.

This year,  is focused on using better technique to convert some of those pressures from a year ago into sacks this season. Playing opposite Reddick and next to two very good pass-rushing defensive tackles in Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea, all Diaby has to do is set the edge, stay home and collect some clean-up sacks when quarterbacks are flushed his way by his teammates up front.

Yet with the Falcons likely having to double-team Reddick with a tight end and chip him with a running back to help Wikinson out, Diaby will be seeing a pretty good amount of one-on-one opportunities on Sunday against the 30-year old Matthews as a result. And he’ll need to win those.

Bucs OLBs Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

“I’m super excited about that,” Diaby said. “They’re going to find the right guy to fill in on that right side to protect and there’s going to be a lot of chipping, especially on that side to help that tackle out. I’m going to have to win my one-on-ones and that’s what I’ve been praying on – getting that one-on-one matchup and winning.

“And having our guys on the back end that are really hands-on and give us the time to get there. As the game goes on, just don’t get frustrated. Four quarters. Hey, if I get one sack each game [this year] I’ll be just fine.”

A breakthrough 17-sack season for Diaby would surely be a welcomed sight. And it would certainly exceed expectations for the third-year outside linebacker.

Yet chances are that it would be Reddick putting up those numbers in Tampa Bay this year. Reddick has four years of double-digit sacks in his career, including a career-high 16 sacks in a Pro Bowl season in Philadelphia during the team’s Super Bowl run in 2022.

“Having Haason creates that eagerness to get there a second faster to get to [quarterbacks] first because of the pass rusher he is,” Diaby said. “He’s had so many reps seeing so many things in his career, when people give him certain looks he can counter off of that.

“I want to lead the room in sacks, but not like last year – not with 4.5. Definitely not.”

Let the Bucs’ sack race begin.

FAB 5. Join Us For Pewter Pregame And Pewter GameDay On Sunday!

Check out my latest Pewter Pulse video – and then get ready for Sunday!

Pewter Report kicks off our LIVE Pewter Pregame shows for the 2025 season on Sunday, September 7 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Check it out on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel before Sunday afternoon’s game when the Bucs play the Falcons on the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the regular-season opener. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera will host a live 45-minute pregame show featuring all of the latest Bucs news before kickoff, injury updates, and key matchups to watch.

We also take questions from Bucs fans during the live show and interact with viewer comments, so be sure to watch it! The Pewter Pregame LIVE stream can be found on PewterReport.com and on Pewter Report’s social media channels on X and Facebook at 9:00 a.m. ET on game day.

Can’t make the LIVE Pewter Pregame show? You can watch the archived show any time before kickoff on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel.

Watch Pewter GameDay: Bucs At Falcons LIVE In-Game Analysis

Pewter Report’s popular in-game LIVE Pewter GameDay show will also return on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel that Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET as the Bucs face the Falcons to begin the season. Pewter Report’s Matt Matera will be joined by other Pewter Reporters and special guests to analyze all of the action in real time during Tampa Bay’s three-hour game.

The Pewter GameDay show will not show the Bucs broadcast, so Tampa Bay fans are encouraged to watch the Bucs game live on the broadcast network and also tune in to the Pewter Report staff on Pewter GameDay via PewterReportTV on YouTube for added context and insight to enhance your viewing pleasure. The Pewter GameDay LIVE stream can also be found on PewterReport.com and on Pewter Report’s social media channels on X and Facebook.

Pewter GameDay is a great way to receive news and expert analysis during the Tampa Bay games in the 2025 season and LIVE in-game analysis begins five minutes before kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET.

During the Pewter GameDay shows, it is our reaction to the action – and yours. The PR staff will be on hand to post your comments and answer your questions throughout the game.

Click the link below at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday to watch Pewter GameDay on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.