INTRO: They say that football is a game that is won in the trenches. And they are right. The problem for the Bucs this year is that the play of the team’s defensive front has been good, but not good enough against great teams. Part of the problem is injuries, but another issue is that Tampa Bay’s defensive front is not as talented as the team hoped it would be in 2025. Bucs general manager Jason Licht hasn’t done enough to acquire the right talent to get after the quarterback, and it’s hurt the team against elite quarterbacks.

I dive into this topic, plus take a look at the Rams’ front seven, which should have the Bucs envious, as well as discuss how Tampa Bay may have another prime time game coming up in this week’s SR’s FAB 5. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Bucs’ Defensive Front Has Not Been Good Enough This Year

This year has not gone according to plan for general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles, who is the Bucs’ defensive play-caller. Tampa Bay is 6-4 right now, and soon to be 6-5 after losing to a far better team in the 8-2 Rams on Sunday Night Football in Los Angeles.

The Bucs are a good team this year and are still the favorites to win at least 10 games and another NFC South title. But what we’ve seen so far is that this is not a great team.

The reason? Injuries have played a role for sure, but simply put, the Bucs’ front six is good –not great. Football is a game that is always won in the trenches, and Tampa Bay’s defensive front is lacking star power up front.

I say front six because Bowles plays nickel defense around 70% of the time rather than his 3-4 base defense. So I’m talking about Tampa Bay’s starting front four in the trenches – the two defensive tackles and two outside linebackers, plus the two inside linebackers.

This unit has underwhelmed this year. It’s a good unit with capable starters, but not a great unit loaded with stars.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Bills QB Josh Allen – Photo by: USA Today

Injuries on both sides of the ball have caused the Bucs to come up short against super teams like the 8-2 Eagles, 6-4 Lions, 9-2 Patriots and 7-3 Bills this year. Losing defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for the rest of the season due to a pectoral injury in Week 2 was a big blow. And the Bucs have been without outside linebacker Haason Reddick, who sprained an ankle and his knee in Week 7.

Unfortunately, Kancey has gained a reputation as an oft-injured player. By the time the regular season is over, Kancey will have played in 28 games in his three seasons in Tampa Bay – but missed 23. Counting on him to be available for every game in the 2026 season would be foolish for Licht and Bowles given his track record.

The Bucs were counting on Reddick to have a bounce-back year and become an elite sacker again after a one-sack season with the Jets in 2024. But that hasn’t happened. Reddick had just 1.5 sacks through seven games and has not been a difference-maker the team expected when Licht paid him $14 million this offseason.

As I discussed in a recent Pewter Pulse video on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel on Thursday, the Bucs’ front six doesn’t have anyone that really scares any opposing offensive coordinator or quarterback.

There are no game-wreckers up front this season, no real difference-makers. No players who can take over a game – certainly not against elite teams.

Vita Vea is the closest thing Bowles has to game-wrecker in the front six. But at age 30, he’s not as dominant as he has been the last two seasons when he’s recorded a total of 12.5 sacks and been a more consistent force. Vea has 2.5 sacks on the season, but only one QB hit in the last three games, and he didn’t record a single stat in last week’s loss at Buffalo.

Vea did sack Jalen Hurts twice in a 33-26 loss to Philadelphia back in Week 4 – yet he was the lone player along the defensive front to get to Hurts that day. As a result, Hurts still threw for two touchdowns and 130 yards with no interceptions, and was the game’s leading rusher with 62 yards on nine carries.

Seattle’s Sam Darnold threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and was not sacked once in a 38-35 win over the Seahawks in Week 5. Heck, Darnold was rarely bothered by the Bucs’ defensive front, and it took a blitz by safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to finally pressure him into a costly pick late in the fourth quarter.

The defensive front played a better game against Detroit’s Jared Goff with Yaya Diaby getting a strip-sack and Anthony Nelson also recording a sack, but Goff still threw for 241 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Lions beat the Bucs, 24-9, in Week 7.

Diaby still leads the team with four sacks, but hasn’t recorded a sack in the last three games nor made his presence felt on a regular basis.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and Lions QB Jared Goff – Photo by: USA Today

New England’s Drake Maye passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, and he was sacked just once in a 28-23 loss to the Patriots in Week 10.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen three for 317 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and scored three more touchdowns on the ground in a 44-32 loss to the Bills last week. Allen was not sacked nor was he hardly touched by Tampa Bay’s defensive front.

Just four sacks – and hardly any pressure – in those five games against elite teams doesn’t cut it, and that’s a huge reason why the Bucs went 1-4 in those games.

Tampa Bay’s defensive tackles and outside linebackers don’t win enough one-on-ones in the trenches, and that forces Bowles to have to try to manufacture pressure with blitzes.

Bucs inside linebackers Lavonte David (2.5) and SirVocea Dennis (two) and defensive backs Tykee Smith (two), Jacob Parrish (two), Antoine Winfield Jr. (one) and Jamel Dean (one) have combined for 10.5 sacks this season.

That’s more than Bowles’ outside linebackers have this year, which is nine. Diaby has four, Nelson has three, Reddick has 1.5 sacks and Markees Watts has half a sack.

It’s not supposed to be that way, and Bowles knows it.

When asked on Monday to assess the play of his edge rushers, Tampa Bay’s head coach was blunt.

“We need more,” Bowles said. “We need more.”

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: USA Today

Despite a slew of injuries, the Bucs offense is actually ranked tied for 10th in the NFL with 25.2 points per game. The same can’t be said of Bowles’ defense, which ranks tied for 21st with the Saints, surrendering 25 points per game and far too many big plays in the passing game.

Despite having fewer injuries on defense, this unit has been the culprit more often than not in the team’s four losses this season – specifically the defensive front.

With a favorable stretch of games on the horizon after Sunday night’s game at L.A., I can see the Bucs winning 10 or 11 games this year – yet making another early exit in the playoffs because Bowles doesn’t have anyone close to the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul or Shaq Barrett up front. Those players – plus younger versions of Vea and David – brought star power to Tampa Bay’s defensive front did in 2020 when this team won the Super Bowl and in 2021 when Tampa Bay won a franchise-record 13 games.

As I mentioned in my Pewter Pulse video, Vea is not playing at the level he needs to as a $17.75 million man. Diaby is more like Carl Nassib than Pierre-Paul or Barrett and I doubt he becomes a double-digit sacker based on what we’ve seen so far.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David, DT Vita Vea, OLB Yaya Diaby and the Tampa Bay defense – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

David is a shell of his former self at age 35, while Dennis is better than K.J. Britt, but not a difference-maker at inside linebacker. David will likely retire after this season, as I’m not sure a 36-year David helps the Bucs much in 2026. Dennis should face some competition next year for the starting middle linebacker duty.

For how much the Bucs have paid him, Reddick has been a bust so far, as Nelson – ideally OLB4 – has made more splash plays than him. Reddick won’t be back in Tampa Bay next year.

And speaking of busts, former second-round picks defensive tackle Logan Hall and outside linebacker Chris Braswell are just guys and need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Who knows how good Kancey can be moving forward because he’s always hurt. Elijah Roberts has shown flashes during his rookie season, but is the fifth-round pick a starting-caliber defensive tackle, or just better than Hall?

Tampa Bay had high hopes that Reddick and fourth-round pick David Walker would boost the team’s pass rush off the edge, but that didn’t materialize – especially with Walker suffering a torn ACL the first week in camp.

So now that we’ve identified the problem – an underwhelming defensive front – what is the solution? What do Licht and Bowles need to do to fix this unit in 2026?

Let’s take a look at that next.

FAB 2. Fixing The Bucs’ Defensive Front

Jason Licht has tried to build a stout defensive front through the NFL Draft and it just hasn’t worked. While Licht seemingly has the golden touch when it comes to drafting wide receivers and offensive linemen, he and his scouting department have struggled mightily when it comes to finding defensive linemen – specifically edge rushers – and inside linebackers.

It’s certainly not for a lack of effort, though.

Licht has spent first-round draft picks on defensive tackle Vita Vea (2018), inside linebacker Devin White (2019), outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2021) and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (2023). He’s spent three Day 2 picks in the defensive trenches as well with defensive tackle Logan Hall (2022) and outside linebackers Chris Braswell (2024) and Yaya Diaby (2023).

Bucs DTs Logan Hall and Vita Vea and former Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Of those players, Vea, a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion who was Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in 2018, is Licht’s true lone hit along the defensive line. White and Tryon-Shoyinka, who was a first-round bust, ultimately didn’t pan out and were not re-signed.

Hall, who has half a sack and has lost playing time to rookie Elijah Roberts, has also been a bust and is expected to leave in free agency in 2026. Braswell has not recorded a sack this year and is not a lock to return next year either, even though he’ll have two more years left on his contract.

So out of those seven premium picks, the Bucs only have Vea, who will turn 31 next year, the oft-injured Kancey and Diaby left on the roster.

The Bucs have also spent 12 Day 3 draft picks on players for their defensive front, including five inside linebackers, four outside linebackers and three defensive tackles. Out of those Day 3 picks, only outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis, outside linebacker David Walker and Roberts remain.

Bucs’ Defensive Front Draft Picks Since 2018

2018: DT Vita Vea (first round), ILB Jack Cichy (seventh round)
2019: ILB Devin White (first round), OLB Anthony Nelson (fourth round), DT Terry Beckner Jr. (seventh round)
2020: DT Khalil Davis (sixth round), ILB Chapelle Russell (seventh)
2021: OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (first round), ILB K.J. Britt (fifth round), ILB Grant Stuard (seventh round)
2022: DT Logan Hall (second round), OLB Andre Anthony (seventh round)
2023: DT Calijah Kancey (first round), OLB Yaya Diaby (third round), ILB SirVocea Dennis (fifth round), OLB Jose Ramirez (sixth round)
2024: OLB Chris Braswell (second round)
2025: OLB David Walker (fourth round), DT Elijah Roberts (fifth round)

Licht and the Bucs front office have hit on some stud defensive backs, running backs, receivers and offensive linemen, but it’s time for Tampa Bay’s general manager to change strategies when it comes to finding impact defensive tackles, edge rushers and inside linebackers.

This Tampa Bay franchise simply can’t draft a quarterback – regardless of who the general manager is. It’s a fact that the best quarterbacks in Bucs history have all been free agent signings from Brad Johnson to Brian Griese to Jeff Garcia to Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield.

Perhaps it’s the same thing with edge rushers with this franchise.

Bucs GM Jason Licht & HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s time for Licht to remember that the Super Bowl 55 defensive front that he built was also done through trades and free agency, and he needs to lean into those areas more in 2026.

That Super Bowl team had two players acquired via trades in outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (2018) and defensive tackle Steve McLendon (2020), as well as two huge free agent additions in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2019) and outside linebacker Shaq Barrett (2019). Even top reserve linebacker Kevin Minter, who started the Wild Card win in place of White, was a free agent (2019).

Perhaps Licht has been a little too drunk on his recent success rate in hitting on draft picks. Yet those successes have not been along the defensive front, and he needs to recognize that moving forward.

In early October, Licht failed to trade a late Day 3 pick for former Baltimore first-round pick Odafe Oweh, who has four sacks in six games with the Chargers. The 26-year old Oweh had 10 sacks in 2024, and would have been an upgrade over Reddick and Nelson, and certainly Braswell.

Meanwhile Licht’s friend, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, continued to be aggressive at the trade deadline, sending a third-round pick to Miami for former first-round edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who has 12 pressures and a sack in two games with Philadelphia.

Maybe it’s time to once again acquire productive, established veteran defensive linemen, edge rushers and inside linebackers – even it means parting ways with draft picks that perhaps have become too precious in Tampa Bay.

Former Bucs OLBs Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Ndamukong Suh – Photo by: USA Today

I’m not going to rattle off names of players Licht should target in free agency or trade for here. That’s for future SR’s FAB 5 columns in the 2026 offseason. I just want to suggest that Licht needs to stop being so draft-heavy when it comes to looking for solutions at defensive tackle, edge rusher and inside linebacker.

I’m not saying he should avoid drafting defensive players, but he needs to understand that his hit rate at those positions has not been good. Licht and his scouts to re-evaluate what they are looking for at those positions and perhaps move away from athletic traits and find more tough, instinctive football players with high football IQs.

Perhaps adding some proven stars – as they have done in the past – is what’s needed to take Tampa Bay’s defensive front to the next level in 2026.

FAB 3. Rams’ Defensive Front Should Have The Bucs Envious

When you watch the Rams’ front seven attack the Bucs offense on Sunday Night Football, you might be a little envious.

There’s a chance that Todd Bowles and Jason Licht might be a little envious, too. As good as Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams have been on offense, propelling the Rams to 27.2 points per game this season, the Los Angeles defense has been just as good. L.A.’s defense is allowing just 17 points per game and is coming off a 21-19 win over Seattle in which Sam Darnold was picked off four times.

In fact, Chris Shula’s defense has been fantastic, and it starts with the Rams’ front seven, which plays incredibly hard and is full of playmakers.

No Aaron Donald? No problem.

Despite the sudden retirement from Donald, a future Hall of Famer, at age 32, the Rams wasted no time in constructing a defensive front that would make the 10-time Pro Bowler proud.

Rams OLBs Jared Verse and Byron Young – Photo by: USA Today

General manager Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay, Shula and defensive line coach and run game coordinator Giff Smith have completely rebuilt the Rams’ front seven in the span of two years. Among the starters, only defensive end Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young, a pair of third-round picks in 2023 remain from Donald’s final season.

Here are the players that comprise L.A.’s front seven:

LOLB Byron Young – third round, 2023 – age 27
LDE Braden Fiske – second round, 2024 – age 25
NT Poona Ford – free agent (Chargers) – age 30
RDE Kobie Turner – third round, 2023 – age 26
ROLB Jared Verse – first round, 2024 – age 25
ILB Nate Landman – free agent (Falcons) – age 27
ILB Omar Speights – undrafted free agent (Rams), 2024 – age 24

The Rams have 27 sacks this year – just one more than the Bucs, who have 26. But L.A. gets its sacks front the front seven, unlike Tampa Bay, which has to blitz defensive backs often to generate sacks. Six out of the Bucs’ 26 sacks have come from defensive backs, while the Rams only have four sacks from their secondary.

Young leads the Rams with nine sacks, followed by Verse, who has four and is the fire-starter and tone setter up front. Rookie outside linebacker Josiah Stewart, this year’s third-round pick, also has two. While Tampa Bay’s edge rushers have combined for nine sacks this year, L.A.’s edge rushers have combined for 15.

Snead, McVay and the Rams scouting department have put an emphasis on finding smart, tough football players that love football and have great instincts rather than acquiring athletes with great traits. Look no further than inside linebacker Nate Landman, who was an undrafted free agent out of Colorado who signed with the Falcons.

Rams LB Nate Landman – Photo by: USA Today

Yet after three productive seasons in Atlanta, including the last two as a starter, the Falcons didn’t tender him an offer as a restricted free agent and he signed with Los Angeles. Through 10 games, Landman has 91 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four passes defensed.

The Rams also signed veteran free agent Poona Ford to man the nose tackle spot. Both Ford and Landman are key cogs in L.A.’s stout run defense along with Turner and Braden Fiske up front.

Snead and McVay have used a combination of hitting on Day 2 draft picks, finding a first-round stud in Verse and adding some key pieces in free agency to build a young, tough, aggressive, playmaking defensive front.

The Bucs scouting staff should take some notes and try to implement what the Rams have done in the 2026 offseason.

FAB 4. Bucs Could Get Yet Another Primetime Game In 2025

According to the current 2025 schedule, the Bucs have two remaining primetime games – this week at Los Angeles on NBC’s Sunday Night Football and in Week 15 at home against the Falcons on Amazon Prime.

But thanks to flex scheduling, Tampa Bay may also get another primetime game before the season is over. In fact, there are two games that could see the Bucs move into a primetime spot – both against the Panthers.

It doesn’t make sense for the NFL to flex any other Bucs game down the stretch into primetime other than a possible game versus the 5-5 Panthers because the rest of Tampa Bay’s remaining opponents all have losing records. The Bucs play the Panthers at Carolina in Week 16 and in Tampa Bay in Week 18.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Panthers HC Dave Canales – Photo by: USA Today

The NFL can flex games into Thursday Night Football during weeks 13-17. Tampa Bay won’t be one of those teams because the Bucs are already scheduled to host the Falcons on Thursday night in Week 15. The NFL does not have Thursday Night Football or Monday Night Football in Week 18.

The NFL can flex games into Monday Night Football with 12 days notice from Weeks 12-17. But with the Week 16 Monday Night Football game being between the 8-2 Colts and the 7-4 49ers in Indianapolis, that’s a game the league will all but certainly want to keep in that space.

Yet there is a Bengals at Dolphins game on Sunday Night Football that will surely be flexed out. Cincinnati is 3-7 while Miami is 4-7. There are a ton of lopsided matchups like Chiefs (5-5) at Titans (1-9) and Bills (7-3) at Browns (2-8), or terrible matchups like Jets (2-8) at Saints (2-8) or Falcons (3-7) at Cardinals 3-7 that week.

The only other attractive games that could be moved to Sunday Night Football aside from Bucs at Panthers would be Patriots (9-2) at Ravens (5-5) if Baltimore gets above .500 and is making a playoff push, or Jaguars (6-4) at Broncos (9-2). There is a chance that Steelers (6-4) at Lions (6-4) could also be considered, but that game is already slated for the afternoon matinee on Fox at 4:25 p.m.

There will also be a Sunday Night Football game in Week 18, as well as two season finale games the day prior on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The Bucs vs. Panthers game in Tampa Bay could be a candidate for one of those premier time slots.

The Week 18 games that will get the most consideration for those singular matchups are as follows:

Lions (6-4) at Bears (7-3)
Chargers (7-4) at Broncos (9-2)
Ravens (5-5) at Steelers (6-4)
Seahawks (7-3) at 49ers (7-4)
Panthers (6-5) at Buccaneers (6-4)

We’ll see what happens down the stretch and if one of the Bucs vs. Panthers game is worthy of being shown in primetime.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• The sky isn’t falling at One Buccaneer Place. Unlike the past two seasons, the Bucs are in relatively good position right now, despite the team being on the verge of losing three straight games – and four of its last five. Even with a loss I’m expecting in L.A., Tampa Bay will still be above .500 late on Sunday night rather than below it.

The Bucs know they’ll get some injured starters back and have the chance to go on another late-season run with a favorable schedule ahead and realistically finish with anywhere between 10-12 wins – unless disaster strikes.

In some ways, disaster has already struck Tampa Bay. A rash of unforgiving injuries to some of the team’s star players has been costly, especially when the Bucs have faced some of the more elite teams on their schedule.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick and RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

By the way, running back Bucky Irving will not play on Sunday night in L.A. despite practicing in a limited fashion for the second week in a row. Wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. has a chance to play, but even if he does, I’m not sure how much of a factor he’ll be, as he’s still not 100%.

RB Bucky Irving – 6 games missed and counting
WR Mike Evans – 6 games missed and counting
WR Chris Godwin Jr. – 8 games missed and counting
WR Jalen McMillan – 10 games missed and counting
RG Cody Mauch – 8 games missed and counting
LG Ben Bredeson – 1 game missed and counting
LT Tristan Wirfs – 3 games missed
RT Luke Goedeke – 6 games missed
DT Calijah Kancey – 8 games missed and counting
OLB Haason Reddick – 3 missed and counting
CB Jamel Dean – 2 games missed and counting
CB Zyon McCollum – 1 game missed

Seven starters on Tampa Bay’s offense have missed a total of 48 starts through Week 11. On defense, four starters have missed a total of 14 starts so far.

The good news is that Irving, Godwin and Ben Bredeson will be back soon, and there is a chance that Jamel Dean and Haason Reddick follow in short order. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan could be back at the very end of the year or in the postseason.

• There is double concern for the Bucs offense this week out in Los Angeles. It’s not just the talented Rams defensive players who the Bucs will have to contend with. It’s also the fact that Tampa Bay’s offense has its origin out in L.A., as Liam Coen brought the Rams playbook to the Buccaneers last season.

Rams HC Sean McVay, former Bucs OC Liam Coen and Rams QB Matthew Stafford – Photo by: USA Today

A lot of the verbiage, terminology and audible calls could sound awfully familiar to a Rams defense that has had to face Sean McVay’s offense in training camp each year.

“Their front seven and also us being very similar offenses,” said left tackle Tristan Wirfs when asked about what concerns the Bucs this week. “They hear all those calls all the time, just going against their own offense. I think that will be a little tough, but their defensive line – they’re tough guys. I think a combination of both those things will be tough, but we’ll be ready.”

• As I mentioned before, running back Bucky Irving isn’t expected to play this week against the Rams on Sunday Night Football. He’ll probably have a better chance of suiting up against the Cardinals when the team returns home next week. Irving has been going through a lot dealing with his shoulder and foot injuries, and that’s all I can say about the matter right now.

As I reported on Pewter Report’s X account on Friday morning, Irving, who is dealing with truly being injured for the first time in his football career, is doing much better in terms of his overall recovery, and that’s what is important.

I think Luke Goedeke, who missed six games with a foot injury, said it best in last week’s SR’s FAB 5 column when addressed the mental toll that injuries can have on players.

“Anytime you miss time it [expletive] blows,” Goedeke said. “It’s very annoying. There’s a saying that when you see guys crying because they get injured, it’s not the pain. It’s because of how much time they know they’re going to miss.”

Goedeke was referring to how much players will miss the camaraderie with teammates and getting to play the game they love. Living in the training room while rehabbing injuries can be quite a lonely ordeal.