The Bucs have been very busy at the start of free agency as its been announced that they have signed veteran inside linebacker Alex Anzalone, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Its a two-year deal worth $17 million as Tampa Bay finds a starter at the position.

Spending the first four years of his career with the Saints, Anzalone really made a name for himself when he went to the Lions in 2021 and helped lead their defense. Through his whole career he’s played in 111 games with 93 starts, recording 613 tackles, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles, four interceptions and 36 pass breakups.

Last season he played in all but one game, making 95 tackles while having 2.5 sacks, one interception and a career best nine pass breakups. For more information about Anzalone’s stats and fit with Tampa Bay, Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo has a great writeup about him and his player profile.

Alex Anzalone Signs With Bucs

Anzalone is a smart and assignment-sound linebacker who profiles best as the chase-and-tackle weakside ‘backer in a defense that asks him to sift and find/attack from the second level. He isn’t going to add much mass or threaten as an extra man on the line, but in strategic spots, he can mug and attack or mug and drop to add variation to a defensive scheme.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Junfu Han – IMAGN Images

He can also be trusted in short zones to position himself to make tackles and limit yards after catch, with the occasional play on the ball. In man coverage, he can cover up specific players but can’t hang with the league’s best athletes at tight end and running back.

This could work in a Todd Bowles Bucs defense, although he would be a more limited option than what Lavonte David had previously brought to the position.

Anzalone works best as a backside ‘backer flowing to the ball as opposed to a head-up middle linebacker who will have to bang in the middle. His best trait is that he’s light on his feet and can bounce around blockers. That’s how he survives in block deconstruction. He will rarely roll through a blocker or toss a guy.

His eyes are his biggest asset, as he can decipher ball carrier paths and move around would-be blockers. Even tight ends can erase him if they can latch – in part because he can allow his pad level to get too high at the point of contact which weakens him. This is why his agility is such an important part of his game.

He is effortless in moving laterally as the run develops and he does a good job of sifting through traffic to get to the back. His ankle flexibility is a plus and helps him move laterally as plays stretch in multiple directions. He is assignment sound for the most part but will occasionally try to backdoor runs, which can lead to big gains for the offense through his assigned gap.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Junfu Han – IMAGN Images

Anzalone is a technically sound tackler with a low missed tackle rate. He comes to balance well and rarely overruns the play, but he lacks pop or sting in his hits. He’s not going to deliver the big blow that fires up teammates or fans.

Bucs ILB Room With Anzalone

The signing of Anzalone is a great start to revamping the Bucs’ defense, but there’s still work to be done. Anzalone will take over as the starter. There’s still a chance that Tampa Bay re-signs Lavonte David, but Anzalone, while still in his 30s is younger and a better upgrade.

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay should still draft an inside linebacker or two. They could even sign another one in free agency. They currently have Anzalone, SirVocea Dennis and Nick Jackson on the roster. They’re going to need more and certainly another starter. Beginning with Anzalone brings a quick upgrade, but there’s still more coming in free agency.

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