Alex Anzalone did not just choose the Bucs in free agency – he also chose to play in head coach Todd Bowles’ defense. Anzalone signed with Tampa Bay over several other teams in free agency, opting to return to the state where he played his college ball. The former Florida Gator is now in line to be the starting inside linebacker for Tampa Bay in 2026, with Anzalone viewing Bowles’ defense as the perfect fit for him.

“Following and watching film of Coach Bowles’ defense from afar, and in talking to teammates that have played here under him, coaches that coached with him, and just seeing how I fit and how I’d be used is honestly really exciting as a player,” Anzalone said at his introductory press conference last Thursday. “I feel like I’ll fit like a glove here.”

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

Anzalone is the first piece of the puzzle at a position which has long needed an answer.

The elephant in the room remains what will happen with Lavonte David, who continues to mull over playing a 15th season with the Bucs. SirVocea Dennis was the starter opposite David last year, but he will likely be fighting for that job with the linebacker Tampa Bay chooses to select early in the 2026 NFL Draft.

One can assume the 31-year-old Anzalone will be a part of the team’s plans for the near future after inking a two-year, $17 million deal. While not the biggest name, he brings the kind of passion and leadership that Bowles hopes is contagious for the rest of the unit.

Alex Anzalone Is An Upgrade At ILB And Will “Fly Around” Bucs Defense

Alex Anzalone has a lot of experience under his belt, playing in 111 games with 93 starts in his nine NFL seasons between the Saints and the Lions. It took him signing with Detroit to emerge as a starter, a role he has held down for the past five seasons. His all-around skill set has made him a reliable, do-it-all linebacker.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Katie Stratman

He is a sure tackler, posting 8.6% and 6.9% missed tackle rates in 2025 and 2026. By comparison, Lavonte David posted 15.9% and 15.6% marks over the same stretch. Anzalone also recorded nine sacks with the Lions, including 2.5 sacks last year. He can blitz when asked, and his career-high nine passes defensed speaks to his coverage ability.

Put that all together, and Tampa Bay finally has a versatile linebacker whose impact is felt across the defense. Anzalone has not heard from Todd Bowles about whether he will play as the Mike or Mo linebacker in his defense, but he is excited to be asked to do different things.

“We’ll see,” Anzalone said about which linebacker spot he will play. “The most exciting thing, just talking to Coach Bowles, in years past, my role has been a lot – you know, from need – in coverage. I’m excited, in talking to him, about my ability to blitz, my ability to play in the run game, and not necessarily be out of the box all the time or man-to-man on the tight end. It’s going to be exciting to do something different than in the past.”

One can expect the need for him in coverage to continue, as he graded out as the 20th-best coverage linebacker per Pro Football Focus last season. That is a notable upgrade from David and SirVocea Dennis, who graded 69th and 78th, respectively.

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

The complete picture of what the defense looks like in Week 1 of the 2026 season will not be completely revealed until after the 2026 NFL Draft and the offseason, but Anzalone was brought in for his play and leadership ability.

When the time came for players to step up in key moments in recent years, most notably against the Commanders in the Wild Card round back in 2024, no one emerged to make a game-changing play to change the outcome.

Everyone, Anzalone included, hopes things can be different with him involved.

“I feel like if you’re not having fun and flying around and doing your thing, you lose the passion,” Anzalone said. “Especially on the defensive side of the ball, that’s what you have to play with, in my opinion. That’s what separates a lot of great defenses from subpar ones. You need to have that energy and passion when you play, especially on defense. If you have the ability to play with high energy and fly around and make plays, that’s what takes a good defense to a great defense.”

It helps that he will be flying around next to players he already knows. Joining the Bucs proved to be an easy decision for him, considering his ties to the state of Florida. After playing with the Gators a decade ago, Anzalone has trained in Tampa the past several years and is already acquainted with some of his new teammates.

Alex Anzalone Will Look To Spark Bucs Defensive Turnaround In 2026

While not a splashy signing by definition, Alex Anzalone’s value extends beyond his talent, passion, and leadership.

He has also seen what it takes for a team to turn things around.

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

After being a part of a Saints franchise whose worst season was 11-5 in the four years Anzalone was there, it was completely different when he signed with the Lions. During the 2021 season, they finished just 3-13-1. They were mired in a decades-long slump of irrelevance and were in the middle of forging a new team identity with head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. Detroit then began to turn the corner, topping out with a 15-2 record in 2024.

Seeing how his previous team transformed, that gives Anzalone wisdom coming to the Bucs. He is aware that things obviously did not play out how anyone wanted them to last season, but that does not make things a completely lost cause this season.

“Last year the expectations for this team didn’t meet the standard,” Anzalone said. “What I’ve learned from being in Detroit, that rebuild, being a part of the Saints for four years… it doesn’t take this massive overhaul to do that. It’s just — a piece here, a piece there — adding a player here, a coach there. That’s really what it takes, and that’s kind of what I learned through my years throughout the league.

“People want this massive change, ‘get rid of all the players,’ and that’s really not what it is. It’s about getting the right leadership in place, getting the right players in place, and players in a position to succeed.”

There is a stark difference between who is leading the Bucs next season.

Todd Bowles returns, and no one will confuse him with the fiery Campbell.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Still, Anzalone believes things are different for every team, and it ultimately comes down to the players.

From a team perspective, Bowles let go of several defensive coaches, opting for younger coaches to replace them. Making younger voices more prominent was his strategy, and adding players that bring energy has been the front office’s philosophy this offseason. How those two things mesh will determine whether improvement is coming.

It will take a drastic turnaround to change the perception of this team’s direction, but Anzalone is right where he wants to be to make that happen — the middle of the action.

“At the end of the day, the players are on the field making plays and we were able to come collectively together as a team and kind of build a culture of standard,” Anzalone said of his time with the Lions. “This is how we operate, this is how we do things. This is what’s going to take for us to win. That’s different for every team. It’s not the same for every team. Where we were at, we were able to join together and develop that different mindset that we needed to turn it around and get wins.”

If Alex Anzalone is right about what it takes to turn a team around, the Bucs may have found more than just a linebacker.

They may have found a true tone-setter.