In the NFL, Cover 4 refers to a defensive coverage that aims to cover four deep zones on the field. Following that lead, I’m going to provide you with the same coverage of the Bucs – your favorite football team. Each Wednesday morning I’ll cover four areas as they apply to Tampa Bay: 1. a short film breakdown, 2. a finance angle, 3. a look forward at what’s to come, and 4. a bit of fun.

Film: Alex Anzalone’s Tough Day at the Office

This is a bit of a double dip, considering I profiled Alex Anzalone just last week. But his full game of snaps against the Bengals outweighs the six snaps he played in the preseason by a considerable amount. And then there is the stark difference in quality of play.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was specifically asked to give his thoughts on Anzalone’s play and had this to say. “His man coverage was fine. I think [Mike] Gesicki got two plays on two zone coverages where we didn’t drop the right way. He missed a couple tackles that he’d like to have back – obviously, you don’t want that part of it. He was rusty [for] the first game, but I know he’ll bounce back this one.”

I specifically looked through the tape to try and see what Bowles noted. And he’s right. But it goes deeper than that.

Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Man Coverage

Alex Anzalone did execute well on all but one of his man coverage reps. Then again, he was rarely challenged in that setting. The vast majority of his man coverage assignments had him covering a back to the flat or a tight end over the ball. And almost every one of those reps the player he was responsible was getting into his route after chipping or initiating a block. These weren’t difficult assignments.

The two calls where he was asked to make a more difficult play, Anzalone struggled in. The first was a two-yard screen pass to Drew Sample where Anzalone got swallowed up by left tackle Orlando Brown. The play went for a minimal gain because defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson worked over to take down Sample before he could clear the screen.

The second was a spread look that isolated Anzalone on running back Samaje Perine at the boundary in the waning minutes of the game. The Bucs needed to force the Bengals into a three-and-out if they had any chance of making a comeback. Cincinnati clearly saw Anzalone on Perine as their advantage because Perine was Joe Burrow’s first and immediate read on a quick hitch. Had Anzalone been able to tackle Perine immediately, the play would have been a positive for the defense. A 3-yard gain, a timeout, and a chance to get off the field in two more plays.

But Anzalone took a poor line to Perine, gave up inside leverage and fell down trying to recover.

Missed Tackles

As I noted in the clip above. Anzalone fell down due to slipping on the field. That wasn’t an isolated instance. He struggled to keep traction throughout the game. And it was part of the missed tackle issues Bowles noted in his comments.

Anzalone was credited with two missed tackles on 10 attempts. There were others not captured in that charting where his angles and lack of speed redirecting took him out of the play. And even on one of his credited tackles still resulted in a negative play. On third-and-6 in the red zone, Anzalone was unable to reach Burrow before the quarterback scrambled for a first down. That drive would finish with a touchdown instead of a possible field goal had he reached Burrow before Burrow picked up the new set of downs. Football is a game of inches.

Zone Drops

I believe three of Mike Gesicki’s five catches can be traced back to Anzalone, with a fourth that may be on him as well. To start there was the touchdown in the first quarter. Gesicki looked to be wide open on a slant off of a rub. At first blush it would seem there was miscommunication between defensive backs Jacob Parrish and Tykee Smith.

Bowles was asked about this post game.

Beyond that, Anzalone’s hook curls more width than depth allowing Burrow to thread passes into wider windows and vertically through the seam. Those are the same plays Bucs linebackers have been giving up for years now. The fourth was an admittedly more difficult assignment, with Gesicki running a deep cross over Anzalone’s drop.

Without knowing the specific rules of that call from Bowles I can’t say for certain whether he should have matched the cross developing with underneath coverage, or whether Tykee Smith should have matched it. My educated guess was that the responsibility was Smith’s, but I can’t rule out Anzalone either.

Finance: Bucs 2026 Financial Picture More Set

Now that the regular season is here and the Bucs have more-or-less set their roster, the full picture of their cash and cap picture can come into focus. Here are the headlines.

Cash Spending

This will fluctuate some based on injured reserve stints and practice squad stints, but as it stands right now the Bucs are spending about $320 million in cash this year. That’s 6% more than the salary cap and a little over $10 million more than I expected them to spend. A total of $16 million of those dollars came on buzzer beater deals for Baker Mayfield (planned) and Vita Vea (unplanned). It’s a small step forward for the organization, as they have traditionally kept their spending within 2% of the salary cap.

Bucs assistant GM Mike Greenberg and co-chairman Bryan Glazer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This puts them middle-of-the-pack (17th overall) when compared to the rest of the NFL. Again, that’s a small step forward for an organization that typically ranks 20th or lower. It’s a sign that the Glazers will invest in a roster, and a quarterback, they believe in. It also means there is very little chance the team goes out and gets a big piece for a playoff push at the trade deadline. Any player meeting that criterion either has a big salary or is looking for one. And the Bucs are unlikely to have the available cash to entertain such a move.

Could this modest increase in spending be a sign of things to come? Or is it a one-year blip, like 2021, that the personnel department will have to pay back in the near future? I have my reservations. And I’ll share them next week when I look at the 2027 outlook.

Salary Cap

OverTheCap.com has the Bucs with one of the larger available cap sheets in the league with $16,356,607 in available space. Some of that will get eaten up as the team deals with injuries throughout the season. But it’s safe to say they should end the year with at least $13 million in space. Where does that cap space go? It isn’t like most American workers’ paid time off these days. The NFL does not force teams into a “use it, or lose it” proposition.

Tampa Bay will get to roll that cap space into 2027, helping them account for the large cap hits of Mayfield, Vea, Tristan Wirfs and more. So, while the Bucs look to be over the cap if you were to check public sites like OTC, the reality is the rollover will pay for that overage and then some.

Assistant general manager Mike Greenberg will still have to do some restructuring. Mayfield and Wirfs alone would free up another $53 million in space. But the Bucs cap position remains in healthy condition.

Forecast: Bucs Pass Rush Will Improve

Depending on which data collection site you use, there are differing numbers on how much pressure the Bucs defense was able to generate on Joe Burrow. Pro Football Focus has it at 22% (32nd most pressured out of 32 quarterbacks with at least 10 drop backs). Sumer Sports had him at 30% (28th most pressured using the same filter). Both rankings tell the same story that Burrow was not really under duress throughout the day.

The Bucs hyped-up defensive line failed to show the capabilities they and others, including myself, have been touting throughout the offseason. Veterans Yaya Diaby and Vita Vea combined for just two pressures. And of course, rookie Rueben Bain Jr. was shut out by third-year right tackle Amarius Mims. Calijah Kancey had a strong day in a losing effort.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

But the pass rush will be better going forward. And it will be better than last year. Todd Boles noted he didn’t think they rushed well as a team, playing more like individuals. That’s an important distinction as NFL pass rush plans these days require group efforts. One player getting to a certain spot to help another player get a better angle, lane or loop. Those are a big part of the best pass rushes in the league.

As for Bain, he faced one of the most difficult assignments he will face all year in his first regular season action. Mims, at 6-foot-8, is one of the longest tackles in the NFL. Bain, at 6-foot-1, is one of the shortest edge rushers. This was a nightmare matchup for him. And he will have some of those going forward. The key will be making up for it when he isn’t at as much of a reach disadvantage as he learns how to beat length as a part of his development.

This week Bain faces off against Tytus Howard, whose arms are over 2 inches shorter than Mims’. Look for Bain to have a bounce-back game along with the rest of the defensive line as part of an improvement that should trend for the whole season.

Fun Fourth Down: The Special Teams Play Everyone is Talking About

Special teams have been a sort of weird niche for me over the years. From my live crash out over Jason Licht selecting Jake Camarda in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, to my attempt to invent a punting stat that summer, to more recent fascinations about where the Bucs will line Kevin Knowles up on kickoffs (it was the 5!).

It has also led to me looking out for standout special teams plays.

But while Knowles played well on Sunday, first prize for special teams effort goes to Tyler Owens of the Commanders. Owens had possibly the greatest gunner rep in the history of the NFL against the Eagles.

Let me revise my statement. According to many knowledgeable people, that may be one of the greatest NFL plays ever, bar none. CBS Analyst and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt believes so.

“Not just special teams. This is legitimately one of the greatest football plays I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t get much better than that right there. Every coach in America will be showing this rep to their team this week.”

It can be difficult to stand out in the crowd playing teams. Owens did so by simply keeping his head down and his extremely strong arms out.