The Bucs’ latest test this season will come against the 3-2 Steelers on Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay won its last game, but can they do it again? The result will determine whether the Bucs can turn their season around — and what it means for the franchise’s future.

For now, they are gearing up to host a veteran Pittsburgh squad led by 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In this week’s Slivon’s Slant, I provide an in-depth look at the offense Rodgers leads after speaking with inside linebacker Alex Anzalone. Also, I had the chance to ask offensive coordinator Zac Robinson about Cade Otton’s versatility in the passing game and profile the tight end further.

Alex Anzalone: Aaron Rodgers Is “Executing At A High Level” In Last Go-Around

Alex Anzalone is the Bucs’ defender with the most experience facing Aaron Rodgers as they squared off in the NFC North in 2021 and 2022.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers and Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Rodgers is still finding ways to get it done, throwing three touchdowns in each of the past three games. Anzalone provided a scouting report of the four-time MVP.

“Obviously, his experience, his knowledge, his arm,” Anzalone said about what Rodgers does well at his age. “He’s still mobile, I mean, despite being 42. So, he gets in and out of places. He can escape pressure a little bit. And, you know, he’s looking to throw the ball, and then he has the weapons around him. He’s executing at a high level for this being his last go-around.”

Compared to last season, Tampa Bay’s defense has turned a corner and fixed some issues. That is a credit to stronger cornerback play by Zyon McCollum and the jump Jacob Parrish has taken in his second season. The Steelers offense has shown they can still do damage without heavy involvement by their wide receivers, as they boast two quality tight ends that present challenges.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth and QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rodgers and Pat Freiermuth have built a red zone connection, with Freiermuth hauling in a team-leading four touchdowns. Add in the difficulty of wrapping up 6-foot-7, 311-pound Darnell Washington, and Anzalone recognizes that this alters the Bucs’ defensive gameplan.

“I’ve played Freiermuth a decent amount; they’re good players,” Anzalone said. “They bring different challenges. Freiermuth is pretty savvy, and he knows how to get over them. I think he and Rodgers are on the same page a lot of the time. Washington, he’s a big guy. You got to play him in space, and you got to figure out how to play him differently than you would a traditional tight end, whether it’s in the red zone or just like him boxing you out and things of that nature. So, it changes things up a little bit.”

Tampa Bay ranks second in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 72.8 yards per game. Head coach Todd Bowles’ defenses have a reputation for stifling the run, one of the biggest keys to stopping Jaylen Warren.

Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Warren is coming off a 15-carry, 101-yard game on the ground against the Colts, a game where he added six catches for 87 yards and also had two touchdowns.

“He’s a great player,” Anzalone said about Warren. “He runs hard. He finds the smallest creases in the run game, so you have to be on your P’s and Q’s as far as your gap responsibility and things of that nature. He’s getting the ball in the flats, making plays, making guys miss, and running hard. He’s able to — you know, he has that home run ability, and he’s having a good year so far.”

Not only is Warren averaging 5.9 yards per carry with 410 rushing yards, but he also leads Pittsburgh in receiving with 230 receiving yards. His do-it-all presence out of the backfield makes him a difficult player to stop.

“[We] better pay attention to him,” run game coordinator Larry Foote said this week. “He is one of those guys, it’s hard to get [him] on the ground, so it’s going to take a lot of guys to get to him, and they’re just dumping it to him. Obviously, when he’s running the ball, he’s a weapon, but it’s going to take a lot of guys to get that guy down. He’s dynamic [and he’s] up there with those top running backs, as far as every week it seems like he got a home run. We [have] to pay close attention now.”

Alex Anzalone And Josiah Trotter Starting To Form Quality Bucs LB Duo

When Alex Anzalone signed with the Bucs after a five-year run with the Lions, he was expected to provide the middle of the defense with the best inside linebacker play it has seen since the tail end of Lavonte David’s prime.

Early on, adding Anzalone looked like a misfire as his play through Tampa Bay’s first two games was a disaster.

The veteran linebacker was missing tackles and playing poorly in coverage, drawing the ire of just about the entire fanbase. While he hasn’t been perfect in recent weeks, Anzalone has improved. Over the last three games, he has recorded 12 tackles, a sack, and a game-sealing interception against the Cowboys. There is still work to do, but he is beginning to look more like the veteran complement to second-round pick Josiah Trotter.

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

Trotter has exceeded expectations as one of the top inside linebackers of the 2026 rookie class. Larry Foote believes they play well off each other not just in terms of play style, but in personality.

“It’s a perfect match as far as Anzalone’s been around,” Foote said. “He’s not shy, he talks, and that’s a good thing for a young guy like Trotter. He can just sit back, concentrate on his assignment, and as the years go, he’s going to have to step over into that role, but it’s a perfect match. Anzalone can do all the communication, and he can just focus on football.”

In the not-too-distant future, Trotter has all the makings of being a team captain. For someone who is 21 years old, he possesses a seriousness about the game of football which stems from his family pedigree. He has brought much-needed physicality and surprising production after playing just four games.

Bucs ILB Josiah Trotter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“[It’s] just his nature,” Foote added. “He [has] an appetite to get to the ball. He is mean. You guys [saw] it in training camp. He is mean. [You’ve seen] it in nine-on-seven, you saw it the first time he went out there in pads. He wants to get to the football.

“I was sharing with [Inside Linebackers Coach Mike] Caldwell, there was a play [on Thursday], he form-fitted perfect. We [had] pads on, and that’s the right way to practice. He didn’t go kill the linemen, which he was doing in training camp. He [has] to learn how to do your job, be physical, but save some of those [physical shots] for the game.”

While Anzalone still grades last among 72 linebackers per Pro Football Focus, my slant on the room is that its best days are ahead of them.

Anzalone has shown in recent weeks that his play hasn’t fallen off a cliff as much as many thought. He has work to do, but I am becoming more optimistic about how well the Anzalone-Trotter duo can play together for the rest of this season and into 2027.

Like It Or Not, Cade Otton Is A Focal Point In Bucs Offense

Look, I get it.

No one wants to see Cade Otton be the team’s leading receiver, except for Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo.

The buzz entering this season was how the Bucs possessed a deep wide receiver room — even after losing Mike Evans. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has failed to properly integrate Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Ted Hurst III into the fold, but Otton’s last game was his best overall performance this season.

A stat line of three catches for 25 yards isn’t sexy, but the tape tells a different story.

Otton played a key role in two of the biggest explosive plays in Week 5 — and nearly had a big play of his own. Bucky Irving’s 72-yard run was the play of the night, but it doesn’t happen without the split-second awareness by Otton to take on a block as Irving cuts to find his lane.

Quarterback Jalon Daniels finding Tez Johnson for a 64-yard completion was the right call. With Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland slipping, Daniels quickly recognized this and zipped the ball down the right sideline. Watching Otton on the top of the screen, he would have been the second-best option for an explosive play after he put a move on a Dallas defender.

Robinson has also found ways to use Otton as a receiver, including by deploying him on insert crossing routes from the fullback position. The creative play design required Otton to create leverage and Daniels to fit the ball into a tight window.

After seeing this, I asked Robinson more about Otton’s versatility in the passing game.

“He’s got such a great feel,” Robinson said. “That’s the thing when we started messing with those looks back in the spring – he [has] a great feel for space and how to navigate and negotiate some of those tight quarters [where] some of those are difficult, where you’re inserting through offensive linemen and having to negotiate the rush, as well. Those are things we’ve done since we got here in the spring.

“He did a great job throughout [training] camp, and we’ve had a couple of those things in each gameplan. We’ve gotten a couple of them off. Obviously, we ended up not getting the one throw off, but he did a great job negotiating through and getting to the second level of the defense. It goes back to just his instincts and feel. He’s got a great natural savvy about him as a pass catcher. All of that stuff allows you to try to do those things.”

Otton ranks second on the team with 27 targets and 182 yards, although the bigger plays have largely eluded him. Based on his consistent involvement and how he creates for himself and others, perhaps his usage isn’t the worst thing. That can be true while recognizing Godwin, Egbuka, and Hurst must get more targets going forward.

Closing Slant

The Bucs find themselves in an interesting spot. Sitting at 1-4, this season has not gone as expected. Given that the team plays in the NFC South, they are still on the track, but things could quickly go off the rails.

Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers presents an opportunity to build some momentum, but it also represents a measuring stick for where exactly Tampa Bay stands. Pittsburgh has a veteran quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who is still playing at a high level, a dynamic running back in Jaylen Warren, and two tight ends who can create matchup problems. The Bucs will need to show that their recent improvements on defense are sustainable, particularly against an offense that can beat teams in multiple ways.

On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson needs to find a better balance in getting his playmakers involved. Cade Otton’s versatility has made him a valuable piece of the offense, but they cannot lean so heavily on him while Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Ted Hurst III remain underutilized. There is a difference between recognizing Otton’s skillset and allowing his production to come at the expense of the wide receivers who were supposed to make this offense dangerous.

There are encouraging signs elsewhere. Alex Anzalone has started to settle in alongside Josiah Trotter, and the rookie’s early production suggests the Bucs could have a playmaking linebacker duo. The defense must continue to prove it can consistently finish games, and the offense needs to demonstrate that it can do more than flash potential in isolated moments.

The Bucs don’t need one win to change everything. They need to prove they can stack wins together — starting Sunday against the Steelers.