The NFL and the NFL Players Association have come to an agreement on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and NFL training camps have opened up across the country, including in Tampa Bay. PewterReport.com offers up its analysis of each position on the Buccaneers as new quarterback Tom Brady and his teammates prepare for the 2020 season.

DL Room:

Vita Vea | Age: 25 | NFL Exp.: 3rd season | 6-4, 347
Ndamukong Suh | Age: 33 | NFL Exp.: 11th season | 6-4, 313
Will Gholston | Age: 29 | NFL Exp.: 8th season | 6-6, 281
Rakeem Nunez-Roches | Age: 27 | NFL Exp: 6th season | 6-2, 307
Pat O’Connor | Age: 26 | NFL Exp.: 2nd season | 6-4, 270
Jeremiah Ledbetter | Age: 26 | NFL Exp.: 2nd season | 6-3, 295
Benning Potoa’e | Age: 23 | NFL Exp.: Rookie | 6-3, 290
Khalil Davis | Age: 23 | NFL Exp.: Rookie | 6-1, 308

OLB Room

Shaq Barrett | Age: 27 | NFL Exp: 7th season | 6-2 250
Jason Pierre-Paul | Age: 31 | NFL Exp: 11th season | 6-5, 275
Anthony Nelson | Age: 23 | NFL Exp: 2nd season | 6-7, 271
Kahzin Daniels | Age: 24 | NFL Exp: 2nd season | 6-4, 240
Quinton Bell | Age: 24 | NFL Exp: 1st season | 6-4, 253
Michael Divinity | Age: 23 | NFL Exp: Rookie | 6-2, 242
Cam Gill | Age: 22 | NFL Exp: Rookie | 6-3, 240

The Skinny

The front office set out a goal this offseason to bring back one of the more dominant defensive fronts in football last season and they did just that by re-signing Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul while placing the franchise tag on Shaq Barrett. Why was the Bucs defensive line dominant, you ask? They were the best run-stopping defense in the NFL with 73.9 yards per game and also had the league leader in sacks thanks to Barrett’s 19.5.

There won’t be any surprises on the Bucs defensive line starters for 2020. Starting off with the interior defensive line, it will be Vita Vea, Will Gholston and Suh manning the front. Suh signed his second one-year deal with the Bucs, which could be his last season in the NFL when it’s all said and done. Though he’s not in his prime, Suh has been a solid addition to the defense, bringing along an intense attitude that this team took on when stopping the run. Suh had two defensive scores in his first season here while leading the defensive line with seven tackles-for-loss.

Vea enters his third season and is primed to take his game to the next level as one of the premiere defensive linemen in the NFL. He’ll start off camp wearing a club on his right hand due to a minor injury, but Vea has also been injured in the last two training camps, so this isn’t new territory for him. Vea and Suh have eaten up double teams in order to create opportunities for their fellow teammates, they will do much of the same this year. Gholston maintains a consistent presence on the line, recording 38 tackles last season with five tackles for loss and one sack.

Tampa Bay kept six defensive linemen last season and that very likely could be the case again this year. As far as backups go, Rakeem Nunez-Roches is the next man up on the defensive line after the starting three. He’s had a fair share of playing time in Tampa Bay, and always plays with a burst of energy. The last two spots are up for grabs between Davis, Ledbetter, O’Connor and Potoa’e.

Ledbetter is an intriguing case because he’s been very impressive in his last two training camps with the Bucs, which includes a vivid memory of picking off Jameis Winston at the team’s indoor facility. But injuries plagued the fourth-year pro by the end of each camp, forcing him to start the season on IR.

Davis may receive the benefit of the doubt since he is the Bucs’ sixth round pick from the 2020 draft. He is considered a versatile defensive tackle and relies on a combination of burst and motor for production since his technique and length are lacking. Per PFF, Davis recorded a pass-rush win rate of 12.6 percent, and a pressure rate of 11.8 percent, above 10 percent in only his senior season at Nebraska. If I had to guess I would say it’s Ledbetter and Davis making the team barring Ledbetter’s health history.

Much like the defensive line, there are no questions on who the starting outside linebackers will be. On one side you have NFL sack leader Shaq Barrett, who had a breakout year with the Bucs in his first season as a true starter with 19.5 sacks. Barrett was franchise-tagged by the Bucs, so there is added motivation to still earn that next big pay day. On the other side is Jason Pierre-Paul, an 11-year veteran that still has high-level talent as a pass rusher, but just as importantly displays leadership and toughness that is hard to find in this league. Pierre-Paul suffered a fractured vertebrae in a car crash last offseason, and yet still managed to work his way back onto the field to collect 8.5 sacks in ten games.

What’s the difference this year for these two? Lord willing, we’ll get a full 16 games with the threat of Barrett and Pierre-Paul coming off the edge. Last season, Pierre-Paul didn’t play until Week 11. There are high expectations for this unit, and there should be.

The backups at outside linebacker are another story. Predicting that the Bucs hold onto five edge rushers as they did a year ago, the team will be looking to fill the role left by Carl Nassib, who signed with the Raiders as a free agent this offseason. Nassib’s role was important to the Bucs, and his replacement this year will be mostly unproven.

Camp Battle To Watch: OLB 3 – Nelson vs. Daniels vs. Bell

That’s right, we have our second triple-threat match of these training camp previews. While Nelson is the favorite to win the coveted No. 3 edge rusher role, this is really an open competition that’s attainable for all three players. Nelson’s rookie season never really got off the ground because of hamstring issues that he dealt with early on in training camp that lingered for the whole season. Nelson managed to play in just nine games, recording eight tackles. He did have a highlight game in Week 2 against the Panthers, where he batted down a pass and also stripped the ball away from Cam Newton. Nelson has long arms and good physical traits to play football at his 6-7 size, and this a big chance to prove himself as he wipes the slate clean.

Daniels is an inspirational story to Bucs fans for overcoming adversity from being blind in his right eye since the age of five. He had a good career at Charleston, recording 34.5 sacks before signing with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent. Daniels spent most of his time on the practice squad but was signed to the roster later in the season, playing three snaps on defense and eight on special teams in two games.

Bell is another small school player that signed with the Bucs after getting released by the Raiders and spent his first year in the NFL on the practice squad. He played wide receiver at Prairie View A&M before converting to an edge rusher in the NFL. Bell is considered to be very athletic and fast with a 40-yard dash time between 4.38 and 4.48.

This is a position battle with important implications for the Bucs. One injury to their top pass rushers and it’ll be one of these three playing big minutes. It’s a competition that Bruce Arians is looking forward to watching as well.

“I’m very comfortable with the pass-rush,” Arians said. “I think Anthony Nelson was slowed down a little bit last year with his knee, but he showed a lot of good stuff in practice and then when he was in the games, he was very solid. 

We’ve got some young kids I’m really anxious to see. Kahzin Daniels, Quinton Bell, some guys who got a lot of speed off the edge – [Michael] Divinity, some of these young guys coming in. I’m anxious to get them out there and see what they can do.”

The Sleeper: Divinity

In past years the Bucs have found a gold mine with undrafted free agents that include Demar Dotson, Adam Humphries and current Buc Cam Brate. But due to a shortened training camp with no preseason, the chances for an undrafted free agent to make the team this year are lower than usual. With that said, if there’s anyone that has shot, it’s LSU’s Michael Divinity.

As previously stated, this is an open competition at outside linebacker after the starters, which makes it a great opportunity for Divinity. He has a good skill in rushing from the edge, as well as blitzing from the inside. Divinity’s quickness as a pass rusher saw him rack up 17.5 sacks at LSU, with 9.5 coming as a Junior. The versatility in his game might force the Bucs to also train him as an inside linebacker, which could be an attractive trait on cut-down day.