What do the Bucs do at inside linebacker after this season? With Lavonte David and Devin White both free agents, the team needs to address this position with a long-term answer.

Lavonte David has maintained his status as one of the league’s best inside linebackers. But if he re-signs in the offseason he will enter training camp next year as a 34-year-old. Devin White has played out this season on his fifth-year option after not getting an extension and his performance does not justify a deal near the top inside linebackers in the league.

At a minimum, it appears the Bucs will be looking to both fill White’s shoes and draft David’s heir apparent. Thankfully for the team, they can find answers at one program that has two of the best inside linebackers in the country. 

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Could Be A Menacing ILB For The Bucs

Looking at the Clemson Tigers football program, the Tigers have long had plenty of success under head coach Dabo Swinney. Although they are not ranked this season, they still have plenty of high-end talent. That includes inside linebacker, where both Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter have done well patrolling the middle of the field.

Clemson ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. And North Carolina QB Drake Maye – Photo by: USA Today

If the name Jeremiah Trotter sounds familiar, it is because his dad was a four-time Pro Bowl player at the same position. The senior Trotter even made a brief stop toward the end of his career with the Bucs in 2007, playing in three games alongside Derrick Brooks and Barrett Ruud. Having NFL bloodlines, it is fair to say Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is following in his father’s footsteps as a havoc-wreaking linebacker with a high football IQ and the tenacity to make plays.

Trotter has been doing that all season on the Tigers’ defense. In 11 games so far, including yesterday’s 31-20 win over quarterback Drake Maye and the No.20 North Carolina Tar Heels, he has 82 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles and interceptions apiece. It is hard to watch one of their games and not see the consistent impact that he has, especially during November.

Going up against Maye, one of the projected top picks in the NFL Draft in the spring, Trotter led the team with 11 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, and a sack. Earlier this month against Notre Dame, Trotter played an integral part for his team to beat the then No.12 Fighting Irish. Trotter again led the team with 11 total tackles and chipped in 2.5 tackles for loss that included two sacks. He also showed off his hands, nabbing a key second-quarter 28-yard pick-six off quarterback Sam Hartman.

There is no question that Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has it in his blood to be an NFL linebacker, but he has more than made a name for himself by backing up his lineage with high-end production.

Clemson ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Watching him play, Trotter profiles as a potential Devin White replacement for being a mike linebacker with a pass-rushing prowess. Back in May, here is what he said about his skillset in an exclusive interview with Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus.

“For my game, I think I’m very versatile,” Trotter said then. “I feel like I don’t have a major weakness in my game. If you need me to cover a running back or tight end, I can do that. If you want to blitz me, I can blitz. If you need someone who’s physical in the run game and taking on linemen, I can do that. That’s a part of my game that separates me from a lot of linebackers.”

If there is a concern with him, it would be his stature (6-0, 230). Trotter is a bit smaller and lighter than his dad was back in his playing days, but Tampa Bay did pretty well taking a similarly “small” Derrick Brooks back in 1996 and with Lavonte David in 2012.

If the Bucs prefer a different flavor at inside linebacker, there is another option with just as much upside.

Barrett Carter Would Offer The Bucs A Total Package – As An ILB And Leader

Lavonte David has been the model of leadership and consistency for the Bucs since being the team’s second-round pick back in 2012. If one looked at his game film this year and compared it back to those days, one would see little – if any – dropoff.

Clemson LB Barrett Carter and FSU QB Jordan Travis – Photo by: USA Today

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and at some point, the team will have to look at finding his replacement. The most intriguing option to fill his shoes with a similar playstyle just so happens to line up beside Jeremiah Trotter Jr. on the Tigers’ defense. That would be inside linebacker Barrett Carter.

Barrett Carter really came into his own last season, recording 73 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and two interceptions. Like Trotter, Carter is similarly built at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, and has the ability to get after the quarterback but he can also affect the pass game. He has the speed and athleticism to line up all across the field while being proficient in coverage and smart in picking his spots and attacking the football.

In a lot of ways, he is a complete player, and he has more of a ceiling than Trenton Simpson, Carter’s teammate last season and a third-round pick by the Ravens in this past year’s NFL Draft. Back in August before the college football season started, ESPN’s David Hale highlighted how Carter has impacted the Tigers – and his community. That includes hearing from head coach Dabo Swinney who has been nothing but bullish on what Barrett Carter has meant to his team.

“He can fly, he’s tough, he’s smart,” Swinney said. “You don’t get to coach many guys like Barrett Carter. He’s everything.” Swinney added that Carter is the epitome of excellence. “We say, ‘Excellence in everything you do all the time,’ and that’s what we’re trying to get these kids to buy into. Well, Barrett epitomizes that.”

This season, the junior linebacker has continued his impressive play. In ten games, Barrett Carter has 54 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks. How he contributes to games extends to what he brings on the field. Carter’s leadership traits are well-documented and he would fit any void left in that regard should Lavonte David and/or Devin White depart Tampa Bay next offseason.

Clemson ILB Barrett Carter – Photo by: USA Today

There will be a lot of holes that will need to be filled across the roster, and regardless of where David and White suit up next season, the Bucs should take a long look at what Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter could provide them. At the moment, both are seen as early Day 2 picks with the potential to be first-rounders.

The Clemson Tigers play the South Carolina Gamecocks this upcoming Saturday to close out their regular season before Bowl season commences. If they have not seen them play already, the Bucs would be wise to send scouts to watch both of them and determine who could next captain the Buccaneers’ defense for the long haul.