The Bucs are now just past the season’s halfway mark, sitting at 4-4 record-wise after losing to the Falcons 31-26. After getting off to a hot 3-1 start, the team has cooled off after dealing with extensive injuries and circumstances outside their control to get to where they are now.

What general manager Jason Licht and the front office can control, however, is the talent they bring into the building and addressing the roster’s weaknesses. It is far from a perfect science doing so, but Licht and his staff are some of the best in the business in identifying the right fits and getting production from them quickly.

Last October, I looked at some of the Bucs’ biggest team needs and who they could potentially go after – either through the NFL Draft or in free agency. While the 2025 NFL Draft is still about six months away, this paints a picture of which positions the team could look to shore up and some names to monitor.

While some needs were addressed going into the 2024 season, others have come up stemming from poor play, bracing for the future, or both. Looking ahead to the 2025 season, which positions should the Bucs be looking at improving the most?

On Tuesday, I looked at the Bucs’ needs on offense entering 2025. Today, I’ll examine Tampa Bay’s needs on defense moving forward.

Bucs Personnel Needs In 2025: Defense

Inside Linebacker

Raiders ILB Robert Spillane – Photo by: USA Today

One would expect a 34-year-old Lavonte David to gracefully decline from the dominant force he has been for over a decade. David has noticeably started to lose a step in pass coverage, and while he will still make the occasional splash play, it is safe to say that he is unequivocally past his prime and will likely retire after this season or after 2025.

Tampa Bay hoped to have the other starting inside linebacker position filled by one of K.J. Britt or SirVocea Dennis, both former fifth-round picks. Instead of stepping up and solidifying a spot in the team’s plans, their respective futures are up in the air as Britt has struggled mightily this season while Dennis has been injury-prone and out for the year with a shoulder injury. If David retires and/or the team seeks to upgrade from Britt and Dennis, who could be brought in?

After returning to Clemson for his senior season, Barrett Carter remains one of the best inside linebacker prospects who will come into the league next season. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker pairs elite athleticism with strong coverage skills and the ability to succeed as a blitzer, with three sacks in seven games in 2024. It is not a strong class at the position, but other names to know include Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell and Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman.

Campbell is a first-year starter in his junior season for the Crimson Tide and is tied for fifth in the SEC with 66 total tackles and is a fluid athlete with plus size to mold into an NFL starting linebacker. He also has dynamic playmaking ability with 2.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Stutsman is a thumping linebacker at 6-foot-4, 241 pounds and has more athletic upside than Britt.

Should the team look to free agency, Dre Greenlaw, Ernest Jones, and Robert Spillane are the best fits on the open market.

Greenlaw had grown into an elite linebacker alongside Fred Warner in 2022 and 2023 before tearing his Achilles during the Super Bowl. He could be an intriguing high-upside signing but also comes with some risk. Jones has been on the move this season, first traded from the Rams to the Titans before being flipped to the Seahawks. He would only be 25 years old this time next year and has been a solid starter.

Spillane has been one of the bright spots on a 2-6 Raiders defense and the team captain opened the year with five consecutive double-digit tackle games. After a productive 2023 season with 148 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions, the almost 29-year-old has put on quite the encore and would bring toughness and veteran leadership up the middle.

Outside Linebacker

Georgia OLB Jalon Walker and Texas QB Quinn Ewers – Photo by: USA Today

Another year, another need for the Bucs at outside linebacker. While the team took Chris Braswell in the second round this year, he has yet to truly emerge as a viable option and has just 11 total tackles and half a sack in eight games. It can be argued – and I would agree – that the need to shore up this position is even bigger than it was last year.

Shaq Barrett is no longer around to help on the pass-rushing front. Even though Barrett logged just 4.5 sacks in his final NFL season, he consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks (84.5 pass-rush grade per PFF).

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is in a contract year and looks less and less likely to return. Anthony Nelson is just a guy and a free agent after the season ends. Markees Watts is on injured reserve and has failed to crack the rotation, while 2023 sixth-round pick Jose Ramirez has played just 14 defensive snaps this season.

This leaves a depth chart with just two locks going into 2025 – Yaya Diaby and Braswell. Even Diaby has yet to fully break out as a true No. 1 outside linebacker, logging just two sacks in eight games and disappearing at times. The position needs a true difference-maker. Who could that be?

Fortunately for Tampa Bay and other teams needing outside linebacker help, it appears to be one of the biggest strengths of the 2025 NFL Draft. Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Georgia’s Jalon Walker are the two biggest names to know.

Carter has come into his own for the Nittany Lions this season after being in the shadows behind Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, both Top 100 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Through eight games, he has 30 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He is a disruptor, as this brief film breakdown illustrates how the various ways he wins off the snap.

Walker is a versatile and highly athletic prospect who has alternated between inside and outside linebacker. His biggest game this season came against No. 1 Texas earlier this month, notching three sacks which earned him plenty of noteworthy praise.

There are plenty of other names to know on the draft front, including Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer, Kentucky’s J.J. Weaver, and South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard. Should the team look for a veteran presence, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick and Khalil Mack are three of the top free-agent options but would come with a big price tag.

Cornerback

Texas CB Jahdae Barron – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs’ cornerback depth has been tested mightily this season. Bryce Hall was the biggest outside addition but suffered a season-ending in the team’s season opener. Jamel Dean is currently on injured reserve, and outside of budding star Zyon McCollum, the team lacks another quality option that can come in and not be a liability.

That makes this position a need even with Dean in the picture, and there is a chance that the team moves on from the veteran cornerback after this season. After playing well in his contract year back in 2022, he has not been the same and offers limited playmaking ability.

The team could address the position with one of many talented options in the 2025 NFL Draft. Drafting Michigan’s Will Johnson and Colorado’s two-way superstar Travis Hunter are likely pipe dreams, as they’ll be Top 10 picks, but behind them lie first-round talents in Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, Texas’ Jahdae Barron, and Arizona’s Tacario Davis.

Before suffering a season-ending hip injury, Morrison put together quite the resume for the Fighting Irish. He had six interceptions in 2022, three interceptions in 2023, and was stingy in coverage in the six games he played in 2024. He keeps his nose around the ball and has a lot of intriguing traits.

Barron has elevated his stock in a big way for the resurgent Longhorns’ program and already has a career-high three interceptions this season. He is very physical, making the most of his 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame, reads routes well, and plays with great energy and a bit of swagger.

Davis is 6-foot-4 and sharpens his game weekly matching up against Tetarioa McMillan at practice. Not only does his plus-plus size help him smother opposing wide receivers, but he plays with great instincts.