Buccaneers Clarify Questions Regarding Defense by Jose Martinez 8h ago 
Oct 26, 2014; Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates a defensive stop with outside linebacker Danny Lansanah (51) in the third quarter as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Buccaneers 19-13 in overtime at Raymond James Stadium. David Manning-USA TODAY SportsThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed some solid pieces on the defensive side through free agency with safety Chris Conte, defensive tackle Henry Melton, cornerback Sterling Moore, linebacker Bruce Carter and pass rusher George Johnson. They also claimed safety D.J. Swearinger off waivers and moved up four spots in this year’s draft to use a fourth-round pick on LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander. With all that being said, the Buccaneers have some nice depth at every defensive position. However, there is a more important question that needs to be answered. Who will be the starters this year?Earlier today, Buccaneers.com caught up with linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson who spoke on the competition for the middle and strong side linebacker positions. Nickerson stressed that there is no depth chart at the moment, but did appear to be swaying towards making Carter their middle linebacker. “Bruce [Carter] was brought in, as a free agent, as a Mike,” Hardy said. “[He’s] an athletic guy that can run and make plays…at the Mike linebacker position, that’s what we’re looking for.” As for the strong side, Nickerson is sticking with Lansanah over Alexander as the Sam. For now.As for the revamped defensive end corps, Buccaneers DC Leslie Frazier is still sorting through matters, but he did say that the second-year pro Jacquies Smith will get an opportunity on the right side with Johnson taking over at the left and third-year pro William Gholston getting peppered in here and there, serving as an end and playing nickel defensive tackle.As everyone repeatedly said, it is still very early to come out with a definitive depth chart. However, one thing that immediately pops out about this defensive squad is that they will be a pretty young group with only five players (Melton, Lansanah, cornerback Mike Jenkins, defensive end Larry English and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald) 28 years or older.Is that a good or bad thing? Well, we won’t find out until the season gets underway.link
