Dare to dream but the changes made on defense are substantial enough for us to really jump up in the rankings. Bain changes everything.
I do not think it is Bain alone. I think people are underestimating Scott and Bain as they are students of the game as well as Trotter. Those three actually learn this play book and play fast early as rookies may be enough to catapult the defense to being average. Capehart could be in the mix too but I want to see him with my own eyeballs but DL just take more time to not be on skates at the pro level.
Anzalone, Rozeboom, Robinson and Muhammad are just going to put in their work and not free lance so that makes the front seven better right off the bat there.
DB field is in flux because of a bunch of young guys with great potential but they are so inconsistent (Winfield Jr, Smith, Morrison, McCollum).
All the FA acquisitions of the Bucs have their pluses and minuses. They were not in the first wave. They all have questionmarks just like every garden variety free agent has. Bowles is going to have to find a way to keep the machine running even when there may be one or two parts that aren't running smoothly.We thought Reddick would be a big addition last year, but he was a bust.
He was viewed as too small with a lousy attitude. We were all hopeful but there were signs that he wasn’t the guy even before he got here. I don’t see this in any of the FA signings we have done this off-season. In fact, there’s a lot more lunch pail in our defense than I can remember.
Here’s who is new - Bain, Trotter, Scott, Anzalone, Robinson, Muhammad, Rozeboom…
Speaks more to a new approach than what we did last offseason. College is such in 2026 where most are ready to contribute right away.
At least this year they pretty much addressed everything. Last year they were left exposed because they didn't address the linebacker position. This year they have addressed the depth. But to think that all these guys will work out is a pipe dream. If half of them work out thats more realistic to hope for with the bunch we brought in.
Well lets look at this then:
Teddy B - Browning UPGRADE
White - Gainwell PUSH
LVD - Anazalone UPGRADE
Hall - Robinson UPGRADE
Reddick - Muhammad UPGRADE
Jones - Rozeboom UPGRADE
Sheppard - Sills PUSH
Heck - Skule UPGRADE
Gaines - Roches PUSH
Izien - Killebrew PUSH
Thomas - Garnes DOWNGRADE
B. Hall - LUCAS DOWNGRADE
Vildor - Kemon Hall DOWNGRADE
On offense Skule helps to have back as depth while Gainwell helps off set the loss of White. Sills might not make the roster but he is a respectable vet WR like Sheppard and he has a shot. Gainwell also has special teams value which means the offense could carry one less WR. Defensively the front seven is upgraded but Roches is not really an upgrade over Gaines but he does have more versatility. The secondary though is a big question mark but in fairness B. Hall was a non factor last season. Vildor was hit or miss and Thomas was a non factor too but on paper it is a clear across the board downgrade.
So overall the Bucs are gambling that UDFA Garnes, and drafted rookie K. Scott can help the depth of the DB room. It is also a gamble if Kemon Hall and Lucas can elevate their respective games. Need Safeties Banks and/or Wisdom to progress and maybe Conley brings something to the table with his size. Killebrew is a ST but he can be a spot relief if needed.
So not factoring in the rookies like Bain, Scott, Capehart and Trotter overall the defense is improved.
But is it enough? I do not think so which is why the Bucs are back to square one where they must rely on the 2006 rookie class to carry them to a winning season. Bucs NEED Bain, Scott, Capehart, Trotter and Garnes to come up big for this roster (even throw in Conley too as a possibility).
For this defense to be truly "improved" the Bucs rookies need to come up big along with existing young players like Diaby, Kancey, Roberts, Dennis, McCollum, Parrish, JJ. Roberts, Smith, Walker and Winfield Jr.
If you think the veterans the Bucs signed are the difference makers that is delusional. All they have done is stopped the bleeding but the young drafted guys have to show up to the party and validate Licht's draft legacy.
It is make or break time for Licht's roster building he has undertaken since post 2021 season.
For this defense to be truly "improved" the Bucs...
Defenders have to try
Well that is why the new vets and rookies are here.
But trying and showing up is just average. If Bowles wants to this team to reach new heights they need their players on defense to thrive. Licht also needs a few feathers in his cap showing he can still draft some pro bowl players. Licht needs Bain, Scott and Trotter to be home runs at some point. This is a given.
I do not think it is Bain alone. I think people are underestimating Scott and Bain as they are students of the game as well as Trotter. Those three actually learn this play book and play fast early as rookies may be enough to catapult the defense to being average.
Every offensive coordinator worth a damn, will give Trotter the White treatment.
They'll target him in the passing game.
And, just like against Devin, they'll go back to the well over and over again.
Hope the kid can keep up and develop, unlike the other.
And, just like against Devin, they'll go back to the well over and over again.
Devin White is/was a terrible team player, a total asshole head case, and definitely weak in coverage. but not so much that he was game planned like, for example, LVD was last season. Until White went full on head case because of his contract crap, the defense went from 2018 BOTTOM of the league 29 PPG to 28 PPG to 21.7PPG to 20.9PPG and on that path he is earning back to back rookie of the month, All-Pro etc.
So, shitty, self-absorbed asshole who was definitely weak in pass defense (PFF grades, for example), but his weakness in pass defense was partially covered by great play by LVD and partially offset (as the scoring stats indicate) by all the other stuff he did behind the line and in the flats and just by making plays (FF and recovered fumbles) with his speed.
Just to be clear, NOT defending White, just saying that the way Bowles would use someone like Trotter doesn't often require him to cover in space . . .especially not with Bain dropping in coverage ;-)
Just to illustrate the point and with the CAVEAT that I don't think its fair to expect Trotter to be White at his best, you can see the difference in the way Bowles uses the position if you just compare White to the BEST of the BEST at that time, Wagner and Warner. These are 2020 ALL PRO numbers:
White 140 tackles, 9 sacks 1 FF, 1 FR, only 4 PDs but also 10 stuffs/15 TFL
Wagner 138 Tackles, 3 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR, 8 PDs, 5 stuffs/7 TFL
Warner 125 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 3 FR, 6 PDs, 5 stuffs/5 TFL
White's stats in 2020 are even accumulated over ONE LESS GAME then Wagner and Warner, but the key point is that they are AT OR NEAR THE LINE stats, so 6-8 MORE SACKS, double or triple the TFLs, but less PDs.
But the actual metric for Trotter is 2025 Bucs LBs so if the Bucs can get more out of Trotter than 2025 LVD/SVD, somewhere between that and 2020 White maybe, they should be a better defense even with Trotter's potential pass defense liability. I say that because the 2025 Bucs LB was THAT bad. Even with PFF always being a harsh grader of White and LVD being on PFF's ALL-TIME LIST (as he should be), according to PFF White had a 92.5 passer rating when targeted in coverage in 2025. LVD gave up a 132.4 pass rating. Eye popping BAD. For perspective, I think LVD is something like 78 pass rating in 2020 versus maybe 110 for White, so LVD was HISTORICALLY bad in 2025 as a pass defender and teams actually game planned him.
Very similar for SVD, so if Trotter gets on the field it is a VERY, VERY low bar, but it should also be more AT THE LOS stats that matter, sacks, stuffs, TFLs
Devin White is/was a terrible team player, a total asshole head case, and definitely weak in coverage. but not so much that he was game planned
Lol.
Ok.
Devin White is/was a terrible team player, a total asshole head case, and definitely weak in coverage. but not so much that he was game planned
Lol.
Ok.
If that is the critique of my post thats okay. Agree to disagree.
Hopefully we could agree that if you think White was game planned then it wasn't very effective? The Bucs won the Super Bowl while White was an All Pro and with a substantial improved defense that included 9 sacks from him.
He definitely was not picked on in 2020 like LVD/SVD in 2025, so the point is that the bar is pretty low for Trotter/Anzalone to improve over LVD/SVD and not really that much for Trotter to come close White's rookie year contribution (13 games, 90 tackles, 2,5 sacks). And as a SECOND round pick, not #5 overall. I dont think its fair to think he does that, but even close would be pretty good relative to 2025
One thing I can post with some certainty, is that even though his personality seems to be the OPPOSITE of White and he's drafted later, Trotter is much more likely to be critically viewed on the Red Board because he was not what the Red Board choice and/or was picked too early. Thats on Bowles and Licht, but it will most likely manifest itself here as criticism of Trotter unless the kid plays absolutely out of his mind and even then he'd have to be a decent rookie pass defender lol. At least as good as Bain!
Hopefully we could agree that if you think White was game planned then it wasn't very effective?
Seemed pretty damn effective to me, considering how piss poor he was graded in coverage that year (which was obvious if you had a functioning set of eyes).
Hell, overall, he was one of the lowest graded LB’s in the league that year (as well as his entire career).
I get it.
If there’s an unobstructed path to the QB in a blitz, which relies on athleticism and zero football IQ; then White’s your guy.
If you need a bunch of unhinged social media posts that’s got “swag”, then White’s your guy.
But, he was absolutely schemed against. For better than average OC’s, he was an easy mark. The grades back it up. The film backs it up.
He’s simply not a good football player. Never has been. Never will be.
One thing I can post with some certainty, is that even though his personality seems to be the OPPOSITE of White and he's drafted later, Trotter is much more likely to be critically viewed on the Red Board because he was not what the Red Board choice and/or was picked too early. Thats on Bowles and Licht, but it will most likely manifest itself here as criticism of Trotter unless the kid plays absolutely out of his mind and even then he'd have to be a decent rookie pass defender lol. At least as good as Bain!
Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
He doesn’t appear to be a colossal douchebag, like Devin was. So, I doubt there will be any angst towards him as an individual.
I would assume that it would be directly, and rightfully, geared towards Bowles.
Hoping the best for Trotter, and hoping even more he gets a competent defensive coordinator to develop him in 2027 and beyond.
One thing I can post with some certainty, is that even though his personality seems to be the OPPOSITE of White and he's drafted later, Trotter is much more likely to be critically viewed on the Red Board because he was not what the Red Board choice and/or was picked too early. Thats on Bowles and Licht, but it will most likely manifest itself here as criticism of Trotter unless the kid plays absolutely out of his mind and even then he'd have to be a decent rookie pass defender lol. At least as good as Bain!
Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
He doesn’t appear to be a colossal douchebag, like Devin was. So, I doubt there will be any angst towards him as an individual.
I would assume that it would be directly, and rightfully, geared towards Bowles.
Hoping the best for Trotter, and hoping even more he gets a competent defensive coordinator to develop him in 2027 and beyond.
Perfectly said. He's a buc. We will root for him just like all picks.
But it's not his fault they reached in the 3rd or 4th best LB available at that pick.
All he can do is improve and play to the best of his ability.
Hopefully we could agree that if you think White was game planned then it wasn't very effective?
Seemed pretty damn effective to me, considering how piss poor he was graded in coverage that year (which was obvious if you had a functioning set of eyes).
Hell, overall, he was one of the lowest graded LB’s in the league that year (as well as his entire career).
I get it.
If there’s an unobstructed path to the QB in a blitz, which relies on athleticism and zero football IQ; then White’s your guy.
If you need a bunch of unhinged social media posts that’s got “swag”, then White’s your guy.
But, he was absolutely schemed against. For better than average OC’s, he was an easy mark. The grades back it up. The film backs it up.
He’s simply not a good football player. Never has been. Never will be.
He was a fucking running back until his last year and a half.
Great athlete but LB, specially the Mike position, takes years to learn and develop instinct
Hopefully we could agree that if you think White was game planned then it wasn't very effective?
Seemed pretty damn effective to me, considering how piss poor he was graded in coverage that year (which was obvious if you had a functioning set of eyes).
Hell, overall, he was one of the lowest graded LB’s in the league that year (as well as his entire career).
I get it.
If there’s an unobstructed path to the QB in a blitz, which relies on athleticism and zero football IQ; then White’s your guy.
If you need a bunch of unhinged social media posts that’s got “swag”, then White’s your guy.
But, he was absolutely schemed against. For better than average OC’s, he was an easy mark. The grades back it up. The film backs it up.
He’s simply not a good football player. Never has been. Never will be.
I would say I'm surprised the dingleberry would posit that Devin White wasn't attacked in coverage by opposing offenses, but obviously I am not.
