Dean, LVD and Evans all in one off season
Last season LVD was one of the worst LBers in the league
Evans was 30/368 and 3 TDs
Dean had his best season in years and he only played in 14 games, 40ish tackles. The 3 picks will be missed.
THAT ^^^ is what you are replacing
In other words, if rookies are discounted because they only have "potential" then dont you have to evaluate the veteran "loss of talent" as it existed in 2025? That is what the Bucs are actually replacing.
The Bucs are better off at LBer. Easily. LVD even admitted to loafing last season and he would be 37?
Evans will do well with 49ers (if he stays healthy) but for the Bucs the loss compared to 2025 is mostly leadership. Not discounting that, just saying that one of their receivers will certainly replace 30/368 and 3 TDs. Evans had the "potential" to return to more meaningful form with the Bucs, but potential means nothing, right? Godwin was on the upswing, but he is discounted in the 2026 analysis, but Evans is not?
And Dean would be fat, happy "just got paid" Dean not " let me get paid" Dean lol, so 10-14 games etc.
Yes but from the Panthers point of view is that they upgraded by moving on from the players the Bucs signed by picking up Wharton and Lloyd to replace Rozeboom and Robinson.
It is all relative.
Plus, the leadership aspect of Evans and LVD can not be ignored because down the meltdown stretch it was really LVD and Evans that were throwing everything they had to avoid the slide.
Dean had the best year as a Bucs arguably and it will hard to replicate that from either CB spot in 2026, and that is with some questionable team pressure success.