Trotter has received criticism upon being drafted for his lack of polish, particularly in pass coverage. The Bucs do not seem to care about that narrative, as the newly turned 21-year-old does a lot of things Bowles will covet. With Tampa Bay’s defense ranking near the top of the league when it comes to blitzing, he serves as a downhill thumping Mike linebacker that will get home and be stout against the run. He does not need to be elite in coverage, for as long as Anzalone is healthy, he can focus on affecting the game with splash plays.
As Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo recently opined, Trotter fits as an type of linebacker the defense has lacked since Devin White’s peak in 2020-2021, which coincidentally was when Bowles was in his bag the most dialing up his scheme. He was the best fit at 46th overall for what the unit wants to be, which is an imposing defense with attitude and physicality.
Outside of the Anzalone-Trotter duo being an on-paper upgrade over the David-SirVocea Dennis tandem last year, the depth at the position is notably improved. Gone are Deion Jones and Anthony Walker Jr., two veteran linebackers who were past their prime and provided little on-field production. Replacing them are Christian Rozeboom and Dennis, rounding out the room with more youth and a better floor.