After studying the tape of all four Bucs games in the 2020 season, I’ve decided to rank the team’s defensive starters based on how they’ve begun the season. A few things to note:

• These rankings are based SOLELY on how these defenders have played in Weeks 1-4 of the 2020 NFL season. Nothing else.

• I don’t take positional value into account, nor volume of work amongst the team’s 12 top defenders

• I don’t think anyone on the Bucs defense has played poorly, so keep that in mind when viewing the names at the bottom of the list. Being worse than nine or ten other good players doesn’t mean you are bad.

12. S Jordan Whitehead

Whitehead has actually been outstanding in run defense and as a blitzer, but unfortunately those are not the most vital aspects of the safety position. I absolutely value him for those skills, but Whitehead’s struggles in zone and man coverage make him a liability to target whenever he’s on the field.

Whitehead surrendered big plays, committed penalties or was beaten in coverage soundly during Weeks 1 and 4, while rarely being targeted in Weeks 2 and 3. This is simply who Whitehead is as a player, and I don’t think it’s going to improve. The Bucs will have to find ways to work around his limitations, but his leadership, physicality and play around the line of scrimmage are still something I love having on the field.

Combining he and Mike Edwards’ skill sets would be optimal, albeit impossible.

11. LB Devin White

I don’t think White has been bad this season at all. Highly inconsistent, yes. Week 4 was probably his least-targeted performance in coverage (which is good), but definitely his worst game in run defense.

I wrote about how White’s struggles in coverage this season have held back his growth into an elite NFL linebacker, but I think he’s generally improved everywhere else. He’s better at slipping blocks than he was a year ago, although it’s still not a major strength. White’s physicality and range will always be elite traits, and his tackling has made strides along with it.

I think there is another level or two for White to reach as a player, and it’s going to start with consistency in all aspects of his game, as well as improved technique and mental processing in coverage. He’s going to be a really good player, but the beginning of the season has been more up-and-down than dominant.

10. CB Sean Murphy-Bunting

Murphy-Bunting really hasn’t been bad this season, until Week 4 anyway. That was rough. His biggest issue remains reacting to the football, with his back to the receiver or even when facing the ball. It might be an unfixable instinct thing.

The good news is that Murphy-Bunting’s technique and proximity to the receiver on the vast majority of his reps has been excellent, now it’s just about finishing on the ball more often. SMB’s singular pass breakup through four weeks has him on pace to match last year’s disappointing total of four on the season.

9. EDGE Jason Pierre-Paul

Pierre-Paul has been adequate across the board for the Bucs defense, but Tampa Bay isn’t paying him $12.5 million to be “adequate”. Pierre-Paul has also barely practiced this year with a sore knee, so perhaps he’s not 100 percent either.

JPP’s trademark physicality and effort have been there, and he’s still a force in the run game, but as a pass rusher his snap-to-snap impact has been minimal so far, even considering a trio of sacks. The Bucs defense can get to another level if he and the next player on this list level up.

8. EDGE Shaq Barrett

Barrett has been solid this season, but not close to the dominant player you’d expect to see from an NFL sack leader. He’s been just ok as a run defender, missing some stops in space and getting too far upfield when taking on pullers at times, but Barrett plays so hard that you tend to forgive him of those mistakes by the game’s end.

Dropping Barrett (and Pierre-Paul) into coverage a handful of times this season has not gone well at all for the Bucs, so look for him to get a few more rush opportunities as the season goes on. Barrett has three sacks, but one was unblocked and another came when he was the closest defender as Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert slid down behind the line of scrimmage last Sunday. He needs to be better if the Bucs are to get more of a pass rush with four this season.

7. CB Jamel Dean

Dean could have done a better job re-routing Saints tight end Jared Cook on his 46-yard reception in Week 1, but since then he’s been terrific. Almost everything Dean has surrendered in coverage has been underneath stuff, and he’s been a very sure tackler in space too. He’s another excellent run-defending cornerback that doesn’t get enough credit. The next step for Dean is to create more splash plays when he is targeted.

6. DT William Gholston

After a career year last season, Gholston is taking his game to another level in his second season under Bowles. Always a solid run defender, Gholston looks quicker and more agile at 29 than he ever did before, and he’s improved as a pass rusher too. He’s not the most valuable player on the list, but he is definitely one of the unsung heroes of the Bucs’ 3-1 start.

5. DT Ndamukong Suh

Suh has had spurts of dominant play against the run this season, but has been more consistent than anything else. He still plays a ton of snaps and executes at a high level at 33 years old, thriving in Todd Bowles’ twist-heavy defense up front. His days as a high-impact player on passing downs are probably over, but he’s a physical force that can still bully blockers and frequently condense the pocket.

4. S Antoine Winfield

Winfield was a tad shaky in Week 4, which is probably the only thing keeping him from being higher on this list. What a God-send Winfield has been to a Bucs secondary in desperate need of improved safety play. He’s been lights out in coverage on the back end, excellent in the slot when Murphy-Bunting was hurt in Week 3, and among the best in the league as a blitzer near the line of scrimmage or as a tackler in the open field. The future is extremely bright for Winfield.

3. CB Carlton Davis

Davis has been hit with some really questionable flags this season, and missed two tackles on short receptions near the goal line that allowed opponents to score. Other than that, he’s been nearly perfect, squaring up with opposing top receivers and locking them down.

Davis was brilliant against Michael Thomas in Week 1 and quietly performed well against Keenan Allen in Week 4. His ball skills will never be elite, but two interceptions already, including a highlight-reel pick to seal the victory against the Panthers, show huge growth in that area. Where Davis doesn’t get enough hype is as a tackler and as a run defender, where he is one of the most physical and aggressive cornerbacks in the NFL.

2. DT Vita Vea

I think you could argue for Carlton Davis or Antoine Winfield to occupy this spot, but I’ll go with the most consistent player on the Bucs defense not named Lavonte David. Vea has been one of the top reasons why the Bucs have dominated against the run during Todd Bowles’ tenure, re-setting the line of scrimmage and eating up blocks on the interior. Vea is lacking elite range and flexibility for the position, but he’s able to dent the pocket consistently, and is picking up pressures at a very solid rate. Great progress from him this season.

1. LB Lavonte David

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? A lot, actually. The great crime of David’s career is how under-discussed it has been, largely because of how bad the teams he’s played on have been. David has played at an elite level all season, and on Sunday he put down a career performance with much of the Bucs’ defensive unit struggling. David has no weaknesses, and is in a tier by himself among Bucs defenders.