Bucs 2026 Midseason Awards

The son of NFL great Jeremiah Trotter, a legendary linebacker in Philadelphia, Trotter has great instincts and a very high football I.Q. That has allowed him to record double-digit tackles in four of the eight games he’s played in this season, as he missed Week 3 due to a shoulder injury.

Still despite missing one game, Trotter’s 76 tackles leads the team by 25 over the nearest Bucs defender, and he has not been a liability at all in coverage. That was a concern coming out of Missouri with only two years’ worth of playing time in college, but Trotter has three pass breakups in coverage this year and nearly had another pick-six against the Steelers.

Best Free Agent Acquisition – DT A’Shawn Robinson

Robinson was signed to a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency that raised eyebrows back in March. Carolina cut Robinson to avoid paying him $8.5 million in 2026 and the Bucs wound up giving him a raise. Part of the $10 million was to upgrade the size and physicality up front and help Tampa Bay’s run defense. At 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, Robinson has done just that.

His 24 tackles led all defensive linemen on the team despite the fact that he plays less than starters Vita Vea (18) and Calijah Kancey (12). Throw in the fact that Robinson has a sack and two interceptions off deflections and he’s been a splash play-maker, too. With an 81.3 Pro Football Focus grade, Robinson has the second-highest grade on Tampa Bay’s defense this year.

But the Bucs also valued Robinson’s nasty edge and his leadership ability. Todd Bowles’ defense had gotten soft since the departure of fire-starters Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh after the 2021 season. Robinson has brought that edge and toughness back to Tampa Bay and it’s rubbed off on the entire unit – and that’s been worth a few million dollars, too. Although he’s not a team captain, Robinson is the true vocal leader of the Bucs defense this year.

Newcomer of the Year – OLB David Walker

Technically, Walker was on the Bucs roster last year, but he was injured for his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL that he suffered on the third day of training camp. Walker, last year’s fourth-round pick, came back with a vengeance this season and has quickly proven to be the best pass rusher along the defensive line. So in essence, he is definitely a newcomer to Tampa Bay’s defense this year.

Per Pro Football Focus, Walker leads Tampa Bay with 21 pressures in addition to his team-high four sacks. He has a 20.7% pass rush win rate and he’s seeing more playing time as the season goes on. Walker is actually playing better this season than starting outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who is in a contract year.

And it was disappointing to see Walker not start in place of the injured Diaby on Sunday Night Football. Head coach Todd Bowles opted for veteran Anthony Nelson to start instead. Yet Walker is no slouch as a run defender, either. He leads all Buccaneers outside linebackers with 24 tackles, including six tackles for loss.

Unsung Player of the Year – ILB Alex Anzalone

Anzalone overcame a horrible start to the season to actually become a key contributor in recent weeks. After being misaligned on defense as he was still learning Todd Bowles’ scheme, and missing some costly tackles in the first few games, the 32-year Anzalone has finally settled in and is playing decent football, especially in coverage.

Anzalone was signed for his coverage ability to replace the 35-year old Lavonte David at weakside linebacker. In his prime, David was an elite coverage linebacker, but his coverage skills had declined in recent years. It looked like Anzalone might be in the same boat, but then came a flurry of timely interceptions that helped the Bucs finally win some games.

Anzalone, who ranks third in tackles with 44 with a sack and a pair of tackles for losses, was in the right place at the right time in Dallas with a game-clinching interception in the fourth quarter. He then added a pair of first quarter interceptions to help the Bucs shut out the Falcons. In last week’s game at Chicago he recorded his fourth interception of the season off another deflected pass and is now tied for the team lead with Zyon McCollum with four INTs.