New Buccaneers free agent complimentary of third-year linebacker

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't go out and draft a linebacker in the NFL Draft, but that's because they trust the room they have.

The Buccaneers are set to rock with franchise legend Lavonte David and third-year linebacker SirVocea Dennis — a lineup that they could have used in 2024 had Dennis not been out for most of the year with a shoulder surgery. He's back for 2025, though, and head coach Todd Bowles is excited for what Dennis can do if he's able to stay in good shape this upcoming season.

“We’ve just got to keep him healthy. We feel like he’s a lot healthier going into this season than he’s ever been. Knock on wood, if he’s healthy, we think we’ve got a heck of a player," Bowles said.

The Bucs did, however, sign a free agent to add to the room in Anthony Walker. Walker played with the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins before heading to the Buccaneers, and he has eight years of NFL experience to his name. That experience will help the team's core as he settles into a rotational role, and part of that help will be mentoring Dennis — someone he was very impressed with after mandatory minicamp.

“He’ll be a great player in this league for a very long time. We’ve been talking about it since I met him. [On the] first day at OTAs [he] made one of the best plays I’ve ever seen a linebacker make – including Lavonte David," Walker said. "Man, he’s special, very cerebral, knows the game very well, can really do everything on the field as a pass dropper, blitzer and run defender. I’m excited to see him."

Dennis shined in the limited time he's played, but injuries have set him back in the two years he's played so far. The main injury he's been battling with was a shoulder injury he's played with since college, but he revealed during OTAs that a corrective surgery has him feeling ready to take the field in 2025.

“I feel great. Actually, I felt great [during] our last playoff game, really," Dennis said. "It just feels amazing being out here practicing with the guys, just being around football and just being back just to play healthy.”

Dennis played in 13 games in 2023 and just four in 2024. If he can be healthy in 2025, players like Walker think he can be special for the Buccaneers — and boy, will their defense need it.