Point-Counterpoint: Bucs’ Biggest Positional Need In 2026

There is a reason why the high-pressure numbers and quick reactions are not translating. It’s because quarterbacks feel safe letting the ball fly to the short-to-intermediate middle of the field knowing that there will be space for their eligibles to catch and run. The Bucs’ linebackers just can’t cover.

And this goes beyond SirVocea Dennis. Ben Fennell said it best recently when talking about 35-year old Lavonte David and his contemporaries on X:

The Bucs have allowed the second-most yards on passes of 0-20 air yards (232.3/game) and the third most yards after catch (1,957). No other linebacker duo has allowed more catches (87), or yards (882) than Dennis and David. And the combined seven touchdowns they have given up is tied with the Jets for the most.

The plan at linebacker has failed this year. And it needs to be priority one in the off-season. With even average coverage play from this group the pass rush will get more time to get home and the sack numbers for the Bucs will improve. The linebackers are the rising tide that will lift the Bucs’ defense’s boats.

Counterpoint: Bucs’ Biggest Offseason Need Is Edge Rusher

By Scott Reynolds

Josh Queipo is not wrong when he says that inside linebacker is a big need heading into 2026. I suspect Lavonte David will retire as he turns 36 in January and we’ve all seen his play decline over the last two seasons. Tampa Bay needs two starting-caliber inside linebackers, as I’m not sure SirVocea Dennis has warranted keeping his starting spot in 2026, which will be his contract year. Inside linebacker is a pressing need, but is it the top need?

No. That would be edge rusher. Tampa Bay needs an alpha pass rusher that can threaten quarterbacks on nearly every throw and get to them 10 or more times per year – whether that’s an outside linebacker for a 3-4 scheme or a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, which will depend on what happens with head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles after the 2025 season concludes. There could be a new scheme in Tampa Bay next year if there is a coaching change.

If there is a blind spot for general manager Jason Licht when it comes to the draft over the years it would be edge rusher. In the premium rounds – first through fourth – he has swung and missed on several edge rushers, dating back to 2016 second-round pick Noah Spence all the way through 2024 second-round pick Chris Braswell. Spence was a bust, and it looks like Braswell will be, too.

In between, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a first-round pick in 2021, never panned out and didn’t have his fifth-round option picked up. Anthony Nelson, a fourth-rounder in 2020, and Yaya Diaby, a third-rounder in 2023, have been solid with Diaby being the best edge Licht has drafted to date. While Diaby has proven to be a good No. 2 edge rusher, he’s not an alpha capable of taking over games, registering double-digit sack seasons and making the Pro Bowl. Licht also drafted David Walker in the fourth round in 2024, but a torn ACL in the first week of camp makes him a mystery heading into 2026.

Licht has had the most success at finding edge rushers in free agency, via trades and off the waiver wire. Jason Pierre-Paul was acquired in a trade in 2018 and made an instant impact with 12.5 sacks that season and then made a Pro Bowl with the Bucs in 2020. Shaq Barrett was a massive hit in free agency in 2019, leading the league with 19.5 sacks that season and became a two-time Pro Bowler. Robert Ayers was a solid free agent signing back in 2016, and Jacquies Smith and Carl Nassib were productive waiver wire claims in 2014 and 2018, respectively.

Football is a game that is won and lost in the trenches – including the Super Bowl. Look no further than Tampa Bay’s two Super Bowl victories in which Simeon Rice starred in 2002 and tormented Oakland’s Rich Gannon, and Barrett and Pierre-Paul dominated in 2020, making life miserable for Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. It all starts up front. Having a dominant pass-rushing edge that can apply constant pressure on the QB helps the play of the linebackers and the secondary, which is why it’s of utmost importance to find one.

Unfortunately for Licht and the Bucs, Haason Reddick wasn’t that guy. That means edge rusher once again becomes the team’s top priority in 2026. Tampa Bay needs at least two new edge rushers next year – one to replace Reddick and one to replace Braswell.