The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up for next season with the offseason already underway. With the Super Bowl looming, they’ve started making moves, including hiring new coaches, and are now shifting focus to evaluating their roster.

The Buccaneers’ roster is expected to undergo significant changes this offseason, particularly at linebacker. With Lavonte David’s retirement plans uncertain, the team needs to address this position urgently. Bleacher Report suggests targeting veteran linebacker Patrick Queen via trade, citing his athletic profile and versatility as a good fit for Todd Bowles’ defense.

“The Bucs have some cap space already and that’s before they do the typical cap gymnastics that every team does to create space. Given how wide-open the NFC South was this season, they could get aggressive to push chips to the middle of the 2026 table,” Ballentine continued. “That could mean covering for the potential loss of Lavonte David. The 36-year-old linebacker is a prime candidate to retire which would leave a hole in the middle of the Bucs defense. Patrick Queen would be a fun fit in Todd Bowles’ blitz-heavy scheme.”

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Although Queen isn’t a free agent until 2027, acquiring him could be a smart move for the Buccaneers, given his fit in Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme and the potential void left by Lavonte David’s departure.

Queen, a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens, has spent the last two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A two-time Pro Bowler, former Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Second Team All-Pro, Queen is a versatile linebacker who excels in various aspects of the game, including run defense, pass rush, coverage, and generating turnovers when healthy.

Todd Bowles needs a linebacker with the range to cover the entire field and attention to detail. Patrick Queen, an every-down linebacker, fits this description perfectly and would bring a leadership quality to a defense that struggled in that area last season.

The Buccaneers frequently employ zone coverage, run fits, and blitz packages, and Queen’s athleticism allows him to excel in these roles. His coverage skills and physicality could bolster Tampa Bay’s third-down defense and turnover production, two critical areas that can significantly impact win-loss records.

The BR Rub

Obviously the Buccaneers need to improve at Linebacker. The question is, how? Do they stay the course and try to address this via the draft? Or will they spend heavily in free agency?

The only other option left is trading for an established Linebacker. And that brings us to Queen. He checks all of the boxes. He’s an every-down linebacker with good-to-great numbers. Queen would be an instant upgrade for the team, and this team desperately needs upgraded at the linebacker position.

The issue here is General Manager Jason Licht and what the Steelers would want in compensation. Licht is not known for trading away draft capital. And the Steelers, with a new Head Coach might not be willing to give up a starter. Anything can happen, but it’s not just as simple as “hey let’s trade for…”.