Cap Casualty?
February 17th, 2026
Clock ticking?
Anthony Nelson has known no other NFL defensive coordinator than Todd Bowles. Will that change this fall?
Now is the time of year when front office suits have to decide who is earning their salaries and who can be spared. With the new league year on March 11, teams are looking to whittle salaries to make room for new free agents and later, signing drafted players.
Veteran NFL columnist Dan Pompei of The Athletic is looking at potential salary cap cuts coming in the next couple of weeks. Pompei is looking at Anthony Nelson possibly getting the ziggy.
The Bucs don’t have a glaring candidate to be cut who could save significant cap space, but Nelson, a holdover from Super Bowl LV, has been the subject of speculation. Soon to be 29, Nelson had three sacks last season and is going into the last year of a contract that calls for him to be paid $4.5 million. Cutting him would clear a path for second-year pass rusher David Walker, who missed his rookie season with an ACL tear and is attempting a return.
Well, the Bucs desperately need inside linebackers. The way Joe looks at it, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht needs to bring in three linebackers (assuming Lavonte David retires). Sign two guys and draft one; sign one guy and draft two; sign three or draft three, whatever.
If Licht needs to unload salary to sign an impact linebacker, then the Bucs may need to move on from Nelson, who is a quality backup. But damn it, the Bucs need a stud on the field to start, not backups.
Perhaps the Bucs could rework Nelson’s contract? That’s fine to Joe, but at the end of the day, the Bucs need starting inside linebackers. If that means Nelson is a victim, well, the NFL is a business. Sometimes a cold business.