“Elite Cover Linebacker” Alex Anzalone
March 21st, 2026
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht was talking to Joe and three other reporters during an intimate sitdown at One Buc Palace this week.
No cameras allowed. No donuts. No nonsense. (Well, maybe a little nonsense.)
Licht didn’t only talk about Mike Evans’ departure. He addressed most of the team’s key signings in free agency. Yes, the Bucs made upgrades, or likely upgrades.
The jewel of the Bucs’ offseason appears to be Lions inside linebacker Alex Anzalone. He can cover! And the Bucs didn’t have an inside linebacker who was special in coverage last season. Heck, one could easily argue starter SirVocea Dennis was flat out lost in coverage.
“I think he’s one of the elite cover linebackers in the league,” Licht said of Anzalone. “And, you know, he really, really wanted to be in Tampa. Lives here, but also he was being very genuine with wanting in Todd’s defense [so he] can do more things.”
Joe loves the Anzalone signing. The guy can play. So what if he turns 32 in September. He’s also a tone-setter type and an outspoken team-first guy.
As Joe has noted, Anzalone had 9 passes defensed last season. Lavonte David hasn’t had that many in a year since 2015. But the film doesn’t lie. Anzalone is a darn good player. Not great, but Bucs fans can expect him to do his job.