The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a disappointing season. It was a year where the offense was riddled with injuries and the defense just didn’t play very well. And while players will come back healthy in 2026, it has become obvious that the defense needs an injection of talent.
The Bucs front seven just wasn’t good enough last year and the team missed the playoffs as a result. The biggest problem was the linebacker play on this team. Too many times tight ends and running backs gashed this defense over the middle and in the flats.
With SirVocea Dennis looking like a backup level player and Lavonte David looking like he might be at the end of his career, this is the Bucs biggest need in the offseason. They will need two starting level players, plus a quality backup behind them. That means a lot of new faces in the linebacker room.
There isn’t just one solution to this problem. General Manager Jason Licht will certainly draft at least one, if not two linebackers. The others will be added in free agency. The only question is, how much Licht will invest into his team’s greatest weakness.
I project that the Bucs will draft a linebacker in the second or third round to be one of their starters. However, that means they probably won’t get a star level player at that point in the draft. If they really want to make this group a strength then they will have to sign a high level free agent.
Some people say that investing big dollars into a linebacker isn’t a good idea because it isn’t a premium position that brings back the highest return on investment. However, those people might say the same thing about the center position, but that didn’t stop Licht from signing Ryan Jensen in 2018 to the richest center contract in the NFL at the time. Now the Buccaneers need to find their next free agency gem like Ryan Jensen.
At the time, Jensen only had one full year of starting experience. Despite that, Licht saw enough to know that this was the type of player that was worth a big payday. This decision changed the look of the Buccaneers up front and eventually led them to a Super Bowl.
There is a comparable player in this upcoming free agent class. Someone who is coming off a career year and could very well become the highest paid player at his position. That is Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd.
Lloyd is coming off his first pro bowl season where he was also named second team All Pro. He has been a consistent contributor for four seasons, but last year was a jump in many ways. Specifically, all the ways that the Buccaneers need to improve.
Only one player in the NFL had more interceptions (5) than Lloyd last season. He also had 7 passes defended, which is consistent with what he has done over the course of his career. In terms of coverage ability, this would be a massive upgrade from what the Bucs had last year.
Lloyd is also comparable in terms of tackling to what the Buccaneers have had in recent years. Although it was a down year in total tackles, Lloyd has had three years of 110+ tackles in his four year career. This is comparable to what Lavonte David has produced in recent years.
This skillset makes Lloyd one of the most coveted free agents on the market. Even if that makes him the highest paid linebacker in the NFL, his average per year salary would be just over $21 million per year. For an All Pro caliber player at the Bucs biggest area of weakness, that price feels reasonable.
The time to pony up the cash for the defense is now. While the Buccaneers will get young cost control talent through the draft, they will need an established veteran to lead them moving forward. Someone like Lloyd to be the anchor in the middle and be the Ryan Jensen on the defensive side of the ball.
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