ESPN\u2019s recent breakdown<\/a> of the top 50 free agents and their ideal team fits. In an article written by ESPN analyst Matt Bowen, two defensive veterans stood out as logical matches for Todd Bowles\u2019 roster heading into 2026 free agency.<\/p>\nFirst, Bowen connected edge rusher Khalil Mack to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers finished in the middle of the league in sacks last season and lacked consistent edge pressure outside of their core rotational pieces. While it is no secret that Mack is no longer in his prime, Bowen noted that he can still disrupt quarterbacks in spurts. In Bowles\u2019 scheme, that could translate into a situational role where Mack attacks obvious passing downs and mentors younger rushers.<\/p>\n
Bowen also highlighted linebacker Alex Anzalone as a strong fit. With uncertainty surrounding Lavonte David\u2019s future, the Buccaneers may need veteran stability inside. Anzalone has experience playing downhill against the run while also holding up in coverage and holding the defense’s green dot (calling the defensive plays in the huddle). In a defense that frequently pressures and asks linebackers to process quickly, that veteran versatility carries value.<\/p>\n
Free agency always shifts quickly once negotiations open in March, but ESPN\u2019s projections reinforce what many already see: Tampa Bay\u2019s clearest path to improvement is adding experienced defensive help to lead the new wave of Buccaneer leadership.<\/p>\n
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Feb. 23, 2026, 8:09 p.m. ET The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were mentioned twice in ESPN\u2019s recent breakdown of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":773011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[95878,211,7,6,96509,96860,98045,95882,95892,100767,102069,95895,95899,95883,96239,704,250,2597,2596,95881],"class_list":{"0":"post-773010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-buccaneers","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-sstssportsnflbuccaneers","13":"tag-sstsnbuccaneers","14":"tag-tagalex-anzalone","15":"tag-tagamerican-football","16":"tag-tagespn-inc","17":"tag-tagkhalil-mack","18":"tag-taglavonte-david","19":"tag-tagnfl-hub","20":"tag-tagoverall-neutral","21":"tag-tagsports-news","22":"tag-tagtampa-bay-buccaneers","23":"tag-tampa-bay","24":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","25":"tag-tampabay","26":"tag-tampabaybuccaneers","27":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116125186675108995","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/773011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}