Where Each Bucs Player Can Improve In 2024: ILBs

The Bucs won’t solely use the 2024 offseason program to work on the gamers getting larger and stronger within the weight room in addition to getting sooner, but additionally to enhance in sure areas. Whereas head coach Todd Bowles will likely be putting in some new wrinkles on protection and new offensive coordinator Liam Coen and his new assistants will likely be putting in a brand new playbook, every Bucs participant will likely be tasked with honing their abilities and dealing on some particular person weaknesses.

With enter from the Bucs coaches and entrance workplace members, in addition to my very own evaluation and observations, I’ve give you one particular space for every participant to work on heading into coaching camp and the 2024 season. I’m solely evaluating gamers who noticed true taking part in time final 12 months in Tampa Bay and leaving rookies and newly acquired free brokers that performed elsewhere out of the equation.

That is the sixth a part of an eight-part sequence that can study a place group or two of Bucs gamers. Immediately, it’s Tampa Bay’s inside linebackers. Subsequent up would be the Bucs cornerbacks.

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: QB, RBs

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: WRs, TEs

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: O-Line

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: D-Line

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: OLBs

The place Every Bucs Participant Can Enhance: Inside Linebackers

ILB Lavonte David – Develop into A Turnover Machine One Extra Time

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

David is combating Father Time and profitable as far as he enters his thirteenth season in Tampa Bay at age 34. However the Bucs would like to see the legendary linebacker flip again the clock yet another time and turn into a turnover machine in what could possibly be his final season in purple and pewter. Recognized for his blazing pace in his youth, David would fly across the subject and rack up tackles in bunches. He averaged over 140 tackles in every of his first 4 seasons with the Bucs.

However what made David a particular linebacker was his skill to create takeaways. Along with notching 160 tackles for loss, 33.5 sacks for the Bucs all through his profession, David has pressured 28 fumbles, recovered 18 fumbles and has picked off 12 passes, returning two for touchdowns, and likewise chipped in a security. It was these splash performs that made David one of the crucial dynamic linebackers in his first decade in Tampa Bay.

David drank from the fountain of youth a bit final 12 months, recording a team-high 134 tackles – essentially the most since 2015 – together with 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks – his finest in each classes since 2016. However David solely pressured one fumble final 12 months and didn’t have a restoration or an interception. Actually, David hasn’t recorded a choose over the previous three seasons and has simply two within the final seven years regardless of being probably the greatest protection linebackers within the league. The Bucs would like to see David’s sort out whole stay excessive, whereas he lends a hand in creating three or 4 takeaways in 2024.

ILB Ok.J. Britt – Develop into A Three-Down Linebacker

Bucs ILB KJ Britt and Packers TE Tucker Croft – Picture by: USA Immediately

The rise of Britt in Tampa Bay final 12 months coincided with the autumn of Devin White, a crew captain and five-year starter, who wore out his welcome on account of his ego and inconsistent play. Britt, who has been a core particular groups participant over his first three seasons with the Bucs, supplied Todd Bowles with a steadying presence in the midst of his protection. The 6-foot, 235-pound Britt completed the 2023 season with 29 tackles whereas taking part in nearly all of starter reps during the last 4 video games of the common season. Britt acquired much more taking part in time within the playoffs, notching 15 tackles, together with a career-high 12 within the loss at Detroit.

Often called a downhill thumper, Britt is a extra positive tackler than White was and does a greater job of getting off blocks and filling his hole. However the place Britt actually wants to enhance in 2024 is in cross protection. Regardless of taking part in nearly all of snaps at Mike linebacker on the finish of the 12 months, Bowles would platoon Britt and White, utilizing Britt on early run downs and White in third-and-long conditions in addition to apparent passing downs.

Britt is coming into an important contract 12 months and he desires to show that he can turn into a three-down linebacker able to successfully dropping into cross protection. The Auburn product dropped a pair of potential interceptions final 12 months whereas in protection and people are the type of performs he’ll have to make so as to present Bowles he’s able to staying on the sphere for each defensive play. Britt instructed Pewter Report he was going to dedicate himself to finding out movie and dealing on his cross drops this offseason and we’ll see the results of his effort come coaching camp and the preseason.

ILB SirVocea Dennis – Overcome The Stagefright

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

Dennis, the crew’s fifth-round choose final 12 months, opened loads of eyes in observe with a complete of 4 pick-sixes between rookie mini-camp, OTAs, obligatory mini-camp and coaching camp. The Pitt product got here to Tampa Bay as a blitzing inside linebacker, having notched 15 quarterback captures in school, together with seven as a senior. But it surely was his protection abilities that stood out essentially the most in observe and generated fairly a little bit of buzz in regards to the rookie linebacker.

But when it got here to recreation day, Dennis’ play didn’t translate from the observe subject to the stadium. In his first preseason recreation towards Pittsburgh he was hesitant and missed some tackles. He admitted to Pewter Report that his nerves acquired the perfect of him. Then when he was known as upon to fill in for an injured Lavonte David within the fourth quarter of a loss at San Francisco he was pedestrian at finest, notching three tackles. He acquired the beginning for David the following week towards the Colts and was simply okay, ending with a career-high six tackles, however lacking a number of stops as nicely.

Dennis has all the flexibility on the earth to be a really well-rounded linebacker in Todd Bowles’ protection. He can blitz, he can cowl and he can tackles and stuff the run. He simply must hit the bottom operating in his second 12 months in Tampa Bay and inject himself with some self-confidence that can enable his splash performs in observe to translate to recreation days. If Dennis can overcome his nerves and unleash his skill he might deal with Ok.J. Britt for the beginning Mike linebacker position this 12 months subsequent to David.

ILB J.J. Russell – Preserve Splashing Round

Bucs LB J.J. Russell Picture by: USA Immediately

J.J. Russell had a really productive preseason in his second 12 months in Tampa Bay in 2023. The observe squad mainstay had 15 tackles in three video games and likewise recorded an interception within the preseason opener towards Pittsburgh. Russell was buried on the depth chart final 12 months behind Lavonte David, Devin White, Ok.J. Britt and rookie SirVocea Dennis, however he confirmed sufficient promise to stay round on the observe squad for one more 12 months.

Endurance served the athletic linebacker nicely as accidents to White and David and Dennis’ sickness pressured the Bucs to start out Russell subsequent to Britt in a December residence recreation towards the Panthers. Britt lasted only one sequence earlier than a again damage knocked him out of the sport and moved Russell from Mo linebacker to Mike linebacker. The second-year linebacker from Memphis shined with seven tackles and a sack of Bryce Younger, and confirmed the crew he was greater than able to play.

Coming into his third coaching camp with the Bucs, Russell must preserve making splash performs like sacks and interceptions to indicate the coaches that he’s worthy of conserving on the 53-man roster fairly than the observe squad this 12 months. With White’s departure, there is a chance for him to make the crew as ILB4 or even perhaps problem Dennis for the first backup job behind David and Britt. As a result of he’ll primarily be a particular groups participant as a reserve linebacker, making a splash play on groups, reminiscent of forcing a fumble within the preseason, would additionally assist his trigger.