Have the Buccaneers Closed the Gap in the NFC on Defense?

The NFL stands for Not For Long. Last year’s Buccaneers accomplishments and roster are in the rear view mirror. The fact that they were 15 minutes away from playing the Niners in the NFC Championship Game took many fans and the league by surprise. They were tied with the Lions entering the 4th quarter but their defense gave up 14 points in that quarter.

While we can reminisce about what an amazing season 2023 was, Todd Bowles and company don’t have that luxury. Thursday the Bucs signed Randy Gregory to help shore up their most glaring defensive weakness of rushing the passer. Competition is sorely needed and when they released Shaq Barrett this was a necessary addition.  The Bucs have some intriguing OLBs on their roster in Ramirez and Watts. To say they NEED one of them to emerge is an understatement.

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The Buccaneers should have some good pressure up the middle with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. Bowles is a master at creating blitz packages, but he said he was disappointed in the amount of pressure they got out of a four man pressure. Letting Devin White walk in FA and trading Carlton Davis has left a void on defense. White needed to go, but behind him is K.J. Britt and SirVocea Dennis. It’s up to the coaches to get these younger players to step up. Carlton Davis when healthy was a good shut-down corner. But it seems that Bowles may want more guys who can play better zone. Bryce Hall and Zion McCollum will battle it out for the CB2 position opposite Jamel Dean. The one area where a clear upgrade was made was at the safety position. The return of Jordan Whitehead brings a physicality to the defense that’s been missing since he left. With the draft a few weeks away, we will see what other defensive chess pieces will be added. As it stands now I’d say there are still holes/unproven/question marks at OLB, CB and ILB. If Bowles has to send five or six guys to get pressure on a quarterback then the Bucs will be in trouble on defense. For more from Greg click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.