The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had the benefit of having one of the NFL’s best inside linebackers for the last decade plus with Lavonte David, who has been so good at times it has made the other inside linebacker almost negligible.
Unfortunately for David and for Tampa Bay, time waits for no man. In 2024, we got a glimpse of what could go wrong when David loses a step and the player right next to him is less than competent — K.J. Britt’s poor play in 2024 was one of the team’s glaring weaknesses.
With Britt mercifully out the door as a free agent, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks the Buccaneers would be well served to add another off ball linebacker to play alongside David who has shown he can perform at a high level in free agent E.J. Speed.
David led the Buccaneers with 122 tackles in 2024 and is back for a 13th season on a 1-year $9 million contract. Tampa Bay added free agent linebacker Anthony Walker on a 1-year, $1.422 million contract on March 13. Third-year linebacker SirVocea Dennis has shown flashes of potential but has struggled to stay healthy and missed 13 games in 2024.
That makes Speed an inarguable upgrade over both Walker and Dennis.
“We saw an early run on off-ball linebackers in free agency, but Indianapolis Colts standout E.J. Speed wasn’t among the initial signings,” Knox wrote. ” … Speed can slot in as a starting linebacker or a high-end rotational player and can also provide special-teams value. The Buccaneers re-signed Lavonte David and added Anthony Walker Jr. in free agency. However, they could afford to take a chance on Speed, who would help bolster the inside-linebacker rotation.”
From NCAA Division II Star to NFL Starter
Speed, 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, starred at then-NCAA Division II Tarleton State before the Indianapolis Colts drafted him in the fifth round (No. 164 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. Speed was primarily a special teams player for the Colts for his first 4 seasons — scoring 2 touchdowns off blocked punts — and signed a 2-year $8.3 million contract in March 2023.
Speed became a full time starter for the first time in 2023 and started 11 games with 102 tackles. In 2024, he had career highs in starts (15), tackles (142) and pass deflections (5) along with his first career interception.
Through his first 6 seasons, Speed has $11.8 million in career earnings.
Bad Luck, Injuries Hurt Bucs’ Defense in 2024
The Buccaneers’ defense had to deal with equal parts bad luck and injuries in 2024 that seemed to hold them back considerably.
The bad luck came in the form of veteran edge rusher Randy Gregory, who was being counted on to be a key piece of the defense after he signed a 1-year, $3 million free agent contract with the Buccaneers in April 2024. Gregory ended up being a no-show, no-call for minicamp and training camp before he was eventually released.
On the injury front, the biggest loss was NFL All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who played a career low 9 games due to injuries after signing a massive 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension in March 2024 and establishing himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive players in 2023.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post $11.8 Million AFC South LB With 142 Tackles Could ‘Bolster’ Bucs Defense appeared first on Heavy Sports.