After an injury-plagued 2024 campaign for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense, Todd Bowles' cast is primed for a bounce back. Tampa Bay made several adjustments to the defensive coaching staff this offseason, including the return of Mike Caldwell as inside linebackers coach (Larry Foote moved to outside linebackers) along with the hiring of Charlie Strong to be the defensive line coach. George Edwards will serve as the team's pass game coordinator in 2025, after coaching the outside linebackers last season.
In 2024, the Buccaneers finished fifth in the NFL in rush defense by limiting opponents to 95.3 rushing yards per contest. Bowles' defense hit its stride following the bye and ranked as the second-best in the NFL in Weeks 12-18 last season, limiting opponents to 273.9 yards per game during that span and helping spur the Buccaneers to a 6-1 record to finish the year. Tampa Bay held opponents to just 26 total second-half points and just two second-half offensive touchdowns over the final seven weeks of the season – each the fewest in the NFL. Meanwhile, the team out-scored its opponents by 104 points and out-gained the opposition by 180.1 yards per game from Weeks 12-18.
The Bucs generated the most unblocked pressures (64) and the 4th-quickest average time to pressure (2.59 seconds) in the NFL per Nex Gen Stats. The Bucs defense finished the regular season having recorded the 2nd-highest blitz rate (38.9%) and 8th-highest pressure rate (35.8%). Overall, the Bucs surrendered 341.8 yards per contest to rank 18th in that category. During the offseason, the Bucs added veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick in free agency to boost the pass rush and also re-signed Anthony Nelson. Tampa Bay picked up inside linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. in free agency to join Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis at the second level and loaded up at cornerback in the draft. The Bucs spent their second-round pick on Benjamin Morrison and double-dipped at the position in the third round with Jacocb Parrish.
Then in the fourth and fifth rounds, the Bucs went the defensive route two more times, grabbing productive playmakers. In the fourth, Tampa Bay took David Walker, a three-time Consensus All-American who accumulated an absurd 82.5 tackles for loss and 39 sacks over the previous four campaigns. Walker won the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award as the top FCS Defensive Player. In the fifth, the Bucs took Elijah Roberts. The versatile defensive lineman led the FBS with a combined 131 pressures over the previous two seasons for the Mustangs and both will vie for a spot in the defensive rotation.
The 2025 unit will strive to crank up the pressure and generate more turnovers. Although the Bucs finished sixth in the NFL with 46 sacks, Bowles emphasized the desire to see more consistency from the team's four-man rush, without having to send a designated blitzer to collapse the pocket. Tampa Bay concluded the 2024 season with seven interceptions (26th in the NFL), snagging additional ballhawks to fuel competition on the back end. Morrison fell to the second round due to injuries sustained at Notre Dame but he posted 27 passes defensed and nine interceptions during his three-year career for the Fighting Irish. Parrish led Kansas State in passes defensed as a sophomore and junior, accumulating 23 passes defensed and five interceptions.
The pair will join Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum and Bryce Hall at cornerback. Dean and McCollum, both hailed for their speed, entered the year as the team's starting cornerbacks but injuries hindered Dean's campaign. Dean missed four games in the middle of the 2024 season due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Week Six and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. Late in the year, he injured both knees against the Carolina Panthers and missed the final regular season game and the Wild Card matchup against the Commanders. Overall, Dean accumulated seven pass breakups, a forced fumble and 59 tackles in 12 starts.
McCollum started all of the club's 17 games last year. He tied for third in the NFL with 17 passes defensed and had the fifth-lowest completion percentage allowed (58.4%) and ninth-lowest passer rating allowed (85.7) among cornerbacks with 80-plus targets in 2024. Overall, he posted two interceptions, a fumble recovery, 82 tackles and one tackle for loss. His best performance came against the Lions in Week Two at Ford Field, where he tallied four passes defensed and an interception. Competition will rev-up in the sweltering Florida heat at training camp.
The Bucs added free agent acquisition Walker following the departure of K.J. Britt. Walker joins Lavonte David, another Miami native, in the Bay. The two have been longtime friends dating back to their South Florida roots and finally have the chance to play together. Throughout his NFL tenure, Walker has started 83 of 99 games, splitting time between the Indianapolis Colts (2017-20), Cleveland Browns (2021-23) and Miami Dolphins (2024). He has recorded 571 career tackles (26 for loss), 21 passes defensed, nine quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks, four interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Walker has started all three of his career postseason contests, logging 12 tackles (one for loss). He appeared in 14 games for the Dolphins in 2024 (eight starts) and totaled 66 tackles, two passes defensed and 1.0 sack. Much like David, Walker is adept at diagnosing screens and covering man-to-man.
Reddick, who has developed into one of the NFL's most feared pass rushers, joins Yaya Diaby, Nelson, Chris Braswell and Jose Ramirez in the Bucs' outside linebacker room. Reddick has appeared in 124 career games between the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, making 83 starts and compiling 419 tackles (71 for loss), 102 quarterback hits, 59.0 sacks (14 strip sacks), 20 passes defensed, 18 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries throughout his NFL tenure. Dating back to the 2020 season, Reddick has posted four seasons with double-digit sacks, tied for the second-most in the NFL, trailing only Myles Garrett (five). His 51.5 sacks across the past five seasons are the sixth-most in the NFL over that span, trailing only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. Reddick has recorded 15 forced fumbles since 2020 – the second-most in the NFL– including a league-leading 14 strip sacks across that time. He explodes off the ball and the twitchy athlete will bolster the trenches with his change-of-direction skills and proficiency off two-way go's. The retooled defensive unit will vie to catapult the team to its fifth-straight division crown in 2025.
