Following a 2025 season that ultimately ended in disappointment, and following the subsequent retirement of franchise icon Lavonte David, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew they needed to reload on defense. With an emphasis on getting bigger, stronger and nastier on that side of the ball, the Buccaneers made a bigger splash in the free agency pool than they have in recent years, adding linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom, edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive linemen A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches. Anzalone and Robinson figure to start while both Muhammad and Nuñez-Roches will be active members of a deeper rotation at their respective positions.
That early free agency rush did not complete the mission, however. In April, the Buccaneers focused heavily on the defense in the 2026 draft, and how quickly that rookie class develops may be what determines if things turn around this season. First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. is already listed as one of the starting outside linebackers while second-round off-ball linebacker Josiah Trotter has made a "helluva case" to also start in Week One, according to Head Coach Todd Bowles.
They might not be the only rookies to open the season in critical starting roles, however. In the fourth round of the draft, the Buccaneers eagerly snapped up another Miami productive in ultra-versatile defensive back Keionte Scott, believing he could credibly handle the nickel, safety and outside corner positions in the NFL. With the start of the regular season a little over a week away, it appears Scott is the leading candidate to open as the team's slot corner, which in essence is another starting position even if it's not listed as such on the depth chart. Last year, for instance, the Bucs' defense was in its nickel personnel package, with an extra DB on the field, on 57.3% of its snaps.
Since the Buccaneers came into training camp not yet sure how they were going to arrange their secondary in the regular season, Scott was given a lot of work on the practice field and in the three preseason games. This was particularly important given that he had missed most of the on-field work in the spring due to wrist surgery. In the August games, Scott played a total of 78snaps on defense, as compared to 21 for Trotter and just six for Bain. Scott was glad to get the work.
"Yeah, very appreciative of that, just to get the time in there to get the reps," he said. "Obviously, in this league, it's more so about what you see and how many times you've seen it. So, to get those reps has been super helpful for me to just slow things down and be able to have some more film time, extra film time and looking at things and seeing where I did right, where I did bad and ultimately helping me change and critique myself."
Of the three positions he could conceivably be called on to play, Scott confirmed that his comfort level was highest in the slot, where he was a playmaking dynamo for the Hurricanes, followed by safety and then outside corner. Still, he is working hard to learn the ins and outs of all three.
"Yeah, ultimately it just goes back to my mindset coming in, just being ready and being open to any opportunity I was given," he said. "I feel like in that mindset now is just talking about, 'Okay, if it's this position, what [are] the needs and wants out of that position?' Just breaking all those things down and kind of just trying to break things down and slow it down for myself is the biggest thing."
Under Bowles the past seven seasons, first during his tenure as the defensive coordinator and then as head coach, the Buccaneers have tended to rank among the most blitz-heavy teams on defense in the NFL. Bowles has said the Bucs hope to rely less on blitzing in 2026 if their efforts to improve the edge rush bear fruit. Still, he is one of the league's premier blitz designers and that will surely remain part of his play-calling bent. And if Scott is working out of the slot, he'll be one of the closest potential blitzers to the quarterback.
"That's definitely something I prioritize in my game, especially being a DB," he said. "Sometimes when you get sent, you know the guys behind you are holding it down. So my goal is to just get back there and cause a mess, just to help those guys back there, too.
The Buccaneers believe Bain can make an instant impact on their pass rush, and Defensive Rookie of the Year oddsmakers appear to agree. They see Trotter as a downhill thumping gap enforcer who has untapped potential in pass coverage. Now Scott may be getting an opportunity to show that he too can be part of a defensive renaissance fueled by the draft class of 2026.
"We're just super-excited for each other, pushing each other every day, just continuing to get better every day," he said. "The rookies that we have now will continue to grow as a rookie class and just push everybody to get better."
