The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trimmed their roster to 53 men for the start of the regular season on Sunday, and the 25 men who make up the current defensive depth chart include quite a few newcomers and players in new roles. The Buccaneers made it their top offensive priority to add juice to its edge rush rotation and definitely have a brand-new look at that spot. The team also remade its off-ball linebacking corps, added size and nastiness to the interior front and drafted a versatile defensive back who could be the X-factor in the secondary.

Forming the regular season roster did not answer every question about the Buccaneers' 2025 defense, however. Some uncertainties remain, and likely will remain until this unit has a couple games under its belt. Let's take a closer look at three of those questions about the Bucs' new-look defense.

1. Is the Buccaneers' pumped-up pass rush really as improved as it appears to be on paper?

The Buccaneers had 10 sacks in three preseason games but 6.5 of them were provided by players who did not make the 53-man roster. The evidence the Bucs do have that they are going to be far more disruptive to opposing passers in 2026 has mostly come from the practice field, where first-round draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. and second-year man David Walker have taken turn producing eye-opening rushes off the edge. Those two plus Yaya Diaby (team-high 7.0 sacks in 2025) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (11.0 sacks for the Lions last year) form what looks like the most promising four-man edge rotation the team has put together since the days of Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Of course, so far those gains are only on paper. Bain was considered one of the three best edge rush prospects in this year's draft and a potential top-five pick, and the tape he put together in college at Miami suggests the ceiling of an instant star sack-artist. He can win with power and finesse and is an extraordinary intense and driven defender. Diaby's sack numbers haven't been earth-shattering across three seasons but he had the eighth-most QB pressures in the entire NFL last season. The Bucs also have a fifth edge rusher in Anthony Nelson who has a history of big plays in clutch moments and just produced 2.5 sacks during the preseason.

The Bucs are confident they succeeded this time in fixing their pass rush after a similar focus in 2025 failed to produce the desired results. If they are right, the Bucs should see a rise up the NFL's defensive rankings.

2. How big of an impact will rookies Josiah Trotter and Keionte Scott make on the defense?

There have been no official proclamations about the starting defensive lineup yet, but second-round pick Trotter was on the field with the first team in the middle preseason game while SirVocea Dennis and Christian Rozeboom were dealing with minor injuries. It's a good bet Trotter will be there in the regular season opener as well. Like fellow 2026 draftee Bain, the Mizzou product brings an intense demeanor to the field and is already a strong run defender who enjoys coming downfield hard and creating explosive hits. He and the Buccaneers believe the rookie can also hold his own in coverage and he notably had an interception in joint practices with the Jaguars last week. The middle of the field was a serious problem for the Bucs' pass defense last year, which prompted the addition of Anzalone and the drafting of Trotter.

Meanwhile, Scott, a fourth-round pick who was a costar with Bain for the Hurricanes, is still having his role in the defense defined. He might end up as the starting slot corner or the third safety, or he might be both. He was a big-time playmaker for Miami in a slot role, frequently making plays on the quarterback in the backfield and forcing turnovers around the line of scrimmage. The Bucs have very high hopes for Scott and his playmaking abilities in their defense, but it remains to be seen what the size of his role will be in the early going.

3. Does the team have enough depth in the secondary to weather any injuries?

Scott's versatility is a big plus for the Bucs given that they are initially going light in the secondary on the 53-man roster. The Bucs only kept eight defensive backs through Sunday's cuts, whereas they generally carry at least nine or 10. The specific count is four cornerbacks, three safeties and Scott as a crossover.

From that eight, the Buccaneers can credibly form a starting crew of Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith as the safeties, Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish as the outside corners, with Scott perhaps in the slot. The depth would then come from second-year man Benjamin Morrison, a talented former second-round pick who has had trouble staying on the field, undrafted rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes and veteran safety Miles Killebrew, who has played almost exclusively on special teams the last two seasons.

The issue, however, isn't filling out a credible starting five. It is being able to keep that secondary from springing leaks if any of those starters miss time. And the Buccaneers have seen in recent years that it might be a little optimistic to think they can make it through the season without running into some injuries in the secondary. Are they comfortable with their current depth in such moments? Are there still moves to come at cornerback or safety? These are important questions for the Bucs as they head into 2026.