The upcoming defensive rebuild for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be a little jarring for fans — mainly because there’s a chance a good portion of the players we saw on the field for the 2024 regular season won’t be there in 2025.
Still, something needs to be done. The Buccaneers can’t have one of the NFL’s best offenses and play a game of chicken with a playoff bid every season because the defense is terrible.
One of the players who might be headed out the door is veteran edge rusher Anthony Nelson, who is in the final season of a 2-year, $10 million contract and made Bleacher Report’s list of the Top 50 NFL free agents for 2025, coming in at No. 30.
Nelson might be one of the casualties on the Bucs’ defense that leaves because he gets a better payday somewhere else and not necessarily because of poor play — he had 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 6 TFL, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 13 QB hits in 2024. He did so while playing in all 17 games with only 6 starts and playing in just 51 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps.
The Buccaneers open the NFC playoffs hosting the Washington Commanders in a Wild Card Game on January 12.
“Linebacker Anthony Nelson has never been a full-time starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Knox wrote. “What he’s been over the past three years is a highly productive outside ‘backer who can set the edge, clog passing lanes and get after the opposing quarterback. Nelson, who will turn 28 in March, isn’t quite a pure pass-rusher, but he was very effective in that role in 2024. Having played both outside linebacker and defensive end in Tampa, he should be viewed as a fit for a variety of base schemes.”
From Big Ten Star to Super Bowl Champion
Nelson was selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round (No. 107 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft after he was a 2-time All-Big Ten pick at Iowa and played all 16 games in 2020 as the Buccaneers won the second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Nelson came into his own over the last 4 seasons, with 17.5 of his 18.5 career sacks since 2021, including career highs of 5.5 sacks and 8 starts in 2022 — a contract year for Nelson that landed him his current deal.
Nelson, 6-foot-7 and 271 pounds, has several qualities that might make him appealing to teams looking for reliable edge rusher depth — he’s only missed 1 regular season game since 2020 and has a ton of postseason experience with 9 career playoff games.
Buccaneers Have Struggled to Find Elite Pass Rushers
The Buccaneers have tried every way imaginable to add edge rushing help in recent years and come up short. Their 2021 first round pick, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, has failed to live up to expectations and is also expected to sign elsewhere in free agency.
Most recently, the Buccaneers signed veteran edge rusher Randy Gregory to a 1-year, $5 million contract in April 2024 with the hope he could be either a starter or, at the very least, a high impact rotational player. Gregory ended up being a no-show, no-call for minicamp and training camp and was eventually released by the Buccaneers without ever having played in a game.
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Buccaneers Predicted to Part Ways With $10 Million Edge Rusher