Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles did not want to make a definitive statement on who the team’s starting linebacker would be next to Alex Anzalone. However, with a little more than a week to go until their season kicks off, he did admit that rookie Josiah Trotter is making ‘a hell of a case’ to be that man.
“Bowles isn’t ready to commit to rookie Josiah Trotter starting at linebacker over SirVocea Dennis, but he said the rookie from Missouri is making a “hell of a case,”” tweeted Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
This comes after the rookie had a strong preseason and has seen his stock trend up all offseason. Meanwhile, Dennis has been in and out of the lineup with an injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookie Linebacker Eyeing Week 1 Start
Dennis was a fifth-round pick from Pitt. He was a depth and special teams asset during his first two seasons, but the Bucs gave him a legitimate chance to start in his fourth NFL season.
Dennis started in 16 games, but things did not go too well. He played 910 snaps for the team, but had a 49.1 defensive grade, per PFF. That came with a 30.5 coverage grade. He was average in run defense with a 68.2 grade.
He allowed the fourth most yards in coverage. Dennis will be a free agent this offseason, and the team is going to start Trotter over him sooner rather than later. So, if Trotter even makes it close, it is easy to see why they would lean toward the rookie.
So far, the Missouri product has had a strong preseason.
Trotter Caps Off Strong Summer
He had been the talk of training camp and translated that to the preseason. Trotter played in just 21 snaps, but had an 80.5 PFF grade. His run defense grade was 77.4 and his coverage grade was 67.1.
Trotter came into the NFL known to be a solid downhill run defender with questions in coverage.
“He stacks backfield production with well-timed run blitzes and crafty rush work,” wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL Network when he was coming out of college. “Coverage is the concern, with spotty zone awareness/spacing and the risk of being mismatched in man. Trotter’s wiring and disruptive qualities make him easy to project as a productive, long-time starter in the middle, but a defense might need to protect him in coverage.”
So far, he is living up to that billing. However, Dennis was already an issue in coverage as well. So, if Trotter can prove to be better in run defense and can be not as much of a liability in coverage, it is already an instant upgrade.
Between Anzalone and Trotter, the Bucs will likely have two new starters at linebacker. This is a part of their new revamped defense, which also has rookies Ruben Bain and Keionte Scott competing for playing time. Veteran defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson has a good chance to start as well. This speaks to how much change we could see on the Bucs’ defense.
Buccaneers Rookie Closing In on Starting Job Before Week 1