Tampa Bay Buccaneers Camp Competitions Ahead

Who has the inside track to start at inside linebacker and safety to start the season?

– Owen T. via the Buccaneers app

Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield Jr. Man, that was easy! More questions like this, please.

Just kidding. I know you’re actually asking who will start at the other linebacker and safety spots alongside those two stars. Honestly, there aren’t a lot of positions among the 22 starting spots that are realistically up for grabs this summer, so these are two of the main questions the Buccaneers need to answer in training camp.

And I don’t think they are absolutely set on either answer yet. However, I think the first cracks at those positions are going to go to SirVocea Dennis and Tykee Smith, respectively. I wouldn’t be surprised if there ends up being something of a committee approach to the linebacker spot, like the Bucs were using at the start of last season before Dennis needed shoulder surgery, though Dennis could emerge as an every down player. I would suspect the coaches will want one specific player to handle the entire safety role, though, barring injury.

Dennis was off to a nice start last season while being used primarily on obvious passing downs, taking over for K.J. Britt. Unfortunately, a shoulder issue he’s been managing since college came to a head, leading to that season-ending surgery, but the silver lining is that he heads into this season with the cleanest bill of health he’s had since being drafted in 2023. So far, so good. Head Coach Todd Bowles called “Voss” the standout of the OTAs so far, and while that’s a long way from securing a starting spot it’s obviously a very good sign. The Buccaneers’ main issue in the middle of the defense last season was coverage, and that is Dennis’s strength.

There’s no lack of competition, though. I was surprised earlier this week when Bowles called the off-ball linebacker position the deepest one on the defense right now, but he may have a point. The team is high on free agency addition Anthony Walker (a fellow Northwestern alum, so I’m high on him as well!), and he also has generally done well in coverage. Plus, he and long-time Falcon Deion Jones both sport a whole lot of NFL starting experience, which never hurts. Jones is someone to keep an eye on; he had an interception in practice the other day and Bowles has spoken highly of him as well. It also wouldn’t surprise me if undrafted rookie Nick Jackson at least earns a spot on the practice…