Tag: Anthony Nelson

OLB Anthony Nelson downgraded to Doubtful before Lions game

A Saturday change to the injury report has one Bucs player unlikely to play Sunday.

There’s been a last-minute change to Tampa Bay’s injury report on Saturday.

Outside linebacker [autotag]Anthony Nelson[/autotag], who is recovering from a concussion, was initially slated to play on Sunday after participating fully in practice all week. On Saturday, however, the team announced that Nelson has been downgraded to Doubtful status, making it unlikely that he will suit up against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

With outside linebacker Shaquill Barrett possibly limited by illness, it could be a big game for Bucs draft pick Yaya Diaby, who has served as a rotational edge rusher during the year. While he previously had to share that duty with Nelson, he might get the most snaps he’s gotten all year against Detroit.

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The worst Bucs defensive players in 2023 so far, per PFF

These Tampa Bay defensive players have underperformed in the eyes of Pro Football Focus:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a stifling defense in 2023, and it’s hard to pick out players who haven’t contributed to it in some shape or form.

The Bucs are doing well on defense, getting turnovers at a rate as good as anyone else in the NFL and boasting a particularly stifling running defense that has shut down numerous teams in their first four games. Despite that, though, not every Tampa Bay defensive player is a superstar, and in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, some of them have underperformed.

Here are the five lowest-graded defensive players on the Bucs (minimum 30 snaps) so far in 2023, per PFF:

More details from Anthony Nelson’s contract emerge

The Bucs have a potential out on Nelson’s contract in 2024.

Outside linebacker [autotag]Anthony Nelson[/autotag]’s contract is a bit more complex than it was initially made out to be.

While his re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was initially set to be a two-year deal, Aaron Wilson reported on Friday that the deal has three void years attached. This means that, in reality, the Buccaneers can opt out of Nelson’s contract before the 2024 season to make it essentially a one-year deal instead.

As with any contract involving void years, the structure of the contract saves the Bucs some cap money. As it stands, Nelson’s contract only takes up $1.96 million in 2023’s cap, so his contract gives the Bucs some room to work on retaining and signing free agents and gives Nelson the chance to earn himself some more money over the next few years if he plays at a high standard as he has for his past four years as a Buc.

What GM Jason Licht said about Anthony Nelson’s re-signing

Licht is looking forward to seeing Nelson progress in Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed one of their crucial depth pieces this week, and no one may be more thrilled than general manager Jason Licht.

Outside linebacker [autotag]Anthony Nelson[/autotag] re-signed with the team as part of an increasingly-impressive effort by Licht to retain free agents that many thought would leave for other teams in recent months. Nelson has been a crucial depth piece on the offensive line, netting 10.5 sacks in his last two years in Tampa Bay.

See what Licht said about Nelson’s return to the Bucs below:

Anthony has been a valuable contributor to our football team since we drafted him, particualrly over the past two seasons when his emergence concided with his increased playing time. He is an extremely hard worker and possesses many of the attributes we look for in our players — smart, tough, dependable. We look forward to his continued growth in Tampa Bay.

With Shaquill Barrett injured and questions surrounding the Bucs’ edge rushing prowess, Nelson will likely get that “continued growth” in spades as the team heads into 2023.

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Bucs re-sign OLB Anthony Nelson on two-year deal

Nelson has excelled as a depth piece in Tampa Bay, netting 10.5 sacks across his last two seasons with the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed a crucial depth piece on Wednesday.

Outside linebacker [autotag]Anthony Nelson[/autotag] is coming back to Tampa Bay on a two-year deal, according to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. Nelson was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2019.

Nelson has been a stellar depth piece for the Bucs, netting 10.5 sacks across his last two seasons as an edge rusher. He also had a sack in the team’s Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, so he’s no stranger to showing up in big games, either. He’ll be crucial for Tampa Bay with Shaquil Barrett’s injury in 2022, and he could step right in and make an impact in the coming year until Barrett recovers from his Achilles tear.

The Bucs have been good about re-signing depth pieces on offense and defense, and Nelson is the latest in an effort to ensure the team is as deep as it can be with Tampa Bay’s salary cap situation.

NFL Playoffs: Secret Superstars of the wild-card round — the defense

Which unknown players will step up in the wild-card round? Here are this week’s Secret Superstars on the defensive side of the ball.

If your team is going to win a Super Bowl, at some point along that ride, your team will have to get at least one remarkable postseason performance from a player nobody saw coming. Yes, we all expect the big names to come up big in big moments in big games, and other attendant cliches, but somewhere along the line, you will need a Secret Superstar to get the job done.

If you expected Buffalo Bills receiver Gabe Davis to go off for four touchdown catches against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 divisional round, you should probably be working for a team. Because, with all due respect to Davis, I don’t think even the Bills were expecting that.

The same could be said for Houston Oilers defensive back Vernon Perry in the divisional round of the 1979 playoffs against the San Diego Chargers of Don Coryell and Dan Fouts. The undrafted rookie from Jackson State picked off four of Fouts’ passes, and blocked a field goal for good measure. As the game ended 17-14 in Houston’s favor, that block was as important as any of the picks.

You get the idea. At some point in the wild-card round of the upcoming playoffs, there will be at least one player whose name you don’t know who will pop up on the screen, and grab your attention. Here are my most likely players to do just that on the defensive side of the ball; the Secret Superstars on offense for the wild-card round can be found here.

NFL Playoffs: Secret Superstars of the wild-card round — the offense

And here’s the wild-card schedule for all who are curious; I tried to focus on repeat matchups as much as possible.

NFL sets Super Wild-Card Weekend schedule: Times, days, and networks

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WATCH: Anthony Nelson strip-sack sets up Tom Brady TD run

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have extended their lead over the Carolina Panthers thanks to some complementary football

With a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a huge stop from their defense to help put the game away.

Anthony Nelson rose to the occasion, sacking Sam Darnold and punching the ball out, with Vita Vea recovering for the turnover deep in Carolina territory.

The Bucs immediate converted the takeaway into points, with Tom Brady scoring on a quarterback sneak to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to two scores with just under two minutes remaining.

It’s 30-21 in favor of the Bucs, so they just need one more defensive stop to clinch the division title and a spot in the playoffs.

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WATCH: Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson gets huge strip-sack vs. Cardinals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a splash play from their defense early Sunday night against the Arizona Cardinals

The Tampa Buccaneers defense hasn’t had nearly enough big plays this season, but they’re getting started early in that department Sunday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

After a dropped interception and a successful fake punt helped set up the Cardinals deep in Tampa Bay territory, the Bucs ended their hopes of scoring with a strip-sack from outside linebacker Anthony Nelson.

Linebacker Devin White scooped up the loose ball and added a decent return, giving the Tampa Bay offense some decent field position of their own.

It’s 3-0 in favor of the Bucs, and the defense has a huge takeaway to stop the momentum.

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