Tag: Lavonte David

2024 Bucs offseason preview: Inside linebacker

Breaking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ situation at inside linebacker heading into the 2024 offseason

As with several other positions on the roster, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ inside linebacker group is entering a transitional period this offseason. Moreso likely than any other unit on the team, the inside linebackers in Tampa Bay could look completely different in 2024 from last season.

Since 2019, the presumed starters have been veteran Lavonte David and 2019 fifth-overall pick Devin White. Together, they formed a potent duo at the center of Tampa Bay’s defense, helping lead the team to their Super Bowl LV victory.

However, over the last few seasons, the shine has come off White. While he has been consistent as a blitzer, his tackling, coverage and run fits have been more down than up. Since the Bucs drafted him, White has missed 12.8% of his tackles and allowed a passer rating of 104.6 according to Pro Football Focus.

White’s inconsistency is likely why the Bucs opted to let him play on his fifth-year option in 2023 rather than sign him to a multi-year, ten-digit contract extension. After an aborted demand for a trade, White had about as bad a season as a player could have in a contract year.

Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

A foot injury hobbled him early and made him look slower than any point in his career. He was replaced for three games late in the season by 2021 fifth-round pick K.J. Britt. Though he is not nearly the athlete White is, Britt was the better linebacker, helping lock down the rushing attacks of Atlanta and Green Bay.

Britt’s emergence and White’s contract demands made the former top-five pick expendable. With the recent re-signing of Mike Evans and expected extensions of Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr., White appears to be the odd man out in Tampa Bay.

Lavonte David may also have played his last snaps in Tampa Bay, though they would also likely be his last snaps as an NFL player. He has made no secret of his desire to “retire a Buc,” and at 34 years old, his options in free agency will be limited.

The Bucs could very well bring David back. Though he is not quite as fast as he used to be, David is still one of the best linebackers in the NFL, finishing with the 10th-most tackles for a loss (17) among all defenders. He also recorded the second most defensive snaps in Tampa Bay, attesting to his durability in spite of his age.

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Signing David to another one-year deal under $10 million would be a safe and easy move for the Bucs to make. David has been the bedrock of Tampa Bay’s defense for over a decade and as long as he has the desire and health to continue playing, the Bucs are likely to oblige.

In any case, the Bucs have at least one starting job to fill at inside linebacker and plenty of options to consider. The most likely is the Bucs staying in-house and fully promoting K.J. Britt to the starting lineup. Britt is not the splashy playmaker Devin White could be, but he is far more reliable down to down in addition to being a leader on special teams.

Tampa Bay also has linebackers SirVocea Dennis and J.J. Russell waiting in the wings. Dennis excels in coverage though his tackling certainly needs work after missing 30.8% of his attempts in 2023 per PFF. Russell saw limited playtime last year, but he was PFF’s highest rated linebacker in the preseason and could shine in a larger role.

If David were to depart, the Bucs would face greater pressure to add outside talent to the linebacking corps. The current paradigm in the NFL has devalued rookie linebackers, who tend to struggle adapting to the sophistication and speed of NFL offenses. A free agent addition should be Tampa Bay’s initial move.

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Carolina LB Frankie Luvu should be near the top the Bucs’ free agent list. He excels as a pass rusher, recording 12.5 sacks and 43 total pressures over the past two seasons. Kansas City LB Drue Tranquill would also be a solid addition after he resuscitated his NFL career in 2023.

If the Bucs do look to address the long-term prospects of the decision in the draft, they will likely wait until the middle rounds to take a prospect. Clemson LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has the obvious pedigree to be an NFL linebacker, though like most of his contemporaries he is undersized.

A sleeper linebacker pick for the Bucs is Washington LB Edefuan Ulofoshio. Although he too is undersized at 6’1″ and 236 pounds, Ulofoshio was excellent in coverage, allowing an opposing passer rating of 60.5 in the pass-happy Pac-12 last season.

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How re-signing Mike Evans impacts the rest of Bucs’ free agency plan

Re-signing Mike Evans should set off a chain reaction that sees the Bucs keep all of their most important free agents this offseason

The first big domino has fallen for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2024 offseason, as star wide receiver Mike Evans has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension.

Keeping Evans from hitting the open market is a huge win for the Bucs, and now, it allows them to move to the next order of business in their free agency plan.

Now that Evans is secured for the next two seasons, Tampa Bay can focus their attentions on the rest of their big-name free agent class, which has key players on both sides of the ball who will also need new contracts.

The next shoe to drop could be a new deal for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is coming off the best season of his career, and clearly developed a valuable connection with Evans last year. Now that Evans is back in the fold, it would make sense for the Bucs to hammer something out with Mayfield, who should be enticed to build on last year’s success in Tampa Bay rather than chasing a few million extra dollars with a new team, where he’d have to start over yet again.

Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay also has some key players on defense who are on expiring contracts.

Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is the prize of the group, as arguably the best safety in the entire NFL at just 25 years old. At worst, the Bucs will keep him with the franchise tag, but they’d prefer to work out a long-term deal that would ensure Winfield remains a cornerstone of their defense for years to come, as well as giving them more financial flexibility with this year’s salary cap.

Both of Tampa Bay’s starting inside linebackers are headed for free agency, and while Devin White is the younger of the two, it’s unlikely the Bucs make an offer to keep him after he was basically benched toward the end of last season in favor of K.J. Britt, and relegated to a rotational role.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime captain Lavonte David is the linebacker the Bucs will want to retain, as he proved last year that he’s still one of the best in the league at his position, even at 33 years old. If he wants to keep playing, another one-year deal should keep him in Tampa Bay.

The underrated free agent the Bucs also want to keep around is kicker Chase McLaughlin, who was nearly automatic last season. That kind of stability in the kicking game is invaluable, and Tampa Bay will want to reward McLaughlin for giving it to them.

There’s plenty more work for the Bucs to do if they want to keep their big-name free agents from hitting the market next week, but getting a deal done with Evans was a critical first step that should set off a chain reaction in the coming days in which Mayfield, Winfield, David and McLaughlin should all end up with new deals to stay in Tampa Bay.

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Lavonte David says he’s ‘ready to play’ and it could be somewhere other than Tampa Bay

Lavonte David made an appearance on Good Morning Football Thursday and seemed to imply that won’t be retiring this offseason.

Bucs linebacker Lavonte David told WDAE a few days ago that it was either his plan to retire or come back to the Buccaneers. It’s looking more like the latter.

David was on “Good Morning Football” on Thursday, and when asked about his intentions by co-host Jason McCourty, he indicated that retirement isn’t in his immediate future — he wants to suit up.

“I mean, I’m ready to play,” David said on the show. “I still feel like I’ve got a lot left in me — I still wanna give it a shot. I’m gonna let my body tell me when it’s time to give up, but right now, I feel pretty good. I’m confident, especially after the season I just had.”

That certainly doesn’t sound like someone who wants to retire. David did, in fact, have a good year in 2023, racking up 134 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble, so the Bucs will want him back, and it’s clear he wants to come back. Despite that, David said he hasn’t had talks with the Bucs just yet, but that Tampa Bay knows he wants to return.

“Communications haven’t really started up yet, but throughout the season, we all expressed how we feel about one another, and how they’d love me to be back and I would love to be back as well,” David said.

Despite what he said to WDAE, he said on “Good Morning Football” that playing for another team was in fact an option he was considering, saying that “you never know” where free agency could take you.

“I’m not naive to the fact that somebody else could probably come swoop me up,” David said. “I’m definitely open to all options, but I would love to phase out my career in Tampa Bay.”

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Lavonte David says he’ll either return to the Bucs or retire for 2024

Whatever happens, don’t expect Lavonte David to wear another uniform — he plans on being a Buccaneer for life.

We may not know whether or not Lavonte David intends to play football in 2024, but one thing appears certain — he won’t put on any other uniform.

David recently spoke with WDAE on their sports radio show, and he was asked point blank if his two options were to come back to the Buccaneers or retire. David not only confirmed this in the interview, but he seemed to lean toward the former in the way he spoke about his upcoming year.

“Yeah you could say that,” David said. “It’s at the point right now in my career, you know, 12 years playing at one organization, a place that I’ve grown to be a man, where I started as a young man and I grew into a man, in the city of Tampa.”

David said that he loves the community in Tampa Bay and the work he’s been able to do for it, and that playing for a single franchise for his whole career is something valuable. And of course, he reiterated that he wants to do that and to retire as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

“Of course I would want to do that, I would want to stay a Buc for the rest of my career as long as I play,” David said. “At the end of the day, I do want to retire a Buc, but it’s just gotta be a mutual thing.”

David’s words (particularly “as long as I play”) seem to indicate that he’s leaning towards staying, but we’ll have to wait and see what his decision is as free agency draws nearer.

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Lavonte David claims he’s debating between the Buccaneers and retirement ahead of 2024 NFL free agency

Lavonte David said he doesn’t want to leave the Bucs and looks to retire if he doesn’t re-sign.

One of the best linebackers of his generation, Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran Lavonte David was set to be one of the most intriguing players at his position in 2024 NFL free agency.

However, he revealed on 95.3 WDAE on Thursday that he’ll either stay with the Buccaneers or retire from the NFL rather than sign with another team next month.

“I would want to stay a Buc for the rest of my career as long as I play,” David told the radio station about his future. “I do want to retire a Buc, but, y’know, it’s just got to be a mutual thing.”

If you’re a fan of a contending team who hoped David would leave Tampa Bay, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen. If you’re a Bucs fans who wanted him back for another season, it sounds like it’s up to the organization.

We’re sure that the Buccaneers would love to have David back if the two sides can work out a contract, as one of the big 2024 defensive free agents sounds destined to return to his team if all goes right.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent linebackers

“Uce” leads the way for this year’s free-agent linebackers.

As they do with pass rusher Brian Burns, the Carolina Panthers have another top defender ready to hit the open market in linebacker Frankie Luvu. And also like Burns, “Uce” may be sticking around for 2024.

But until we find that out, here’s Luvu and the very best of his free-agent contemporaries:

Multiple Bucs players listed in FOX’s top 50 free agents for 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a successful season in 2023, but it’s going to take some effort to bring all of their key players back for next year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some serious accounting to do this offseason.

The Bucs massively surpassed preseason expectations in 2023, winning nine regular season games, the NFC South and one playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Multiple Bucs players both old and new contributed, but now, quite a few of those contributors could be hitting the open market.

FOX Sports rounded up their top 50 free agents for the 2024 offseason, and four Bucs players appeared on the list — furthermore, three of them were in the top 15. Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr. came in at No. 8, wideout Mike Evans at No. 10, quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 13 and linebacker Lavonte David at No. 43.

The free agency class for the Bucs remains a question mark. David could possibly retire at his age and Mayfield’s contract desires (and whether or not he’ll take less money to stay in Tampa Bay) is relatively unknown to the general public. Evans, too, could demand a lot of money and might get it from another team — the most certain free agent to return to the Bucs from this list is likely Winfield Jr., who could be easily franchise-tagged until the next season.

Tampa Bay could save money on the salary cap by signing either Evans or Mayfield to a long-term extension before the beginning of free agency on a deadline of Feb. 19.

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Hall of Famer Ray Lewis calls Devin White one of NFL’s best linebackers

White is a free agent this offseason — do you want to see him back in Tampa Bay?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White’s tenure in Tampa Bay has been a controversial one, but he recently garnered some praise from one of the best LBs to ever play the game.

Former Baltimore Ravens LB and Hall of Famer Ray Lewis was asked who his top linebackers in the NFL were at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, and he made sure to give the Bucs props. He specifically mentioned White by name, but his praise was moreso all-encompassing.

“Oh man, that’s gonna be hard,” Lewis said when asked. “Roquan Smith, Fred Warner. I love Bobby Wagner. Oh, and probably Devin White or one of them boys in Tampa.”

The “one of those boys” line certainly carries some weight. White’s status as a top linebacker in the NFL hasn’t been the consensus for some time now, and it’s entirely possible that the Bucs may not even re-sign him in free agency this year after teammate K.J. Britt began to take more and more of his snaps in the latter part of the season. David, meanwhile, has still been a force of nature even in his old age and still showcases some of the better linebacker play across the season.

Both White and David are free agents this year, with White approaching the end of his rookie deal and David coming off a one-year contract given to him by the Bucs at the end of the 2022 season.

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Teddy Bridgewater’s high school has sent some impressive players to the NFL

Teddy Bridgewater’s high school coaching career comes with high expectations. Miami Northwestern has sent some impressive players to the NFL:

Good luck in the next chapter of your football life, Teddy Bridgewater. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback’s high school coaching career comes with high expectations: Miami Northwestern has sent some impressive players to the NFL, and they’ve been a fixture in the South Florida playoff picture.

Bridgewater was hired after his Miami Northwestern alma mater went 4-6 in 2023, their first season with a losing record since 2014’s 5-6 finish. The school had won 10 or more games in five of the seven seasons in-between, and Bridgewater will be expected to return to those standards.

He’ll be responsible for making a positive influence on the next generation — including college recruits like 2024 cornerback Guylijah Theodule (a former Vanderbilt commit who has drawn offers from Florida, Miami, James Madison, and Marshall) and quarterback Adrian Posse (who signed his letter of intent with UAB), as well as 2026 four-star wide receiver Calvin Russell (who has already drawn attention from Florida State, Appalachian State, Marshall, Texas A&M, and USF).

They’re the next in line to join the future pros who walked the same hallways, studied in the same classrooms, and starred on the same football field as Bridgewater himself. Here’s a quick look at some of the NFL talent to come out of Miami Northwestern:

Eagles eliminated from playoffs after 32-9 loss to Buccaneers

Eagles eliminated from playoffs after 32-9 loss to Buccaneers

The Eagles are set for a dramatic overhaul following the team’s shocking 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

Philadelphia was 0-11 on third and fourth downs combined, tallying 268 total yards on ten offensive drives in a sloppy affair that saw missed tackles and no answer for the Tampa blitz as the Eagles were held to 38 rushing yards on the night.

Baker Mayfield outplayed Jalen Hurts, going 22-36 passing for 337 yards, three touchdowns, and 0 interceptions with a 119 quarterback rating.

Rachaad White was strong on the ground, rushing 18 times for 62 yards on the night.

The Eagles will now head into an uncertain offseason, having lost six of the final seven games played, and an overhaul could include head coach Nick Sirianni with the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, and others available after mass changes around the league.

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