After losing Chris Godwin earlier in the week, the Bucs have now lost linebacker SirVocea Dennis for the season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been bit by the injury bug about as many times as a team can through seven weeks of the season. Injuries have affected every layer of the roster, and on Wednesday, one player’s injury became a season-ender.
After losing Chris Godwin earlier in the week, the Bucs have now lost linebacker SirVocea Dennis for the season.
Dennis was placed on injured reserve earlier this year with a designation to return in four weeks. Unfortunately, the injury proved to be more serious than expected, and he is now out for the year following surgery.
In Dennis’ absence, Lavonte David will look for a full-time replacement to work alongside, and that replacement is expected to be K.J. Britt. He has not been playing to the best of his ability this year in his absence, but his best game was against the Falcons earlier in the year.
Perhaps the Week 8 matchup between the teams will help him get momentum back on his side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to deal with injuries as they now are placing linebacker SirVocea Dennis on injured reserve.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to deal with injuries as they now are placing linebacker SirVocea Dennis on injured reserve. Dennis suffered a shoulder injury against the Eagles and the team has determined that he will need some time to fully recover.
During Friday morning’s media session, Bowles told the media “We’re not counting on him anytime soon.” He would go on to explain that his shoulder was ‘kind of messed up this summer. . .kinda knew he was touch and go.”
Dennis joins several other starters who will be set to or have missed time, such as Calijah Kancey and Antoine Winfield Jr. The defense showed that it was hurting on Thursday night against the Falcons when it surrendered a whopping 550 yards, 509 of which came from Kirk Cousins and his passing.
The team will now have to rely upon K.J. Britt to step up in his absence. His roster spot was given to Antonio Grier, who the team signed off the practice squad.
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis left the Bucs’ Week 4 game with a shoulder injury.
This story was updated to add new information.
Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis suffered a shoulder injury during the Bucs’ Week 4 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and has been ruled out.
Dennis was shaken up and left the game during the Eagles’ only scoring drive of the first half. The second-year linebacker has been splitting time with LB K.J. Britt at inside linebacker next to veteran Lavonte David.
Dennis is the latest Bucs defender to be injured this season, joining Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Calijah Kancey. Only Vea has been able to return from the injury report, so hopes will be high that Dennis will not miss significant time.
K.J. Britt will be expected to step up and play more meaningful snaps alongside Lavonte David in his absence.
K.J. Britt supplanted White in the starting lineup down the stretch last season, but while he might have the inside track heading into training camp, SirVocea Dennis showed promise during his rookie season in 2023, can could give him a run for his money.
Bucs linebackers coach Larry Foote recently broke down what should be a spirited competition to replace White, and much more:
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.
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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.
Pro Football Focus picked one potential breakout candidate for every NFL team in 2024, and they chose a young linebacker for Tampa Bay:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had quite a rookie presence in 2023, with 13 rookies on their initial 53-man roster. And while that came with inexperience at times during the season, the team was still able to win the NFC South and win a playoff game in 2023.
As such, with that many rookies, some of them could be primed to have a breakout year in 2024. Pro Football Focus writer Jonathon Macri put together a list of potential breakout players for every NFL team in 2024, and for the Bucs, he went with one of those rookies in 2023 — linebacker [autotag]SirVocea Dennis[/autotag].
Here is what Macri wrote about Dennis and his potential for next season:
Perhaps this is a really deep sleeper pick for a breakout player in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers are more than likely going to be without Devin White, who played over 900 defensive snaps for the team this past season and is set to hit free agency in 2024. And depending on if Lavonte David wants to sign another one-year deal with the team, it’s possible that he could also be gone, leaving a massive hole at linebacker. While Dennis was a fifth-round pick in 2023, he also earned elite PFF run-defense grades in his final college season (92.1), which could be a strength for the team to lean on even if it wants to use him as a sub-package option. He only played 104 defensive snaps as a rookie, with his best PFF grade coming in coverage (72.6) — something that wasn’t necessarily a strength for him in college, so that is somewhat encouraging to see.
It’s definitely likely that the Bucs will move on from Devin White in 2024, and Dennis could step into that role going forward. As mentioned, that would also depend on what LB Lavonte David wants to do, as if he were to retire or move on to another team, Dennis would have to step up as the second linebacker in Bowles’ system.
In 2023, Dennis played in 13 games at both linebacker and special teams. He ended the year with 11 solo tackles and one pass defended.
Dennis had a notable showing at rookie minicamp and then in training camp, but it didn’t necessarily translate with how little he played in 2023. There’s potential for him alongside LB K.J. Britt, but if David comes back for another go-around, this might be a bit of a tough ask.
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.
We’re looking at the social media reaction from Philadelphia fans after the Eagles loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round
The Eagles are set for a dramatic overhaul, and there’s nobody safe outside of Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter 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.
With a long offseason set to begin, here’s how Twitter reacted to the madness.
We’re looking at then takeaways from the first half as tthe Buccaneers hold a 16-9 lead over the Eagles in the NFC wild card game
The Eagles were nearly run out of Raymond James Stadium, but after some timely drops by the Buccaneers and a renewed effort on defense, they trailed 16-9 at halftime.
Julio Jones had three catches in the first half for 22 yards before exiting with a concussion, and Philadelphia held Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to a combined two catches for 30 yards on seven targets.
With the second half set to begin, we’re looking at takeaways from a hard-fought first half.
Reed Blankenship is among seven Eagles ruled out for Philadelphia’s wild card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Eagles will be without two key starters for tonight’s NFC Wild Card Round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Reed Blankenship was ruled out with a groin injury.
Blankenship was listed as questionable, but after a light pregame workout, the talented safety will miss Monday’s matchup at Raymond James Stadium.
All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown will also be out with a knee injury suffered in the Week 18 loss to the Giants.
Jalen Hurts was a limited participant during Thursday’s practice before being upgraded to a full participant on Friday and Saturday.
Cornerback Darius Slay, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and D’Andre Swift were full participants in the final practice of the week and had no game status designations.
