The Bucs absolutely need more talent and depth on defense.
NFL free agency kicks off at noon Monday, and there will be a flurry of activity across the league as teams hope to shore up their weak spots.
Will the Buccaneers be one of those first teams out of the blocks? Recent history would indicate not likely, as they focus so heavily on in-house retentions like Chris Godwin, but that doesn’t they won’t be active. This year absolutely feels like one where we might see more outside player courting than in the last few cycles.
We covered the offense a couple weeks ago, but now it’s time to deep dive into the defense, which needs help at all three levels. Let’s not waste any time.
Buccaneers Free Agents
Who are the in-house players available? Here’s the current list:
- LB Lavonte David
- LB K.J. Britt
- LB J.J. Russell
- EDGE Anthony Nelson
- EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
- EDGE Shaq Barrett
- DL Greg Gaines
- DL William Gholston
- DL Eric Banks
- DL C.J. Brewer
- CB Tavierre Thomas
- CB Troy Hill
- CB Bryce Hall
- S Ryan Neal
- S Mike Edwards
- S Kaevon Merriweather
You can just bold and underscore one name on here several times more than the rest.
Lavonte David, one of the greatest Buccaneers of all time, and he’ll continue to play with the franchise for his 14th season in 2025. News broke Friday evening that David signed a 1-year, $10 million contract with $9 million guaranteed. The 35-year-old remained a productive, stalwart presence in the heart of Todd Bowles’s defense last year, even notching his most sacks (5.5) since 2016 and forcing 4 turnovers (3 forced fumbles, 1 interception). Father Time encroaches, but David is still a valuable presence.
Even with him back, the picture is a little grim. The team has only SirVocea Dennis as the other linebacker under contract, and he’s talented but injury-prone. K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell are both far better suited to depth roles if they return, but Britt being one of the worst players in the NFL last year likely puts him on the outs. Russell is a fine depth option to return.
When your own coach says you were fine at everything except the main descriptor of your job, which is rushing the passer, then it likely doesn’t fare well for your return. That’s where Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is currently at, so wouldn’t expect to see him back.
Anthony Nelson has been a grinder through and through in his 6 seasons with Tampa. Never flashy nor dynamic but gutsy and useful (18.5 career sacks), he should return again to continue providing valuable depth. The beloved Shaq Barrett returned in the 11th hour in 2024 after being retired for most of the year, so it seems like he wants to continue playing, but the Bucs might not be willing to sacrifice snaps for younger options, both current and future, for a 32-year-old’s waning career.
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You then have a bevy of trenchers whose presences are fairly negligible. Greg Gaines is replacement-level backup for Vita Vea, and the team should probably try to upgrade somehow but Gaines coming back isn’t the worst thing. Will Gholston, another career Buccaneer, is in his twilight and is probably welcome back but far from a priority. It’s likely that his career either continues in Tampa or he just retires. Eric Banks and C.J. Brewer are camp bodies who can stick around as competition for practice squad or bottom-of-the-roster slots.
In the secondary, Tavierre Thomas is a limited player who is a small liability on defense but very good on special teams so we’ll see where that gets him. Troy Hill was the break-glass-in-an-emergency option late in the year but got hurt himself anyway so he’s probably gonezo. Bryce Hall sadly broke his leg, again, early in the year so it doesn’t seem like he’ll be signed by anyone for awhile.
Safety-wise, the Bucs already re-signed Kaevon Merriweather, who was an exclusive rights free agent. He’s young and has shown some potential so he’ll be in the backup mix. Ryan Neal was another emergency option who probably won’t return. Mike Edwards, who made his Tampa return after a small hiatus with Kansas City and Buffalo, actually played pretty well and should be back for cheap.
With that all covered, we can delve into some possible options the Bucs might pursue to beef up their lagging defensive core.
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Khalil Mack
One of the first reported options with possible Buccaneers interest, Mack is an interesting case.
He has ranged from incredibly good to elite his entire career, mostly the latter as a multi-time All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year winner. In 11 years, he’s logged 107.5 sacks (7th on the active list and top 50 all-time) and 32 forced fumbles, and he was still being a disruptive presence for the Chargers last season (top 25 in pass rush win rate) despite just 6 sacks (he had 17 the year prior).
Would he be an upgrade for the Bucs? Presumably yes. However, he’s also a freshly minted 34 years old, which means he’s way closer to the end than the beginning, and he’s still going to be expensive (several contract evaluators value him at $19-$21 million over 1 to 2 years). A move like this would’ve made sense for the Super Bowl-era Brady Bucs, where it was truly win or bust, but maybe not so much for an interaction of that franchise that has been consistently competitive but also trying to balance now and the future.
Overall, it feels like it would be a net positive but perhaps not the optimal route.
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Malcolm Koonce
If you’re looking for an under-the-radar, Shaq Barrett-type of signing, Koonce is a logical gamble.
Koonce missed all of 2024 with a knee injury that happened in early September, so he should be all clear for this year. Prior to that, there were big expectations for the former University of Buffalo star after breaking out in 2023 with 8 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 9 tackles for loss to go along with a top-25 pass rush win rate. He’ll be just 27 and affordable with a limited portfolio.
If he doesn’t return to the Las Vegas Raiders, one would imagine a 1- or 2-year deal in the range of $10-15 million annually, perhaps a chunk of that heavily based on incentives due to the injury and short track record.
Dre Greenlaw
Greenlaw is the silver tuna of this year’s linebacker class, and he’ll likely command top dollar.
After missing most of the season with a torn achilles tendon, Greenlaw will be a full year’s plus recovered when the 2025 season begins. The 27-year-old looked promising in limited snaps toward the tail-end of 2023, so that bodes even better.
Greenlaw is incredibly well-rounded as a cover man and run defender, and his presence next to or as a successor to Lavonte David would be a huge boon to the overall unit. You’re likely looking at something in the $10-12 million AAV range, probably over 2 to 3 years.
Tyrel Dodson
The Buccaneers must get younger and more reliable in coverage at inside linebacker, and that should make Dodson a prime target. Dodson posted the 5th-best coverage grade of any linebacker in 2024 for Pro Football Focus, though he may not be the best in other areas.
The 26-year-old likely won’t draw top-tier money, which obviously would fit the Bucs better than Greenlaw if they’re casting a wide net across multiple positions, but the downside of that is obviously getting an inferior overall player.
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Asante Samuel, Jr.
Bowles emphasized the need to create more turnovers and overall disruption on defense. Well, if that’s the goal, Samuel is a good bet.
He’s undersized for what this defense usually prefers, but will the desire to find those ballhawking traits allow the team to look past that? Samuel’s contract year was marred by a shoulder injury that limited him to 4 games, but prior to that he collected 6 interceptions and 37 passes defensed over three seasons (43 starts).
The 26-year-old is looking at a contract evaluation around 4 years, $48 million per Spotrac.