The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have a problem heading into the upcoming season. They have too many good inside linebackers. After all of the real problems the Bucs have had since last season, having a good "problem" is a breath of fresh air. Head coach Todd Bowles was recently asked about which position group he feels the best about as his team enters the regular season. Bowles gave a mildly surprising answer, saying he believes the Bucs are strongest at inside linebacker. After losing franchise legend Lavonte David to retirement this offseason after 14 seasons with the club, Tampa did everything they could to replace him, both for this season and for the long-term. The Bucs signed veteran Alex Anzalone in free agency and then drafted Josiah Trotter in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Anzalone is an established veteran who has been one of the league's most productive linebackers in the league over the last few seasons. Trotter is a downhill thumper who has been turning heads and looking like a potential star since the beginning of training camp. It looked like Trotter was going to be impossible to keep off the field once the real games started, and the organization believed that he would become an immediate starter and potentially the best player on the Bucs' defense when they drafted him. With Anzalone penciled in as one of the starting inside linebackers, it looked like Trotter would win the job to start alongside him. He just needed to beat out incumbent SirVocea Dennis, who badly struggled last season. Over the past several weeks, that seemed like a foregone conclusion. However, Bowles divulged that isn't the case, saying he is still unsure of who will start in Week 1. While he wouldn't commit to Trotter, Bowles did say the rookie is "making a hell of a case," according to Rick Stroud.
Could Dennis Really Start Over Trotter
It wasn't that long ago that Dennis' roster spot looked to be in jeopardy after the Bucs made several new additions to their defensive front seven. Even though Dennis survived cutdown day, it seems far-fetched that he would continue to start over the rookie Trotter. Dennis did not have a good 2025 season. His lapses in coverage, combined with David's late-career decline, created a giant weakness smack dab in the middle of Tampa's defense. Trotter and Anzalone were added to turn that weakness into a strength. That can't happen if Trotter is standing on the sidelines more often than not.
Final Thoughts
NFL head coaches aren't exactly known for divulging more information than is absolutely necessary. Bowles can say he hasn't named a starter yet, but all signs and common sense point to the rookie Trotter starting next to Anzalone when the Bucs take on the Cincinnati Bengals to open their season in less than two weeks.