The Buccaneers are heading into training camp with a problem most teams would love to have: too many outside linebackers who can actually play. That kind of depth helps Todd Bowles’ defense, but it also puts pressure on veterans who’ve built their value through steady work rather than highlight-reel production. Anthony Nelson may be the name with the most on the line.
Nelson has spent the last several seasons as one of Tampa Bay’s most dependable defenders. He has never been the loudest pass-rushing presence, but he has consistently delivered solid snaps, held up against the run, and earned Bowles’ trust because he can do a little bit of everything.
The challenge now is that the room around him looks very different. The Buccaneers spent the 15th overall pick on Rueben Bain Jr., and he is expected to play a major role right away.
Yaya Diaby, the team’s top returning edge rusher, is in a contract year after his breakout production. Tampa Bay also brought in Al-Quadin Muhammad, who is coming off a career-best season, to add another experienced option to the rotation.
There’s more competition beyond that, too. David Walker missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, but Bowles has praised him all offseason and said the young edge rusher is starting to look like his old self again.
If that momentum carries into camp, he’ll be pushing for snaps as well. Even Chris Braswell, a former second-round pick, is trying to carve out a bigger role after another offseason in Bowles’ system.
That’s how a position group that lacked depth a year ago suddenly became crowded with real options. Tampa Bay has nine outside linebackers on the roster heading into camp, and that number tells the story.
Nelson still has value because he’s one of the better run defenders in the group, knows Bowles’ scheme inside and out, and has shown he can help on special teams. But if the younger players take the next step the Buccaneers expect, his defensive workload could shrink.
Nelson isn’t battling to keep his roster spot. He’s fighting to hold onto the role he’s earned. In a deeper edge-rushing room than Tampa Bay has had under Bowles, every rep is going to matter.
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Mac Jones Had A Funny Take On Tom Bradys Bucs Return
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Jones handled the stage well enough, completing 31 of 40 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but the night belonged to Tampa Bay in the end. The Buccaneers left with a 19-17 win, and the game closed with a tense finish that fit the mood of the whole evening, the kind of result that kept the Brady return story lingering long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans May Not Like Where This QB Talk Is Heading
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That is why a recent mock draft from Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated caught attention, even if it was only a projection. The idea of Tampa Bay using draft capital on a quarterback would not necessarily mean a clean break from Mayfield, but it would signal the front office is at least keeping a hedge in play, whether as insurance or as a developmental option if the contract situation drags on. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Hit With Brutal Offseason Verdict After Collapse And Key Exit
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The personnel losses only deepen the concern, with Jamel Dean gone and Lavonte David retired, leaving the roster thinner in spots that mattered most. Even so, Schwabs view is not entirely bleak for Tampa Bay, since he still thinks the Bucs can reclaim the division in 2026 if the core comes together, with Bucky Irvings health and explosiveness looming as one of the bigger questions hanging over the team. [Read more 🡒]