Alex Anzalone’s first game in a Buccaneers uniform could hardly have gone worse.
Pro Football Focus handed the veteran linebacker a 32.3 grade for Tampa Bay’s Week 1 loss to the Bengals, the lowest mark on the team and the worst of any Buccaneers player in the season opener. Among qualifying linebackers, that put him 62nd out of 68.
The film and the grade lined up. Anzalone missed tackles, allowed a touchdown and spent too much of the afternoon on the turf, slipping and sliding through the game in a rough debut.
He also played every snap, making the struggles stand out even more. Tampa Bay leaned on him for the full game, and he was the only Buccaneer to log 100% of the snaps.
That matters because the Bucs did not bring him in as a depth piece. They signed Anzalone to a two-year deal in free agency with a clear job in mind: replace the veteran presence lost after Lavonte David retired. The expectation was that Anzalone could stabilize the middle of Todd Bowles’ defense, and there was even belief he could be an upgrade over David in coverage, an area where he has long been known to shine.
Instead, Week 1 was a mess. It was the kind of performance that had fans wishing David had stuck around for one more season.
Bowles, though, wasn’t ready to hit the panic button.
“He missed a couple tackles that he’d like to have back. Obviously you don’t want that part of it. And he was rusty the first game, but I know he’ll bounce back this one.”
That vote of confidence gives Anzalone a chance to reset quickly, and he’ll need to do it in a hurry with the Browns coming to Tampa Bay next week for the home opener. One rough outing can be written off as rust. If the problems keep piling up, the Buccaneers are going to face tougher questions about whether Anzalone can handle the role they’ve given him.
In Other News...
Bucs Already Have A Real Concern In The Middle Of Their Defense
Alex Anzalones stat line looked busy enough against the Bengals, with seven tackles, but the tape told a more complicated story for the middle of Tampa Bays defense. He was credited with inconsistent play and found himself out of position at times, which is the kind of issue that can quietly unravel a unit even when the box score still looks respectable. Rookie Rueben Bain Jr. also had only a small footprint in the game, finishing with one assisted tackle as the Buccaneers searched for more impact in the middle of the field.
Josiah Trotter was the one bright spot, turning in the games most active defensive performance with 11 tackles, a sack, a pass defensed and a pick-six touchdown. Even so, Tampa Bays next test comes quickly with the Browns on deck, and the Buccaneers will need the center of the defense to settle in before a sturdier opponent starts probing those same soft spots. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Week 1 Snap Counts Raised A Bigger Question Than The Loss
The Buccaneers season-opening loss to Cincinnati left plenty to sort through, but the snap counts may have been even more revealing than the final score. Tampa Bays offense showed an early look at how it plans to distribute work among its pass catchers and backfield, with Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr. and rookie Ted Hurst III all drawing meaningful usage, while Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell split the backfield workload in a way that hinted at how this group might evolve as the season settles in.
On defense, the story was just as interesting because the workload centered on a young linebacker making a strong case for a larger role. Josiah Trotter led the Buccaneers in tackles and was involved in several key plays, while Alex Anzalone was the only defender to stay on the field for every snap. For a team trying to find its footing after one week, the bigger question is not just what happened against the Bengals, but what these usage patterns say about how Tampa Bay wants to build going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Loss Exposed Familiar Problems But One Rookie Gave Fans Hope
The Buccaneers came out of Week 1 with a 33-27 loss to the Bengals, and the film offered a little of everything that has frustrated this team before. Baker Mayfields three fumbles were the clearest example, but the problems did not stop there. Tampa Bays defense had its own communication issues and struggled to generate consistent pressure, while the offense had the kind of delays and miscues that can make a new playcallers first outing feel much longer than the calendar says it should.
Bucky Irving was one of the few reasons for optimism. The rookie running back scored on the ground and also caught seven passes, giving the Buccaneers a much-needed jolt in a game that otherwise exposed familiar concerns. For a team trying to establish a cleaner identity early in the season, Irvings debut offered a small but meaningful reason to believe there is at least one fresh piece ready to help steady things. [Read more 🡒]