The Buccaneers don’t look like a typical buyer at 2-5, but the NFC South has a way of keeping teams alive longer than anyone expects. Tampa Bay could be just half a game out of first place after Week 8 if it beats the Falcons and the Panthers lose to the Packers, and the Bucs would own the head-to-head tiebreakers over Carolina and Atlanta. That leaves room for a bold move.
One name that fits the bill is Eagles linebacker Zack Baun.
Tampa Bay’s defense has quietly been top-10, but one spot keeps sticking out: the inside linebacker next to rookie standout Josiah Trotter. Todd Bowles has stayed loyal to Alex Anzalone, who wears the green dot for the defense, yet Anzalone has been a major problem this season and ranks as the worst linebacker in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s why Baun would make so much sense if the Buccaneers decided to swing big. The Eagles are 2-5 as well, and with Jalen Hurts sidelined indefinitely, they could end up treating the rest of the season like a chance to reset for the future. Baun, meanwhile, is still performing like a top-tier linebacker after earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 2024.
He currently ranks as PFF’s fifth-best linebacker, with strong marks in pass coverage, run defense and pass rushing. He’s also one of the league’s highest-paid linebackers, coming in at $17 million annually, and his contract runs through 2027. Any deal would require Tampa Bay to absorb that money and send Philadelphia a premium pick, likely a second- or third-rounder, before the Eagles would even seriously entertain it.
That would be a rare kind of move for Jason Licht, but it’s easy to see the appeal. Baun would bring the Buccaneers the stability they’ve been missing at inside linebacker, and he could be exactly the kind of veteran presence Trotter needs beside him.
Tampa Bay already showed what this defense can do in Week 7, when it flattened the first-place Panthers 43-13. Carolina came in ranked No. 1 in passing, No. 2 in total offense and No. 4 in scoring, and the Buccaneers still made it look manageable, sacking Bryce Young five times, intercepting him twice and returning a forced fumble for a touchdown.
So the defense is real. The question is whether the Buccaneers want to give it one last push. They can wait until after Week 8 to figure out their deadline path, but if they keep winning in the division, the call to Philadelphia starts making a lot more sense.
In Other News...
Todd Bowles Sent Buccaneers A Message They Better Carry Forward
After a 43-13 win over the Panthers, Todd Bowles used the postgame moment to steer the Buccaneers right back toward the bigger picture. Tampa Bays coach made it clear the message after Week 7 was not about celebrating for long, but about carrying the same focus and edge into the work ahead, especially with the team still sitting at 2-5 and needing every game to matter from here on out.
The next test comes quickly with a divisional matchup against the Falcons on deck, and Bowles point was simple enough: one convincing victory does not change the urgency. For a Buccaneers team trying to stop its season from slipping further, the challenge now is taking the attitude from Sunday and making sure it shows up again immediately. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Defense May Have Found A New Way To Pressure Teams
Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers made a noticeable shift in coverage against Carolina, leaning less on their usual Cover 3 looks and spending more time in Quarters. The change matched up with what Tampa Bay had on the field, and it showed up in the way the defense handled the Panthers, who had a much harder time finding space and rhythm. It was the kind of adjustment that can get lost in the box score, but it mattered in how the Bucs controlled the game.
The larger takeaway is that Tampa Bay may have found a coverage blend that better suits its personnel and still creates pressure without forcing it. The front still got after the quarterback, the secondary held up behind it, and the whole unit put together one of the NFLs strongest Cover 4 performances through Week 7. For a defense that has been searching for consistent answers, the fit could be especially important going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs May Have Found The Identity Todd Bowles Has Been Chasing
After the Buccaneers rolled past Carolina, Todd Bowles had the kind of performance he has been asking for, one built on physicality, discipline and a ground game that let Tampa Bay dictate the tone. The win was a reminder that when the Bucs can stay committed to running the ball, the offense looks less like a weekly puzzle and more like a team with a clear identity.
Bucky Irving again sat at the center of it, continuing a season that has put him among the NFLs rushing leaders and put him on pace for a career-best year after last seasons injury setback. The depth behind him also mattered in a lopsided game like this, and the bigger question now is whether Tampa Bay can keep leaning into that style against stronger defenses, when the challenge is not just running well but doing it without losing the edge Bowles keeps demanding. [Read more 🡒]