The Bucs’ 2026 offseason additions have not exactly come charging out of the gate, and the first two games have already turned the spotlight on two names that were supposed to help right away: Alex Anzalone and Rueben Bain Jr.
Through two weeks, the group has been more underwhelming than transformative. Kenny Gainwell has barely been used in Zac Robinson’s offense.
Al-Quadin Muhammad has been stuck in a reserve role. A’Shawn Robinson has been quiet.
And the two defenders expected to make the biggest immediate impact - Anzalone and Bain - have yet to change the look of Todd Bowles’ defense.
The problems around them are familiar ones. The Bucs still struggle to generate pressure with a four-man rush.
They still have trouble tackling in space. They still have issues covering the middle of the field.
Anzalone and Bain were supposed to help fix that. Instead, they’ve mostly blended into the same mess.
Even so, Anzalone does not appear to be in danger of losing his starting job. Bowles said Monday that the veteran linebacker, who wears the green dot and relays the calls to the rest of the defense, remains firmly in the plan despite another rough outing in Sunday’s 23-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
“He wasn’t the only one to miss tackles. We had a few guys miss tackles in the second half that led to some plays.
We just gotta tackle better,” Bowles said. ” … Still confident in him.
Like I said, we got a lot of guys who got a lot of things to clean up. If you put someone on the bench for messing up, then everyone is on the bench.”
That confidence doesn’t erase how badly Anzalone has played. Pro Football Focus has him ranked 68th among 69 linebackers through two weeks, and he has been charged with four missed tackles. For a linebacker operating in the middle of the field, around the ball as often as he is, those mistakes have been impossible to miss.
The most damaging one against Cleveland came late in the third quarter. Tampa Bay was up 16-9 when Deshaun Watson hit Denzel Boston over the middle.
What should have been a routine first-down stop turned into disaster when Anzalone missed the tackle, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith also failed to finish the play, and Boston raced 55 yards for a touchdown. Anzalone also missed Harold Fannin Jr. on a screen pass, letting the second-year tight end turn it into a first down instead of a stop for no gain.
That one sequence helped swing the game. The Bucs managed only three more points after that, and the defense later gave up the winning touchdown with just over six minutes left.
Bain’s situation is different, but the frustration is just as real. The rookie outside linebacker has only two pressures in two games and sits near the bottom of the league in pass rush win rate.
He didn’t record a stat against the Browns, and the week before in Cincinnati he looked late off the snap and without a clear answer for how to beat his blocker. At one point, he even got locked up by Harold Fannin Jr., a 241-pound tight end not known for his blocking.
Nobody is ready to label Bain a lost cause, but the production simply hasn’t been there. The same can be said for Yaya Diaby, who has also underwhelmed in the final year of his rookie deal. There is also the question of whether Bain is still feeling the effects of the AC joint sprain he suffered during joint practices in Jacksonville.
Bowles said Monday that Bain is “good enough to play.”
“He says it’s not. I don’t think he’s completely healthy but at the same time, he’s good enough to play,” Bowles said. “So, we gotta get more production there.”
The Bucs do not have time to wait much longer. At 0-2, with the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys coming up, they need more from that edge group now. A rotation there already showed up a bit against Cleveland.
Bain played 60% of the snaps in the home opener. Muhammad played 36%, and David Walker was on the field for nine snaps, finishing with the first sack of his NFL career and one of only two sacks Tampa Bay had in the game.
For now, Bain may need to see a little more of the action from the sideline. However it gets done, Bowles needs a fix there - and Bain needs to deliver it.
In Other News...
Bucs Usage After That Loss Raises One Big Offensive Concern
The snap counts from Tampa Bays loss to Cleveland offered a revealing look at how the Buccaneers tried to piece together their offense, and it started with the passing game. Jalen McMillan saw a limited workload, while Ted Hurst III was asked to carry more of the load and ended up with a costly drop that stood out in a game where the Bucs never quite found the right rhythm.
Bucky Irving again looked like the most important piece of the offense, out-snapping Kenny Gainwell and handling the bulk of the backfield work. On the other side of the ball, David Walker made the most of limited opportunities with his first career sack, but the bigger takeaway for Tampa Bay was how uneven the offensive usage looked in a loss that raised questions about where the production is supposed to come from next. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Fans Already Feel The Void Lavonte David Left
Through two games, Alex Anzalone has held the Buccaneers starting linebacker role and worn the helmet that comes with calling the defense, but the early returns have been rough. His work in coverage and as a tackler has left Tampa Bay without much stability in the middle, and the roster doesnt offer an obvious immediate upgrade as the team tries to settle that spot.
The bigger issue is the shadow left by Lavonte David, whose retirement this offseason ended a 14-year run in Tampa Bay and removed a player who had long been both a leader and a tone-setter. Rookie Josiah Trotter has already made more tackles than Anzalone, which only sharpens the contrast as the Buccaneers look for someone to replace not just the production, but the presence David brought to the defense. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Draw A Much Tougher Vikings QB Test Than Expected
A week after the matchup started looking like it might come with a different quarterback story, the Buccaneers now have a clearer picture of what awaits in Week 3. Vikings head coach Kevin OConnell confirmed that Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will start against Tampa Bay, with Carson Wentz staying in the backup role. It gives the Bucs a far different challenge than they were preparing for, especially with Minnesota still carrying the edge in the betting line.
For Tampa Bay, the bigger wrinkle is not just the name under center, but the uncertainty hanging over what comes next. Murrays return gives Minnesota a more dynamic look right away, while the possibility that his status beyond this week is still unsettled only adds another layer to the matchup. However the Vikings handle their quarterback situation after Sunday, the Buccaneers are getting a sturdier test than they may have expected when the week began. [Read more 🡒]