The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have found their most valuable offseason pickup in the middle of the defense.
Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter, a second-round selection in this year’s draft, has quickly become Todd Bowles’ most effective defender and a major reason Tampa Bay is back in the NFC South mix. After a strong showing against the Carolina Panthers, the Bucs have re-entered the division race with Bowles getting production from a defense that’s starting to hit its stride and quarterback Baker Mayfield getting healthier every week.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s NFL Nation updated its power rankings and named each team’s biggest offseason addition. For Tampa Bay, that honor went to Trotter.
“Trotter has produced a 42.5% run stop win rate -- the highest on the team and 10th best of any position in the league,” ESPN's Jenna Laine wrote. “The second-round pick's 9.5 tackles per game is the ninth most in the league, too. His 17.2% tackle percentage is fourth highest in the league.”
Trotter’s impact showed up immediately. In his debut against the Cincinnati Bengals, he became the first player in NFL history to log 10 or more tackles, a sack, and a pick-six in his first game. The Buccaneers still had to fight through offensive turnovers and tough field position, but Trotter nearly helped them pull out a win anyway.
He hasn’t slowed down since.
Trotter has topped 10 tackles in three more games, including a 10-tackle effort against Carolina on Sunday. Against Bryce Young, Tampa Bay’s defense was relentless, forcing several questionable throws and a fumble. Trotter also picked up his third pass defensed of the season, another early-season skill that has stood out.
His production has already put him in the franchise record book. In Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, Trotter finished with nine tackles and 1.5 stuffs at the line of scrimmage after sitting out the previous week with an injury. Through three games, his 34 takedowns set a Buccaneers franchise record, topping Antoine Winfield Jr.’s 23 from 2020.
That kind of steady work in the middle has helped turn Tampa Bay into one of the league’s better defenses again, especially against the run.
Now comes a tougher test. The Buccaneers will face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and Bijan Robinson figures to be front and center. Robinson leads the NFL with 704 rushing yards and has added 203 receiving yards, making him one of the league’s most dangerous dual threats.
With the NFC South bunched up, Tampa Bay could move into the lead. And if the Bucs are going to do that, slowing Robinson will be a big part of the job.
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Buccaneers Pulled Off A Rare Panthers Play Fans Had Never Seen
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The sequence stood out even more because it was a first in franchise history, with the Bucs cashing in on a blocked extra-point return in a way fans had never seen before. For a team that has leaned on defense and field position in plenty of big moments, it was another reminder that sometimes the smallest play on the scoreboard can have the biggest impact. [Read more 🡒]
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Todd Bowles is among the names being discussed in the latest hot-seat chatter, a reflection of how quickly the temperature can rise when results start to slip. For the Buccaneers, the concern is not just about one rough stretch but about whether the organization believes the direction is still pointing the right way, and whether the coming weeks will settle the debate or make it louder. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Decision Fans Never Wanted
At 2-5, the Buccaneers have reached the kind of crossroads no contender wants to face in October. The passing game has been uneven, some of the rosters core players are getting older, and yet the NFC South is still open enough that a quick turnaround would keep Tampa Bay in the mix, even if the team is still chasing the division leader.
That is what makes the trade deadline conversation so uncomfortable around One Buccaneer Place. The Colts have already shown how far a team can go in rethinking its direction with midseason moves, and the Bucs are now weighing whether they should resist that kind of sell-off or at least consider it if the next stretch goes badly. For a team built to expect more than a rebuilding discussion, even having that debate is its own warning sign. [Read more 🡒]