Yaya Diaby is setting a high bar for the Buccaneers’ defense, and he’s not backing off it.
After spending training camp around a unit he’s seen at its best and at its worst, Diaby believes Tampa Bay has the pieces to make a real leap in 2026. He told PewterReport.com that the group can become a top-10 defense this season, with one big caveat: the core has to stay healthy.
That confidence comes from what the Buccaneers have added around him. Tampa Bay reinforced its front seven, headlined by the selection of Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 15 overall pick. Bain gives the Bucs another disruptive presence up front and adds to a pass rush that already flashed at times last season.
Diaby also sees the linebacker room trending in the right direction. Alex Anzalone brings another proven veteran into the mix, while Josiah Trotter is stepping into his rookie year after going in the second round. Between the experience and the younger talent, Diaby believes the competition in camp has raised the standard.
When asked whether this could be the best defense he’s played with in Tampa Bay, Diaby didn’t dance around it. He said the group is hungry and driven, a mix of veterans and young players who want to prove themselves. That edge could end up defining the unit.
Still, the biggest question is availability. Diaby pointed to last season’s injuries, which knocked the defense and the roster out of rhythm and forced constant changes. If Tampa Bay can keep its key pieces on the field, the consistency and production should follow.
Diaby didn’t pin his top-10 prediction to any one category, whether that means points, yards, turnovers or something else. But the message was clear enough: he thinks this defense has the talent, depth and mindset to rank among the NFL’s best.
In Other News...
Bucs Preseason QB Plan Suddenly Looks A Lot Less Certain
A quiet preseason week got a little more complicated for Tampa Bay when backup quarterback Jake Browning went down during a joint practice with the Jets. Browning appeared to suffer a lower back injury, left the field and was replaced by second-year quarterback Connor Bazelak, a development that immediately put some uncertainty around how the Buccaneers will handle the position in their first preseason game.
The timing matters because Tampa Bay had been working through its quarterback plan for the opener, and Brownings availability could shape how those reps are divided. If he cannot go, the Bucs may need to lean on Bazelak and Jalon Daniels to cover more of the work, which would turn a simple preseason tune-up into a more fluid evaluation period for the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Joint Practice Turned Ugly And Luke Goedeke Is Central
Joint practices are supposed to sharpen a team before the games start counting, but the Buccaneers and Jets managed to turn one into a full-on dustup. Tempers flared on the field between both sides during the session, with multiple scuffles breaking out as the two teams worked through camp reps and got a little too comfortable with the physical edge that often comes with August.
Luke Goedeke wound up right in the middle of the mess after a Jets interception by safety Jairus Monroe sparked a post-play confrontation, and another altercation later involving Jets defensive tackle Darrell Jackson and a Buccaneers offensive lineman pushed things far enough that the teams scrapped their second scheduled joint practice. For Tampa Bay, the episode leaves the usual training camp takeaway hanging over everything else: the line between competitive and chaotic got crossed quickly, and the details of how the Bucs handle the fallout will matter just as much as the next rep. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Depth Chart Just Sparked A Real Defensive Competition Debate
The Buccaneers first official depth chart ahead of their preseason opener against the Jets offered an early look at how the defense is being sorted out, and it came with a few eyebrow-raisers. First-round rookie Rueben Bain Jr. is the lone rookie listed with a starting spot, while Vita Vea remains penciled in as the starting nose tackle even after missing practices, a reminder that these early charts can say as much about expectations as they do about current availability.
SirVocea Dennis also shows up as the starting middle linebacker, a noteworthy call in a camp where Josiah Trotter has drawn attention with more splash plays. The secondary has its own intrigue, with Benjamin Morrison sitting as a second-string cornerback despite limited practice time because of injury, and J.J. Roberts listed behind the starters at safety even though he has not been on the field because of injury. The chart does not settle the competition, but it does make clear that several jobs remain very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]