With the season still more than three months away, it is never too early for some depth chart speculation and evaluation. Here is who I believe will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starters on defense in Week 1 of the Regular Season:
Defensive Line: Gerald Mccoy, Chris Baker, Robert Ayers, William Gholston
Clearly not the best line in the league, definitely not the worst one either, especially with Noah Spence on the verge of becoming a starter! Mccoy is a beast and wants to prove it this year!
Overall grade: B-
Linebackers: Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander, Kendall Beckwith
Alexander and David have both reached elite status in the NFL. They are the heart of this defense along with McCoy. Both David and Alexander are worthy of a grade A. However, our third LB spot is weak, its starter very hard to predict as of now.
Overall grade: B
Defensive Backs: Vernon Hargreaves, Brent Grimes, Justin Evans, J.J. Wilcox
Our cornerbacks are good. Grimes has got another year in him, the Bucs should pick a CB high in the draft next year to replace him, though. Hargreaves had a solid rookie year. Not spectacular, but decent. His play should take a huge step forward in his second year!
At safety, Evans has potential, but hasn’t taken an NFL snap and is unproven. Wilcox is an average safety.
Overall grade: C+
All in all, our defense is a group to be excited about! If Licht adds the right pieces in the coming years, we might soon see a dominant unit like the one we had in 2002! The future is bright, Bucs fans!
