Earlier in the week, I wrote about the offensive players that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were watching at the East/West Shrine game. I am going to move to the other side of the ball. The defense was what the Buccaneers focused on in last year’s offseason. The only player who seemed to work out was Jason Pierre-Paul. Head coach Bruce Arians wants to add some veterans but would like to also add youth. He figures that the combination will help the Buccaneers have a winning season.
Defensive Lineman:
The Buccaneers have their eyes on four defensive linemen. These linemen might be helping or filling the gap left by Gerald McCoy. Either way, they will be helping Jason Pierre-Paul apply pressure to the opponents’ quarterback and run game. The first one is from the University of Texas. His name is Landis Durham. Durham is a defensive end. He is a great pass rusher with big arms. He started for two years and had 22.5 tackles for losses and 17.5 sacks. He could be on the other side of Pierre-Paul, and it would be a great combination. He can play in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
The second player they are looking at is from Sam Houston State. He is Derick Roberson. Roberson transferred from the University of Texas. He had a great senior season. His stats were 68 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles. He, like Durham, is a great edge rusher and would be great with Pierre-Paul.
The third player is a division 2 player. He comes from Angelo State, a defensive end named Markus Jones. Jones won most of the major awards in division 2. He has a great combination of speed and power. He had 36.5 tackles for losses,17.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, 4 forced fumbles, two blocked kicks and 84 tackles. He will get to test his skills against better talent on Saturday.
The last player is from the University of Arkansas. His name his Armon Watts. Watts was a late bloomer for the Razorbacks. He has strong hands and athleticism. His stats were 49 tackles, 8.5 of those for losses. Watts, if he has a good showing, could increase his draft stock.
Linebackers:
The Buccaneers are looking to solidify their linebacker core. They have Lavonte David as the general. A big question is, will Kwon Alexander return? The Buccaneers are looking at one linebacker. He is from the University of Maryland. His name is Tre Watson. He transferred from Illinois. He only had one season as a Terrapin. His stats were 108 tackles, 5 interceptions, 3 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, one fumble recovery, a sack, and a defensive touchdown. He played for fellow Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker Hardy Nickerson. He will be a terrific addition to the Buccaneers’ defense.
Defensive Backs:
This has been a weakness for a long time for the Buccaneers. The secondary has been a problem since Ronde Barber and John Lynch. They had cancer this year in Brent Grimes. On his wife’s podcast, Grimes said the Buccaneers were not paying him enough to cover wide receivers like Antonio Brown. The Buccaneers now need to bring in a veteran like a Tyrann Mathieu, who is well liked by Arians. The secondary is very young but could add some more young pieces to help.
The Buccaneers have their eyes on 5 cornerbacks and 2 safeties. The first of five cornerbacks is Derrick Baity from the University of Kentucky. Baity is a very talented back and could be the best one in the game. His career as a Wildcat yielded 148 tackles, 6 interceptions, 25 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He has decent recovery speed, but he has a good length to hassle receivers.
The second player is Jamal Peters from Mississippi State. Peters is a great athlete! He loves to attack the ball, and he uses his speed and agility. Peters’ stats as a Bulldog are 99 tackles, 3 interceptions, one interception for a touchdown, and 10 pass breakups. Peters also was a talented player on special teams.
The third player is Blace Brown from Troy University. Brown started his career as a wide receiver and switched to a cornerback in his sophomore year. Brown has a very high football IQ. The reason that many teams stayed away from him is that he only recorded one interception in his senior year. That interception was the one that beat the LSU Tigers in Death Valley.
The fourth player is Michael Jackson from the University of Miami. Jackson has skillful hands and great leaping ability. He also has good tackling ability and is a good edge blitzer.
The fifth player is Jordan Wyatt from SMU. He has good instincts and hands. He loves going after the ball. He had many interceptions and is a good blitzer. He would be a good addition to the Buccaneer secondary.
The first of two safeties is Delvon Randall from the University of Temple. He is very capable of playing in the box and stopping the run. He had three straight seasons in which he had 65 tackles and 4 interceptions. Arians coached at Temple and Todd Bowles played there; both have their eyes on Randall.
The second safety is Andrew Wingard from the University of Wyoming. Wingard is a physical safety. He is good in deep coverage. He is also an active blitzer. He will be a good fit in Bowles’ defense.
All stats courtesy of Pewterreport.com.
