It’s been a few days since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gut wrenching loss on Thursday night. However, time will not heal the pain of watching the Bucs get picked apart on defense by the Falcons. That’s because this is a legitimate problem that won’t go away unless Jason Licht makes a roster change.
Linebacker K.J. Britt was absolutely exposed in coverage in this loss. Kirk Cousins targeted him early and often and he was the biggest reason that Cousins was able to throw for 500+ yards in this game. The Bucs have to do everything in their power to get Britt off the field.
This was always the plan because we always knew that Britt wasn’t good in coverage. That’s why he was platooning with SirVocea Dennis, with Dennis getting expected passing situation snaps. We had begun to see Dennis taking a majority of the snaps and would have likely taken Britt’s starting job sooner rather than later.
However, a shoulder injury to Dennis landed him on the Injured Reserve. And while it’s still possible that Dennis will return at some point this year, all signs point to this being a more serious injury that will take a good amount of time to recover from. The Buccaneers have to plan as if they will be without him for the rest of the year.
So who is a potentially available linebacker who can be a part of a rotation with Britt or to take his place all together? It would have to be someone on a bad team (so no Drue Tranquil) and someone who is a little bit older and not viewed as part of a team’s long term plans (so no Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah). Here are some names that I think would fill in with the Bucs nicely.
Kyzir White
Kyzir White started his career as a safety and eventually moved down to linebacker. This is because he wasn’t quite athletic enough to cover at an NFL level in the secondary. However, as far as linebackers go White has been able to do a decent job in this department.
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t a good team and have a losing record. They could be on the downswing right now as they prepare to play the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers. These could both be losses and put the Cardinals in a bad situation to make a playoff push this year.
White is more of a role player than anything and should be obtainable at a reasonable price. If the wheels start to come off in Arizona, then he’s a name worth looking at as a platoon option with Britt.
Josey Jewell
Josey Jewell has never been the most impressive athlete, but he’s a solid lower tier starter who isn’t going to kill you defensively. He can cover some and is a solid tackler who put together some quality seasons in Denver with the Broncos. Now, at 30 years old, he is in his first year on a sinking ship known as the Carolina Panthers.
Traditional logic says that teams within the same division don’t usually trade with each other. Fortunately, the Panthers aren’t a typical team. They are one of the most poorly run franchises in all of sports and I wouldn’t put anything past them.
There are also connections between the Panthers and the Buccaneers. Carolina head coach Dave Canales was the Bucs offensive coordinator last season and he took several staff members with him to the Panthers when he left Tampa. A friendly relationship. Plus pure incompetence could make this trade a reality for the Buccaneers to get a new starting linebacker.
Isaiah Simmons
I still remember the conversation around Isaiah Simmons a few years ago when he was the 8th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. At 6’4 and almost 240 lbs, he ran a 4.39 40 yard dash and was a freak athlete at the linebacker position. However, the eye test told me that he played more like a safety or nickel defender than a traditional linebacker.
Where I saw versatility, the NFL saw confusion as to how to use him. As a result, Simmons failed in Arizona and is not a role player for the New York Giants. Despite this, his athletic ability and coverage skills are all still there.
Simmons would be a linebacker who can match up with tight ends and even play in the nickel at times. And while he lacks that grit and physicality to play in the box, that’s where KJ Britt is at his best. They would make a perfect duo together for the rest of the year before Dennis returns from injury or Simmons becomes a free agent.
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