Bucs Continue To Be High On Two Young Players

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The Bucs have been adamant that while their defense certainly needed an influx of talent this off-season, they were deeper than people outside the building thought they were. This could not be truer than at two specific positions.

The team made additions at both outside linebacker with free agent Haason Reddick and draft pick David Walker, and inside linebacker with free agent Anthony Walker Jr. But Tampa Bay also left room for two of its more promising players to still have substantial opportunities to contribute in 2025.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell

Tampa Bay signed free agent Haason Reddick to a one-year, $15 million contract. Reddick will slot in as the starter opposite Yaya Diaby, replacing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.

The team also brought back Anthony Nelson and added David Walker on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. But Nelson’s ceiling is limited, and Reddick is a stopgap player as he turns 31 in September. Go back just 12 short months and you’ll find the team made another investment in its outside linebacker room when they drafted Chris Braswell in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: USA Today

Braswell’s rookie season was demure, but not without some promise. Especially late in the season. He recorded 18 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss and had one forced fumble in his first NFL season. His 19 pressures were fifth among rookies last year per Pro Football Focus. And his 13.3% pass rush win rate was fourth among that same group with a minimum of 100 pass rush snaps, trailing only three first-round players in Jared Verse, Chop Robinson and Laiatu Latu.

Down the stretch Braswell’s efficiency ballooned as his opportunities contracted.

From Week 14 through the playoffs, Braswell led all rookie edge rushers with a 22.2% win rate (minimum 25 pass rush snaps). His hand usage was vastly improved at the end of the season as he was independently using them to swat away punches and kept tackles off his frame. That improvement, coupled with his speed-to-power and a more comfortable playing style, led to the promise the Bucs are looking for.

Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Biehl spoke glowingly of Braswell during his recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast.

“Yeah, I mean I to your point I think we all, you know, especially those – that second year into your third year – that’s kind of when you see guys hitting their strides,” Biehl said. “But one guy that I I’m really excited to see is Chris Braswell from last year’s draft. I just think that with another year under his belt – and pass rusher and D-line in general in this league it’s hard to come in and make an impact as a rookie.

“And Chris worked his tail off last year and I think he’s continued to do that through this offseason. And we’re expecting big things from him. I mean, he’s a talented individual and he’s a great person and I just think that you’re going to see his work ethic come through this year and hopefully we get a lot of production out of him.”

There is plenty of cause skepticism, and Braswell is far from a slam dunk breakout candidate in year two. Despite technical improvements in his game in the backhalf of the year the team continually reduced his playing time. He averaged 24 snaps per game leading up to the Bucs’ Week 11 bye. After the bye week, Braswell averaged just 15 snaps per game despite the team getting relatively little pass rush from Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. At a time when Tampa Bay needed juice off the edge the coaching staff turned away from Braswell instead of towards him.

And so the team has taken steps to hedge for him failing to develop while still providing a clear path for him to shine. They pursued a veteran with a long track record of success and drafted a day three college rusher with some upside to push him for depth snaps. In doing so they also left room for him to turn flashes of promise into consistent production.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis

I was on record at the close of last season thinking SirVocea Dennis was on the roster bubble. To hear the Bucs brass tell it, I couldn’t have been further from the truth. The team has repeatedly discussed how high they are on him and how much of their 2024 defensive structure was Dennis-dependent. Vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl heaped praise on him as well.

“I would throw SirVocea into one of those players that were kind of looking to take that next step,” Biehl said. “I mean, he’s been here for a few years now, but he just hasn’t played a lot with the injury stuff. So, he’s a talented guy and our defensive staff has been excited about him, really since he got here. And a lot of that started with the way he picked up the defense and the things that they asked him to do. And you guys talked about it with Todd [Bowles]. It’s not an easy thing to do. So, I do look forward to seeing SirVocea being healthy and I think he’s ready to take that next step.”

Bucs Ilb Sirvocea Dennis

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Dennis finished just three games last year. But, like Braswell, he displayed flashes of being a quality player. In those three games, the Bucs allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 64% of their passes for an average of 5.8 yards per attempt and 86.3 yards per game when targeting the middle of the field between 0-20 yards from the line of scrimmage. This is the area of the field linebackers are most responsible for in coverage.

In the 14 subsequent games following Dennis’ injury those rate went up to 77%, 8.9 yards per attempt and 133.4 yards per game, respectively. PFF graded Dennis out well, crediting him with a 67.3 overall defensive grade and a 74.3 coverage grade. They also credited him as allowing just 54 yards passing when targeted over 64 coverage reps, averaging just 0.84 yards allowed per coverage snap.

He is a fluid mover who tracks the play well with plus instincts. There is a lot to like if he can stay on the field and avoid injuries.

With Lavonte David returning for his 14th season there was just one starting linebacker spot remaining. The Bucs clearly view Dennis as starting caliber and wanted to leave a path for him to secure that spot. If they had pursued a starter in free agency, it would have blocked that path.

The draft may have provided depth. But in a class that lacked many quality options, there were few players who would likely provide an upgrade over Dennis on the field. Had Dennis been a part of this draft class there is reason to believe he would have been the third or fourth linebacker selected this year.

Bucs Ilb Sirvocea Dennis

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In lieu of blocking his path with a lower ceiling player, the Bucs instead pursued a quality backup with starting experience in Anthony Walker Jr., who can step in should Dennis’ injury issues continue into the future.

But as the Bucs are excited about their rookies contributing to the 2025 team, it is a second- and third-year player who each have a more clearly defined path to contributing that may prove more pivotal to success. And while everyone loves the shiny new toys, it’s the second- and third-year players who provide significantly more value than rookies year over year. Last year rookie edge rushers played 5,809 defensive snaps. Compare that to sophomore edges who almost doubled that number with 11,499.

Linebacker is much the same. In 2024, third-year linebackers played 8,246 defensive snaps, 59% more than rookie linebackers. Rarely can rookies step in and contribute positively in year one. With Day 3 players it’s near impossible. Day 2 guys often struggle. First-round picks don’t always hit the ground running, either.

This is why it is so important to develop players over multiple years and provide pathways for that development to manifest on the field. The Bucs are clearly taking that path with Chris Braswell and SirVocea Dennis.

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