Which Young Bucs Are Fighting To Secure Their Future?

The Bucs have a roster filled with talented players. That is the reason why they have played postseason football five years in a row, have won the NFC South four years in a row, and are primed to do so once again this season.

Still, every player needs to step up on game day.

After detailing why Tampa Bay’s highest-paid players and 2022 draft picks have a lot on the line to help the team meet expectations this season, so do other young Bucs who have to stay healthy and produce if pressed into action.

Young Bucs Who Have A Lot On The Line

ILB SirVocea Dennis

SirVocea Dennis enters this season looking to play the most pivotal role of his young Bucs career. Dennis is in line to start at inside linebacker next to Lavonte David but needs to prove that he can play a full season to solidify his Tampa Bay future. 

After being drafted as a fifth-round pick in 2023, Dennis spent his rookie year largely on special teams. That was until 2024, when he platooned with K.J. Britt at inside linebacker and started to emerge. Playing just 46.7% of the Bucs’ defensive snaps through the first three games, Dennis collected 22 tackles and a sack. Unfortunately for him and the unit, a lingering college shoulder injury required surgery and ended his season in Week 4.

The defense noticeably struggled up the middle of the field without him, allowing opposing tight ends to rack up yards as Britt ranked as one of the worst coverage linebackers in the game.

The Bucs have embraced Dennis’s potential and still believe he can be a key piece. General manager Jason Licht praised his instincts and range this offseason.

“I think he’s a very good starting linebacker in this league,” Licht said at the NFL Annual Meeting. “I think we’ve got the [shoulder] issue resolved and he’s ready… He’s fast, he’s instinctive. He’s got a quick trigger. He’s an instinctual player, both in the run game and the pass game. Very, very smart.”

Head coach Todd Bowles is also a fan of Dennis’ game, especially after he stole the spotlight during OTAs playing the role of a MIKE linebacker. In that role, Dennis is entrusted to relay defensive play calls, communicate with the defense, cover the middle of the field, blitz, spy the quarterback and aid in stopping the run. That is one of the most important defensive roles and a tall ask for the third-year player, but he has done it in stride.

“He gets his hands on a lot of balls, and I want to say [he has had] a very good four days,” Bowles said during OTAs. “That does not mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but I like where he is at right now. Right now, he is in the best shape he has been in since he’s been here.”

For Dennis, this season is not just about carving out a permanent role next to Lavonte David and Anthony Walker Jr. It’s about earning the trust to carry the linebacker room into the post-David era. Dennis must sustain health, avoid setbacks, and prove he can impact every down — stopping the run, locking down intermediate coverage, and generating pressure. A strong, full season could firmly establish him as a pillar of Tampa Bay’s defense in the coming years. Another injury or inconsistent play, however, would force the Bucs to question his spot as they might look to sign a big name in free agency or draft someone highly at the position next offseason. All of this makes 2025 is make-or-break.

OLB Chris Braswell

Chris Braswell comes into his second year in the NFL almost in a now or never spot. The Bucs’ 2024 second-round pick is already forced into a spot where he has to prove he’s more than a developmental edge rusher and cement himself as a long-term piece in Todd Bowles’ defense.

His rookie year was a study in potential, not production: 18 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and an impressive late-season uptick with a 22% pass-rush win rate from Week 14 through the playoffs. That stretch lit a fire under Bucs staff and GM Jason Licht, who expressed a lot of excitement about Braswell at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

“I think he has all the traits both as a person and a player to make a big jump,” Licht said then about Braswell. “We did a little study on edge rushers in their first year. Some of them have a good first year, a lot of them, no. The team that won the Super Bowl took a first rounder [Nolan Smith] and in [Smith’s] rookie year, he had one sack and played very little. This year, he had 10 or 11 sacks and played a huge part in their Super Bowl run.”

The clock is ticking for Braswell, though.

Tampa Bay reinforced the position this offseason by signing Haason Reddick and selecting David Walker in the fourth round. Each move signals that his path to playing time isn’t necessarily guaranteed. If Braswell wants to avoid being relegated to third- or fourth-string rotational snaps, he needs to show rapid, clear growth. That means refining his inside counters, diversifying his pass-rush moves, and demonstrating versatility in the run game.

Pewter Report’s Joshua Queipo highlighted his speed-to-power surge and improved hand usage — but warned he still needs a better inside counter arsenal. Rushing just off pure physical traits won’t cut it; Braswell must translate flashes into consistency over a full season. Braswell has the tools and organizational faith. Now he must lock in. Making strides in 2025 would do him well to secure a place in Tampa’s pass-rush, but another quiet year would already start to close his window of opportunity.

TE Payne Durham

SirVocea Dennis is not the only 2023 fifth-round pick in a defining year. In Durham’s case, 2025 might be his final chance to prove that he belongs as a key contributor in the Bucs offense.

Durham saw his role expand a bit in his second season, increasing his snaps from 128 snaps in 2023 to 430 in 2024, resulting in career highs. That uptick came amid opportunity. With Cade Otton injured late in the season, Durham stepped into a larger role as the starting tight end, delivering nine receptions for 81 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns across Weeks 16–18.

The question for Durham is how he fits into new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard’s offense. With Otton healthy and known to be an “Iron Man,” how can he be a difference-maker? To earn a long-term future, Durham must build on his flashes. That means reliable hands in crucial third-down and red-zone spots, improved blocking consistency, and overall snap-to-snap impact. His 115 yards in 2024 showed promise, but building on that with 2024 seventh-round pick Devin Culp vying for snaps will be crucial.

Only one tight end likely emerges as a secondary option at the position this year, especially as the reliance on two-tight end sets will decrease as the offense will look to take advantage of its deep wide receiver room with more three and four wide receiver sets. Durham must showcase his skillset to secure his future as the top backup, or if Otton looks for a bigger role, as someone who can be the starter.

QB Kyle Trask

Kyle Trask’s future is hanging in a precarious balance. Now on a one-year deal worth roughly $2.8 million, this is a defining campaign for his prospects in Tampa Bay — or beyond.

Drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft as a potential heir to Tom Brady, Trask has quietly served as the Bucs’ seasoned backup. Over four seasons, he has thrown just 11 passes in seven games — completing four for 28 yards — and hasn’t yet been pressed into action as a starter. Trask still has something to prove, especially during training camp and in the preseason as he battles with Michael Pratt for QB2 duties.

What appealed to the Bucs re-signing Trask is his familiarity with the playbook, continuity in the quarterback room, and a steady composure that has made him a valuable veteran presence backing up Baker Mayfield. That said, real progress means taking advantage of every rep that he gets. If he looks good during the offseason but fails to get into any game action, he might have a chance to parlay that into a bigger opportunity if one presents itself.

So, what does success look like? Trask must dominate the preseason, showcasing command of the offense, making sharp reads, and limiting mistakes. Impress there, and he locks in a spot as Mayfield’s top backup.

If he fails to?

This could be the 27-year-old’s final audition in Tampa Bay.