Could Buccaneers Replace Lavonte David With Another Legendary Linebacker?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly need to address the inside linebacker position after franchise legend Lavonte David called it quits this week. David capped off an incredible 13-year career that saw him earn a First Team All-Pro, a Super Bowl ring and a share of the franchise's tackle record with Derrick Brooks.

David's leaves very, very big shoes to fill — so why not fill them with another legend at linebacker who was drafted just 11 picks before he was? Former Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and (most notably) Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner remains on the free agent market, and a recent article from The Athletic suggests that he'd be a strong fit for the Bucs in David's absence.

Bobby Wagner to the Bucs?

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) on the field during a game against the Atlanta Falcons | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Writer Saad Yousuf believes that the Buccaneers would be an ideal landing spot for Wagner, who is still a free agent.

"The Bucs recently said goodbye to a franchise lifer, as linebacker Lavonte David announced his retirement this week after playing his entire 15-year career in Tampa Bay. The Bucs signed Alex Anzalone in free agency, but they can still do more to bolster the middle of their defense. Tampa Bay drafted David in the second round in 2012 with the No. 58 pick. Eleven picks before that, the Seattle Seahawks selected Wagner, who has turned in a likely Hall of Fame career. He’s not the player he was in his prime, but he’s shown to still have some juice."

Wagner is a staggering six-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Second Team All-Pro, honors he largely earned with the Seahawks. He has since slowed down, though, and at 35 years of age, the Bucs could run into a similar problem with Wagner that they did with David over the past few years of his career — lack of coverage ability.

Wagner, like David, has a very high football IQ, but age has made him struggle in coverage. PFF gave him just a 51.1 coverage grade, but his run defense grade of 90.3 was stellar. If the Buccaneers were to take a chance on Wagner, they would have to hope that new free agent signing Alex Anzalone would be able to cover well enough to help him out in that area.

How much would Bobby Wagner cost in free agency?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Getting Wagner wouldn't be too bad financially, especially for one year. Spotrac estimates that he's worth $7.7 million per year, and the Buccaneers could make that manageable with incentives and other cap tricks. It should be mentioned, though, that Wagner's snap percentage last year would make a deal approaching $10 million a bit sketchy — he played 71.64% of the team's snaps last year, which is a lot lower than David's 90.75% for the Bucs.

Tampa Bay doesn't seem like they are interesting in spending too much more money at the linebacker position, however. They just brought on Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom, but that was on a deal close to league minimum, and Tampa Bay has other positions to fill that could also require some money. It's far more likely that the Bucs spend on a cornerback or another interior defensive lineman than it is that they spend it on Wagner.

All things considered, it's far more likely that the Bucs draft David's replacement than signing Wagner. But given how close the two were drafted together and the legacy David has left behind, a potential Wagner signing would be a bit poetic.

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