Todd Bowles' Choice For the Bucs' Most Improved Position Group May Surprise You

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in plenty of new talent during the offseason in an effort to reclaim the NFC South title in 2026 after losing out on it in 2025.

Most of that talent went to the defense, as the Bucs completely revamped their inside linebackers room, brought in two new edge rushers with Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad and added a lot of depth to the defensive line with players like A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, among others.

On top of that, the offense also got some new pieces. The Bucs drafted a new wideout in Georgia State's Ted Hurst, and they also added running back Kenny Gainwell to the running backs room, too. Tampa Bay also drafted tight end Bauer Sharp in the sixth round, and he ended up making the 53-man roster.

Head coach Todd Bowles has helped general manager Jason Licht oversee those changes. And when asked which position unit he feels best about heading into this season, he had an interesting answer.

Todd Bowles Loves His Inside Linebacker Room

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Josiah Trotter (45) in action against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bucs made a big overhaul to their edge rushing unit and shored up the defensive line in a big way, but Bowles told WDAE's Tom Krasniqi that the position group he feels the best about heading into 2026 is the inside linebacker room.

"We have more depth at that spot than we've had since I've been there, and I think that's really a plus for us," Bowles said. "We got bigger there, we got more athletic with [Alex] Anzalone... we got a guy with Trotter, plus we got [SirVocea Dennis] and [Christian] Rozeboom and [Caden] Fordham made the team, and all five of those guys can play."

Todd Bowles, HC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gives @TKras a shocking answer about which position is the best heading into the 2026 NFL season. Do you agree?#WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/7CGmVHpjyl
— 95.7 WDAE & AM620 (@957WDAE) September 1, 2026

The Bucs entirely revamped their inside linebacker unit with the retirement of Lavonte David. They brought in linebacker Alex Anzalone from the Detroit Lions in free agency and also drafted Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter in the second round, and Trotter has already impressed. Finally, they added some depth with Christian Rozeboom, whom the team brought in from the Carolina Panthers.

The Bucs lacked speed and coverage ability at the linebacker position last year. Anzalone could bring that coverage ability back, and Trotter, a true MIKE linebacker, could bring the sideline-to-sideline speed that Tampa Bay has been missing.

While the edge rushing room should be more impactful and the defensive line depth could really unlock that interior unit, it makes sense that Bowles would favor an inside linebacker room that could be most different heading into the 2026 season.

Bowles and the Buccaneers are already preparing for their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which the Bucs will play on the road on Sept. 13.

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