Bucs midseason grades: Defense

Since the arrival of Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers defense has been a consistently strong group powered by a stout run defense and aggressive blitz packages. This year, the consistency of the unit has not been as evident, as the Bucs have allowed the fifth-most pass yards (2235) in the league at the halfway point, despite already having their bye in Week 5.

Tampa Bay’s defense has largely survived off high leverage plays, forcing 15 turnovers, and being one of the best red zone defenses in the league. Much of their struggles have stemmed from soft zone coverage, leading to more big plays than are typical with a Bowles defense.

The talent from the Bucs’ Super Bowl run is still mostly on the roster, but the consistency is not. With an offense diminished by roster attrition and a rookie playcaller, the defense has so far been unsuccessful in keeping the team afloat in a winnable NFC South.

Here are the midseason grades for the Bucs’ 2023 defense:

Defensive line

The Bucs defensive line has continued on the same trajectory it has traveled on since 2019: go where Vita Vea goes. The 350-pound defensive tackle remains one of the best nose tackles in the league and sets the tone for defense, particularly against the run where he has five tackles for a loss and a force fumble. Vea also leads the Bucs in sacks with 3.5.

The rest of the line has been solid if unremarkable. Will Gholston and Greg Gaines are mostly just bodies in both run and pass defense. Logan Hall has yet to make a meaningful step forward in his development. He is frequently overpowered in run support and has not broken out as a disruptive pass rusher.

The wild card of the group is first-round pick Calijah Kancey. After missing the first quarter of the season with a calf injury, he has begun flashing the athleticism and pass-rush acumen that got him drafted with Tampa’s first pick this year. Despite playing just half of the Bucs’ games this season, he has the fourth-most pressures (14) and sacks (2).

Grade: B+

Outside linebacker

Tampa Bay’s outside linebacker group has the potential to be a highly productive group, but this year they are a driving force for their overall defensive struggles. As a group they have generated just 52 total pressures, the second-lowest in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

Despite tearing his Achilles last year, Shaq Barrett is still the Bucs’ most productive pass rusher. It is not uncommon for players coming off Achilles injuries to have diminished play the following season, so having Barrett play anywhere near his norm is a boon for Tampa Bay.

The problem is that their young edge players have not stepped up to fill the void. 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has continued to show progress but at this point is looking like a career second fiddle as a pass-rusher. He brings value in run defense and even dropping into coverage, but the Bucs can no longer rely on him to be a primary producer of quarterback pressure.

2023 third-rounder Yaya Diaby has flashed but it is uncommon for rookies to be highly productive pass rushers. Anthony Nelson continues to be what he has always been: an average rotational piece on the edge that adds a few heads-up plays each season.

The lack of production from this group has had consequences for the rest of the defense. With the Bucs playing a majority of zone coverage, the linebackers’ inability to affect the quarterback has led to a 69% pass completion rate from opposing offenses. Unless the pass rush shapes up soon, the Bucs defense is in real trouble.

Grade: C-

Inside linebacker

The inside linebackers began the 2023 season at a crossroads. Devin White threatened a holdout over his stalled contract extension negotiations and veteran Lavonte David was entering his 12th year in the league. Halfway through the season, the Bucs may want to turn the page on White and buy Lavonte David whatever Tom Brady was on to get him to play into his 40s.

Much of Devin White’s on-field value came from his big play production. That has all but disappeared in the past few seasons. He has just one sack, 13 total quarterback pressures, two TFLs and an interception this season. Meanwhile he has 13 missed tackles and is allowing 11.3 yards per reception and a 77.4% reception rate per PFF. White has improved his tackling, missing just 5.4% of his tackles this season, the best rate of his career.

David on the other hand shows no real signs of aging. He is arguably better in coverage than most of the defensive backs and leads the defense in run stops with 17 per PFF.

Overall, David’s stellar performance overshadows White’s generally unobjectionable play, but it should be clear that White is more likely to play in some other team’s uniform than roll around in piles of Buccaneers cash next season.

Grade: B

Cornerback

For all the money the Bucs have spent at the cornerback position, their return on investment should have them declaring bankruptcy. In the past two years, Tampa signed Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean to contracts combining for nearly $100 million, but so far this year, they are playing some of the worst football of their careers.

While neither Davis or Dean have never been turnover generators, they have historically been excellent at preventing receptions, with neither allowing more than 60% of their targets to be caught over their careers. Both are on track to allow well over 70% of their targets to be caught this season, which is a major driver for Tampa’s bottom-five 2235 pass yards allowed.

Some of this is driven by scheme, as Todd Bowles is calling zone coverage on over two-thirds of defensive pass plays per PFF. With the lack of pass rush, it has become open season on a secondary that appears completely ill-equipped to challenge receivers while playing off the line of scrimmage.

Undrafted rookie Christian Izien has been a nice surprise, holding down the nickel position. He started the season red-hot with two interceptions in consecutive games but has since cooled off.

Second-year CB Zyon McCollum appears to have taken a step in his development, drastically reducing his missed tackles and forcing more contested catches when targeted. However, he and Izien fall in the same boat as Davis and Dean in allowing far too many receptions overall.

The apparent disintegration of the secondary is hard to pin solely on talent. Given how poorly the unit has played overall, Todd Bowles and his staff must assume a fair share of the blame. Either they are insisting on putting the corners in unfavorable positions or they simply do not have answers to lift them up.

Grade: D

Safety

If this grade was determined solely on Antoine Winfield Jr.’s play, it would be an A+. However, he has played next to Ryan Neal all season, so there are considerations to be made.

Winfield Jr. has been a top-three safety in the NFL this season. He has single-handedly prevented half a dozen touchdowns, including this insane forced fumble-touchback of Falcons QB Desmond Ridder in Week 7:

Winfield Jr. is also the Bucs’ most effective pass-rusher, leading the team with an 18% pass rush win percentage per Pro Football Focus. All he does is make big plays, which could put him on an All-Pro ballot this year and will definitely put a huge sum of money in his pockets next year.

Tampa has a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation at safety because Ryan Neal has been a resounding disappointment. Coming off a strong year in Seattle, Neal has been a total liability in coverage, allowing four touchdowns so far this year.

Neal has been fine in run support, but “fine” is about as good as it gets. He has no big plays to speak of and has yet to really make a meaningful difference at the position. He is already on his way to being benched as Dee Delaney took most of his snaps against the Houston Texans.

Grade: B

Coaching

Todd Bowles has been one of the best defensive playcallers in the NFL for a long time, and while he is still among the best, some of his decisions this year have been questionable. His insistence on playing zone coverage while the Bucs pass rush has been so unproductive has led them to being one of the more porous pass defenses in the NFL. Also, his blitzes have not been very effective this season, which only compounds the pass rush issues up front.

Still, many of the typical highlights of a Bowles defense remain. The Bucs are still top-10 in run defense, the Bucs have forced the third-most turnovers (15) and are second in offensive drives resulting in a turnover (17.6%). Most notably, Tampa Bay’s red zone defense has been incredibly stout, allowing touchdowns on just 34.6% of red zone attempts, second only to the Baltimore Ravens.

Bowles’ defense is not the primary driver of the Bucs’ struggles this season, but there are definitely issues that must be addressed if he wants the team to compete for the division title.

Grade: B

Story originally appeared on Buccaneers Wire