During an appearance with Tom Krasniqi on 95.7 WDAE, Bowles was asked which position group he feels best about heading into the season. His answer was inside linebacker, a group that looked like one of Tampa Bay’s biggest questions when the offseason began.
“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.” That is significant praise considering how dramatically the room changed following Lavonte David’s retirement. Rather than replacing David with one player,
Tampa Bay attacked the position by completely overhauling it.
Alex Anzalone gives Bowles an experienced linebacker who can play in coverage and finished last season with 95 tackles, nine passes defended, 2.5 sacks, and an interception for Detroit. Second-round pick Josiah Trotter adds a younger, more physical presence and has quickly pushed himself into the conversation for a starting role. The depth behind them may be what separates this group in Bowles’ eyes. SirVocea Dennis remains in the mix for a starting job, while Christian Rozeboom provides experienced depth after recording 122 tackles for Carolina last season. Caden Fordham earning a spot on the 53man roster gives Tampa Bay another developmental option. Inside linebacker has been an area the Bucs have struggled to find consistent depth at in recent seasons, particularly next to David. Now, even after losing one of the greatest defensive players in franchise history, Bowles believes the room is deeper than at any point since he arrived in Tampa Bay. Whether it ultimately becomes the Bucs’ best position group will be determined once the regular season begins, but Bowles’ confidence shows just how quickly Tampa Bay may have turned one of its biggest offseason concerns into a potential strength.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles believes Bucs’ strongest position is ILB
