Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Key Defensive Cog SirVocea Dennis Reveals Health Update
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Key Defensive Cog SirVocea Dennis Reveals Health Update originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis ended his season prematurely last season after a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. That surgery occurred in late October, putting part of his 2025 season in question.
Advertisement
His departure was noticed as the defense suffered, falling to No. 31 in the league just three games after losing the now-25-year-old.
That means he clearly had a positive effect on the unit, and the Buccaneers think he can continue that trend in 2025.
His recovery seems to be going well, as he's been at One Buc Place and participating in OTAs. He updated the media on his condition as we approach training camp.
"I feel great. Actually, I felt great [during] our last playoff game, really," Dennis said. "It just feels amazing being out here practicing with the guys, just being around football and just being back just to play healthy."
Advertisement
How important is Dennis to the defense?
ESPN's Ben Solak broke it down earlier this offseason.
"When Dennis was healthy last season, he was fighting K.J. Britt for the starting linebacker spot opposite Lavonte David -- and he was winning that competition," Solak wrote. "Dennis was particularly impressive in coverage over the middle of the field, and after his Week 4 shoulder injury, the Buccaneers started getting hammered in the intermediate middle by opposing quarterbacks. Tampa Bay passed entirely on the linebacker position in the 2025 draft and let Britt go in free agency.
"With only Anthony Walker Jr. as depth, the Buccaneers have clearly placed their faith in Dennis to play the majority of the snaps opposite David. Tampa Bay's pass defense was the limiting factor in its postseason push last season, and Dennis should provide a boost there."
Advertisement
Dennis posted 22 total tackles with 14 solo and one for loss with a sack and a quarterback hit before the injury just four games into the season.
Related: Buccaneers Offensive Lineman Favored for NFL's New Protector of the Year Award
Related: Haason Reddick Absent from Buccaneers Voluntary OTAs ... So What?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals Announce Nolan Arenado News Before Dodgers Game
Cardinals Announce Nolan Arenado News Before Dodgers Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 on Friday night to open a three-game series at Busch Stadium. In fact, they put L.A. on the wrong side of MLB history dating back 10 years. Advertisement Nolan Arenado led the team with three of the Cardinals' seven hits while Gray worked around eight Dodgers hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. A few hours before Saturday's 2:15 p.m. ET first pitch, the Cardinals announced their starting lineup vs. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who carries a dazzling 2.39 ERA into the matchup. Arenado was notably absent from it despite his career success against Los Angeles. St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28)Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images According to Sleeper's STL Cards account, "Arenado has played 154 games vs the Dodgers, posting an .866 OPS with 32 HR, 99 RBI, and 84 runs. One of their toughest matchups for years." Instead, he'll get a breather while Nolan Gorman, batting seventh in the order, fills his spot on Saturday. After seeing his name floated in trade speculation all offseason, the 34-year-old Arenado is batting a career-low .228 through his first 57 games in 2025. He has added seven home runs, 31 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Advertisement Entering Saturday, St. Louis sits in second place in the NL Central with a 35-28 record thanks to its remarkable May turnaround. Related: Braves Announce Trade With Orioles After Craig Kimbrel News Related: Mariners Make Logan Gilbert Announcement After Velocity Dip This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers Wearing Pittsburgh Steelers No. 12 Is Preposterous
Aaron Rodgers Wearing Pittsburgh Steelers No. 12 Is Preposterous originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Aaron Rodgers is finally set to be a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. It's what at least some Steelers fans have been pining for for months. Advertisement And we hope after all the rigmarole, everything turns out positively. Although that's not guaranteed. Since even before Rodgers made it official, images of him wearing a Steelers uniform have circulated. The only problem is, those images almost exclusively depict the four-time league MVP wearing a Steelers jersey with No. 12. What? Do the people fabricating these images have no knowledge of NFL or Steelers history? Do they not understand how ridiculous that image is? Apparently not. For those of you who don't know, while the No. 12 isn't officially retired in Pittsburgh, it's unofficially retired. Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls in the 70s while representing No. 12, while also helping to pull the franchise out of the proverbial gutter of the league after 41 years of embarrassment, dating back to their founding in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Advertisement If history is any indication, Rodgers won't want to wear No. 12 anyway. When he signed on with the Jets, another Hall of Fame No. 12, Joe Namath, gave consent for Rodgers to wear it. He declined. And it's not like Bradshaw has love for Rodgers. It was less than a week ago when the Steelers legend said, 'That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there.' There's no doubt Bradshaw wouldn't offer consent, and maybe even less doubt that Rodgers would want to wear Bradshaw's number anyway. So if you're going to make a fake image of Rodgers in a Steelers jersey, pick another number. Advertisement Related: Ex Steelers QB Could See 'Last Chance As Starter' Related: Ex Steelers Linebacker Re-Signs with New Team This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh Steelers' Ceiling Questioned ... Even After Signing Aaron Rodgers
Pittsburgh Steelers' Ceiling Questioned ... Even After Signing Aaron Rodgers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Pittsburgh Steelers were finally taken out of the Aaron Rodgers holding pattern and have officially landed at Acrisure Stadium with the four-time NFL MVP in tow. Advertisement But what's it all mean? According to some, it could mean everything. Some pundits have the Steelers poised for a Super Bowl run in 2025. To others, it could mean more of the same. Another disappointing end to the postseason, or worse, no playoff appearance at all. Inside the NFL's Mina Kimes believes even with the addition of Rodgers, there are still questions on offense, namely, the rushing attack. 'None of this will work, even if Rogers does buy-in, which I'm skeptical of. None of it will work, regardless of what the offense looks like, if they can't run the football better than they did last year. And that's something that they've invested in,' Kimes said. Advertisement 'They spent a third-round draft pick on a running back this year, Kaleb Johnson, who I do think is a very good fit for the Arthur Smith sort of wide zone run game. But the offensive line is very strong in the interior tackles, tackle's a question; Broadrick Jones at left tackles is the player that I think could be the pivot point of this season, both in terms of run blocking and pass protection. Rogers needs to be part of a more balanced offense.' She's not wrong. The rushing attack still has to prove it can be effective enough to open up a passing game for Rodgers. Oh yeah, and then there's Rodgers himself. Advertisement As I wrote after the announcement that he'd officially be a Steeler, he struggled mightily last year in New York and posted very un-Rodgerslike numbers. "Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, led the Jets to a 5-12 mark in his only full season in New York. Don't forget (Jets fans won't) that he missed all but four plays of the 2023 campaign after rupturing his Achilles on the first drive of the first game after joining the team two offseasons ago," I wrote on June 5. "Last season should be one to forget for Rodgers. He finished below the league average in passer rating - a stat of which he's the all-time career leader, and 31st in the league in QBR - behind names like Aidan O'Connell and Kirk Cousins. "His five wins last season are his lowest win total since 2017, when he played just seven games for Green Bay and posted a 4-3 mark. Rodgers' previous low win total was six, which he posted three times since taking over as the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008." We won't know for sure until after the season starts, but Steelers fans can only hope they get the Packers version of Rodgers and not the guy who played for the Jets last season. Advertisement Related: Aaron Rodgers Wearing Steelers No. 12 Is Preposterous Related: What the Steelers Get With Aaron Rodgers at QB This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
