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2 days ago
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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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Boast Crowded Wideout Room Ahead of Training Camp
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Boast Crowded Wideout Room Ahead of Training Camp originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had another successful NFL Draft this year, spearheaded by their No. 1 pick, wideout Emeka Egbuka, and several defensive picks after. Advertisement But with the selection of the standout Ohio State wideout, the Buccaneers will have questions when it comes time to cut down to the final 53-man roster ahead of the regular season. senior writer Scott Smith offered his take on how the offseason could play out and who could be the odd man or men out. "This year, if there are no more additions between now and then, the Buccaneers will take 12 receivers into camp, and eight of them were on the 53-man roster at some point last season," Smith wrote. "I think it's pretty safe to pinpoint the four guys who are virtual locks to be on the active roster to start the season: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka. The Buccaneers also drafted Tez Johnson in April, and while seventh-round picks are generally not locks to make the 53-man roster right away, the general consensus is that Johnson may have been something of a steal at that point in the draft. "If he demonstrates the same innate ability to get open and make big plays that he did at Oregon, the team may be leery about exposing him to the waiver wire in order to get him onto the practice squad. Also, he has a very real shot at earning the punt return job, which would be another path to a spot on the 53-man roster." Advertisement Smith continued that while there were a couple of wideouts that impressed last season, it's going to be hard to decide who to add to the surefire four. Sterling Shepard, Kameron Johnson and Trey Palmer, assuming Palmer isn't traded before then, as rumors might indicate, and Ryan Miller and Rakim Jarrett will all be in the mix. Related: Buccaneers Offensive Lineman Favored for NFL's New Protector of the Year Award Related: Buccaneers' Key Defensive Cog Reveals Health Update This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Buccaneers New OC Passing First Test in Unique Role
Buccaneers New OC Passing First Test in Unique Role originally appeared on Athlon Sports. For the third time in as many seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new offensive coordinator leading the way. Advertisement That isn't a bad thing. Tampa Bay has seen both Dave Canales and Liam Coen have found head coaching jobs across the league. In their absence, Josh Grizzard has been promoted to the top offensive role. Grizzard has plenty experience with the current team. He was the organization's passing game coordinator before being promoted to the top job. But ... At just 34 years old, he's one of the youngest coordinators in the game. Despite that perceived lack of experience, Grizzard has clearly gotten the offensive unit to respect him as a play-caller. In a way, he passed the first test needed to be earned for any young coach. Advertisement 'Last year, a big part of what he did was [he was] in charge of our third downs," starting tight end Cade Otton said during OTAs this week. "I just felt like every single week, we were really prepared for all the looks that we would get and just felt confident in our role and what we were going to do and obviously, it showed up in our third-down percentage and I think that's going to show up in the rest of our offense too." Tampa Bay already has one of the more lethal offenses in the league. With Baker Mayfield at quarterback, a collection of top wideouts, a star running back in Bucky Irving, and a good offensive line, the sky appears to the limit for their offense in 2025. Grizzard just can't be the one to hold everyone back. Related: Baker Mayfield Shows Bucs Commitment With Major Life Move Related: Buccaneers Offensive Lineman Favored for NFL's New Protector of the Year Award This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
