If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are to struggle in 2025, the popular assumption is that it’ll be their defense that holds them back.
A-to-Z Sports reporter and assistant editor Destin Adams threw some gasoline on that potential fire on June 27, while predicting NFC South “hot takes” with NFL draft analyst Kyle Crabbs.
“This will be the Bucs’ worst statistical defense since Todd Bowles joined Tampa Bay,” Adams predicted to kick off the debate. And his explanation had a lot of sound reasoning behind it — which is a bit concerning for Tampa Bay.
“The Buccaneers’ defense is in a tough spot,” Adams wrote. “At CB, they will desperately need one of Zyon McCollum or rookie Benjamin Morrison to develop quickly in training camp to be their number one CB. And their pass rush is as bad as it’s been in a while.”
“They signed Haason Reddick this offseason, but he’s coming off a one-sack season after playing 10 games with the New York Jets,” the reporter continued. “The bright spot of the defense will be their incredible DT duo of Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.”
But that pairing up front wasn’t enough to sway Adams.
“On paper, this looks like the worst defense the Buccaneers have had since Todd Bowles was hired as their defensive coordinator ahead of the 2019 season,” he argued. Concluding: “His first year in 2019 has been the worst statistical defense since joining the Buccaneers, but 2025 has all the makings to change that this season. Luckily for him, he just inked an extension ahead of the year, which makes his job seem pretty safe no matter if the defense sinks their season.”
Kyle Crabbs ‘Reluctantly’ Agrees With Bucs Take
In this A-to-Z Sports exercise, each hot take was followed by a second section where the other of the two analysts either agreed or disagreed. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, Crabbs “reluctantly” agreed with Adams’ prediction.
“Destin makes some great points here,” Crabbs chimed in. “Todd Bowles is going to revive the ‘X’s & O’s versus Jimmy’s & Joe’s’ debate. [But] how much weight can Todd, who is one of the best defensive playcallers in football, shoulder for himself to cover some of the challenges this group may present to him?”
“Haason Reddick needs to recapture the magic, the young duo of Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish need to be really to roll, Antoine Winfield Jr. must stay healthy and if all of that goes right, this team could be great defensively,” he noted. Adding: “I think it’s far more likely that Tampa Bay is ‘okay’ on defense in 2025.”
“How much does star linebacker Lavonte David continue to cover by himself in the middle?” Crabbs pondered. “When you sprinkle in the rising tides offensively in both Atlanta and Carolina, it seems like the competition in the NFC South will be more challenging, too.”
“I think Tampa Bay, barring a blitz-heavy approach that thrives with turnovers, will be a middle-of-the-pack scoring defense,” he eventually predicted. “Bowles’ defenses have been top-10 in at least one of yards, points, or turnovers every year from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, they ranked 18th, 16th, and 16th, respectively. I think they’ll be similar this year.”
Will Buccaneers’ Defense Be Serviceable But Average in 2025, or a Major Issue?
While debating the Bucs’ 2025 defense, it seems Adams and Crabbs were stuck between serviceable but average, and/or a major issue. How about a third opinion?
Within a document shared with Heavy, Pro Football Network ranked the Tampa Bay defense more in line with Crabbs’ theory, placing them 16th out of 32 ahead of training camp.
“It’s hard to get much more average than consecutive 16th-place finishes, and that’s where the Buccaneers find themselves,” Pro Football Network explained. Acknowledging: “If Baker Mayfield’s 2024 was a sign of things to come and not a flash in the pan, this level of defense will justify Tampa Bay being the favorite to win the NFC South.”
PFN is high on the Bucs’ offense, ranking them third overall. But if this side of the ball falters, will the defense be able to support them properly?
“This profile has some upside to chase,” the NFL site added, noting that “we saw the Bucs create pressure at the fifth-highest rate a season ago” despite a lack of dominant pass rushers.
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