Buccaneers: Who Steps Up to Lead a Playoff Run?
Akeem Spence
At a time when the Buccaneer defense is playing its best ball of the year, Akeem Spence hasn’t been much of a force on the defensive line. The argument could be made that his lack of big plays hasn’t hurt Tampa Bay, but if the defense wants to sustain its success, it will need contributions from everyone. At this point in the season, Spence hasn’t been contributing enough.
With the number of injuries that the defensive line has gone through this year, everyone needs to be able to step up at different times. And while the line is currently the healthiest it has been all year, a guy like Spence needs to bring consistent production in order to keep the rest of the guys healthy and fresh. Through 11 games, he only has 16 tackles (eight solo) and one-half sack. Especially with quarterbacks like Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott and Cam Newton coming up on the schedule, the pass rush needs to be at its best. Spence needs to play a role in that.