Kendall Beckwith
The third round selection of the Buccaneers in 2017, Kendall Beckwith started 11 games during his rookie campaign before sitting out the entire 2018 season after breaking his ankle in a car accident last April. With the impending free agency of Kwon Alexander, the city of Tampa Bay needs Beckwith to return to full strength for the upcoming season.
Tallying 73 tackles with seven of them from behind the line of scrimmage during his rookie season, Beckwith displayed his ability to be a solid contributor at the second level for the Bucs, and in 2019 and back at full strength, he could be primed for a big season. Depending on the draft and what happens during free agency, Beckwith could also be asked to slide to the MIKE, giving him a bigger opportunity along Todd Bowles’ defense this season.
While all of Tampa holds their breath that Kwon Alexander, coming off of an ACL injury, will re-sign with the Bucs on a “prove it” deal, it seems like he may still get a large sum of money on the open market, an amount that Jason Licht will be unwilling to match. This would leave a gaping hole in the middle of their defense, and a void that Beckwith has an opportunity to step up and fill.