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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Breaking down depth chart at inside linebacker

By Rob Leeds

ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Josh Robinson #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate after David recovered a fumble during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Josh Robinson #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate after David recovered a fumble during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 13: Strong safety Deone Bucannon #20 of the Arizona Cardinals before the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Saints 31-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 13: Strong safety Deone Bucannon #20 of the Arizona Cardinals before the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Saints 31-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Who is behind David and White?

Of this group, the most logical second grouping of backs would be some combination of Deone Bucannon (who would probably start if Devin White was not drafted), Devante Bond, and Jack Cichy. Bucannon seems like a shoo-in if he is not lined up at safety, and Bond has had limited experience starting for the Bucs during Kwon Alexander’s injury.

Cichy has the potential but has received little playing time to display his talent. Look for Cichy as a dark horse candidate to make a large impact on the Buccaneers defense in 2019, albeit not as a starter.

After the second group, there are very few clear answers as to where the depth chart will fall. Players like Corey Nelson have bounced around the NFL and could see time on special teams but could just as likely be cut from the team in the fall.

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As the reports from training camp start to become more consistent the grouping of these inside linebackers will start to become clearer. While not open for the starting spots, the competition is practically wide open for backups that will be heavily utilized in a very aggressive defense that will ask a lot of its inside linebackers.

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