The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had Lavonte David playing at an All-Pro caliber for yet another season in 2019 and are looking to replicate said production.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best linebackers in the NFL on their roster. Lavonte David has been incredibly consistent and has played at a very high level for his duration on the Bucs and it looks like 2020 may be even better.
Lavonte David was all over the field in 2019 for the Buccaneers and showed that he has no intentions of slowing down with age. In his eighth season David had 123 tackles, one sack, one interception, eight passes defended, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
David was a monster across the stat sheet and finished the season with an 89.2 grade according to pff.com. Lavonte David was also likely robbed of a second-team All-Pro selection due to some players (inexplicably) receiving out of position votes.
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Lavonte David is certainly the ideal inside linebacker and captain of any defense. His versatility allows him the unique opportunity to be a menace against the pass, run, and while rushing the passer almost equally.
The Buccaneers are almost assuredly looking at David’s level of production and excitedly imagining the next few years that will have the veteran paired up with the young Devin White.
David and White comprise one of the most impressive linebacker duos in the entire NFL and Devin White posses a very similar, but unpolished, style of play compared to Lavonte David.
It also seems very likely that in 2020 Lavonte David will finally start to receive some of the accolades that he has deserved for most of his career. During the past eight years David has only made the Pro Bowl once and been an All-Pro twice (one on the First-Team).
With Luke Kuechly‘s premature retirement, the perennial Pro-Bowl spot that was taken up by the former Carolina Panther will now be open. Lavonte David is a prime candidate to move into that spot on the NFC side of the roster.
Regardless of personal accolades, Lavonte David has been a rock on every Buccaneer defense that he has been a part of. The 2019 Buccaneer defense was one of the best in recent years, but the expectations are starting to grow for an even better year in 2020 with David likely at the helm yet again.