Finishing strong in 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a defense that is going to be a force in the National Football League in 2020 and beyond.
The 2019 National Football League Draft is going to go down in history much like the draft of 1995 when the Buccaneers selected Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. It will be viewed as a draft that brought in Hall ff Fame talent to the Buccaneer defense yet again.
In this past years’ draft the Buccaneer defense selected three huge additions and possibly a fourth, but certainly three for sure (barring injury) in the form of Devin White, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Jamel Dean. The possible fourth could be Mike Edwards, or Andrew Nelson.
Devin White is of course the crown jewel of our last draft. He could be playing near, or equal to Derrick Brooks’ level of talent for a long time to come. White had to shake off an injury in the first few games. When he finally got back to play in the first Saints game in New Orleans, he was pumped.
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White went on to play better with every passing game, showing plenty of signs as to why they took the LSU linebacker at the #5 overall selection in the first round. There might just be a chance a couple of teams in the #1 through #4 slots are going to be regretting not taking him.
Personally, the first play that made me say “WOW” was the Seattle game when running back Chris Carson busted through the Bucs’ line and was running free in the secondary on his way to a Seattle touchdown.
This was short lived though, as Devin White flew at least 60 plus yards to overtake the Seattle back. Carson and just about anyone else watching thought he was home free for six. The play ended with White trucking him down, forcing a Carson fumble which scooted out of bounds, ending the sure six on the run.
I slowly said to myself outloud, “He did not just do that to Carson, I’ve got to see that again.” Moments later I did see it again, still scratching my head. In a couple of days, I searched for the video of it and probably watched it another 25 times.
It’s not that he just ran the 60 yards, but that he was 15-20 yards down line away from the play when Carson busted it loose. There was only one other player that even gave serious pursuit with White. That player was Vernon Hargreaves III and he was right behind White by a few yards, whatever that’s worth.
After saying that, I will add it was time for Vernon to move on, therefore opening up the position for the rookie Sean Murphy-Bunting to get in there and get some plays under his belt. Murphy-Bunting joined fellow rookie Jamel Dean, who only was three off the NFL leader in passes defended. Bunting himself tied for 22nd in interceptions with three. Not too shabby after only starting six games.
After seeing these rookies play in the 2019 Buccaneer defense, my assessment is that they are studs in training. Dean and Murphy-Bunting haven’t shown how good they can be yet. They are both going to get much better. Devin White is basically there now as he’s playing at an ultra high level, and he will only get better and more consistently great with time.
Add to that mix all of the other current starters and fringe Pro-Bowlers and you are looking at a crew, that if held together, is going to be very special.
Dare I say that this group, with more to be added, could perhaps rival the Buccaneer defense that ruled the NFL in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. This group can be every bit as good as that one. I’m sure many reading this don’t believe that statement.
It would surely be a tall order to try to replicate that level of success. That defense was otherworldly and chocked full of future Hall of Famer’s. That defense alone was good enough to propel the team through the playoffs and towards a Super Bowl win.
While the jury is certainly still out, the end of the 2019 season shed some light on just how much talent this defense truly possesses. Once the secondary was figured out, a once one-dimensional defense transformed into one that was also dangerous against the pass.
Stay tuned, as Father Time reveals all, and next season is going to go a long way towards proving that assertion. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching these guys grow together. That’s something that’s been in short supply around these parts for a long time. The Bucs and having fun once again will by synonymous. Heck I get excited just thinking about it.