The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a splash in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, landing Rueben Bain Jr. to finally give their pass rush the impact player it lacked.
Heading into Day 2, finding an inside linebacker to eventually Lavonte David and usher in a new era at the position was a priority. The position stood out as a major weakness throughout the 2025 season.
With Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese the only linebackers taken in the first round, a deep pool of talent remained available entering Day 2.
Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen, Anthony Hill Jr., Josiah Trotter, and Jake Golday all emerged as potential fits for Tampa Bay, and the team was determined to come away with at least one. They did just that.
Buccaneers landing Josiah Trotter is a home-run fit for Todd Bowles’ defense
Josiah Trotter is another slam-dunk addition for the Buccaneers defense, just a day after drafting Rueben Bain Jr. to upgrade the pass rush.
Trotter is a physical, downhill linebacker that shines as a blitzer and against the run. He's got football in his DNA as the son of former All-Pro linebacker Jereimiah Trotter Sr. and the brother of Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr..
Tampa Bay finished with the 20th-ranked scoring defense and the 27th-ranked passing defense last season. The biggest issues were a lack of consistent pressure up front and shaky linebacker play, both of which the Buccaneers have now addressed early in the draft.
With five rounds still to go, Tampa Bay’s defense already looks significantly improved on paper compared to a year ago.
The 2026 season can’t get here soon enough, as the Buccaneers appear to have made all the right moves this offseason to push back into playoff contention.
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