The Buccaneers were able to address most of their major needs across free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, but the one need the team failed to adequately address this offseason was the inside linebacker position.
The Bucs retained their longest tenured player and captain, Lavonte David, but he is likely entering his final season after seriously contemplating retirement earlier this offseason.
The team is really high on SirVocea Dennis, their fifth-round pick from 2023, but he has been unable to stay healthy early in his career, and needs to prove his durability before he can be pencilled in as a starter.
The Bucs also re-signed Deion Jones after he showed flashes as a backup late last season, and signed Anthony Walker Jr. in free agency, who has a close relationship with David and could give the linebacker room a boost.
Right now the probable depth chart at inside linebacker looks something like this:
1. Lavonte David
2. Sirvocea Dennis
3. Anthony Walker Jr.
4. Deion Jones
5. J.J. Russell
This is a solid group at inside linebacker, but there is a player on the trade block in Cincinnati that could massively upgrade the room, and it would only cost a bargain.
Buccaneers should call the Bengals about Germaine Pratt
Pratt, the 28-year-old Bengals defensive captain, is an obvious fit to significantly improve the Buccaneers’ linebacker depth.
He’s eclipsed at least 100 total tackles in back-to-back seasons and at least 90 tackles in four consecutive seasons. Pratt posted a career-high 143 combined tackles in 2024, along with two interceptions.
Over his six-year career, Pratt has accumulated 616 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and seven interceptions, including three-straight seasons with multiple interceptions. Having not missed a start in two seasons, he also offers proven durability, something the Bucs haven’t enjoyed at the position.
Despite his impressive production and reliability, the Bengals are reportedly considering moving on from Pratt, either via trade or release if they can’t find a trade partner according to Paul Dehner Jr., a senior Bengals writer for The Athletic. The 28-year-old is entering the final year of a three-year, $20.25 million contract and carries a cap hit of over $8 million for the upcoming season.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Bengals are likely to release veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt at some point soon, per @TheAthleticNFL
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) May 1, 2025
Pratt had 143 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles in 2024. pic.twitter.com/cOQLwB7Foy
With major financial commitments already tied to the offense, including $70 million per year for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins alone, and an ongoing contract dispute with Trey Hendrickson, it would be quite surprising if Pratt is still wearing a Bengals uniform when the season starts.
Cincinnati seems to have already found Pratt’s eventual replacement(s), selecting two inside linebackers, South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr. and Clemson’s Barrett Carter, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ironically, Knight Jr. was a prospect the Buccaneers seemingly had a ton of interest in during the draft process. According to Pewter Report, Tampa Bay brought him in on an official 30 visit and also met with him twice at the Senior Bowl.
We had Knight Jr. mocked to Tampa Bay at pick No. 53 in our final mock draft, and it was a very real possibility, but the Bengals stole him just a few picks ahead of the Bucs at pick No. 49.
The Bengals did it again in the fourth-round, taking the top inside linebacker left on the board in Clemson’s Barrett Carter at No. 119, just two picks ahead of the Bucs at pick No. 121. Despite his obvious fit at a position of need, it’s worth noting that the Bucs likely wouldn’t have taken Carter in the fourth-round anyway, as they were deeply in love with Central Arkansas’ David Walker, who they were able to land. Knight Jr., however, was a legitimate option for Tampa Bay if Cincinnati didn’t take him.
While just missing out on these inside linebacker fits to Cincinnati stung in the moment, it could come back to help the Bucs if it leads to them stealing away a player of Pratt’s caliber.
Jason Licht and the Buccaneers should take advantage of the ongoing situation in Cincinnatti and add a proven veteran linebacker for a bargain. Given Cincinnati’s cap crunch, the Bucs might be able to pry him loose for something as minimal as a late-round pick swap, especially since without a trade, the Bengals will likely release him anyway.
Trading for Pratt would allow the Buccaneers to get ahead of the rest of his potential suitors and ensure he ends up in Tampa rather than having to enter a bidding war in what could be a robust market for his services.