Most Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were hitching their wagons on Jacob Rodriguez as the next great linebacker for the team to replace Lavonte David as the main man in the middle after the hopeful Hall of Famer's retirement following an injury plagued 2025 NFL season, complete with a humiliating postseason collapse for the Bucs.
Instead, the Buccaneers missed out on Rodriguez but landed another highly promising inside linebacker prospect in Josiah Trotter, the son of former Philadelphia Eagles legendary middle linebcker Jeremiah Trotter - man no doubt familiar to the Buccaneers faithful from their playoff battles in the NFC.
The young Trotter is known for being a nasty, two down thumper, and he had a great collegiate career at Missouri in his own right. Trotter is also proving to Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers defensive coaching staff that he has the athleticism and intelligence to contribute on all three downs, just as his father did.
Josiah Trotter has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in good hands
Of course, Trotter is in a situation where he is under a lot of pressure and has massive shoes to fill, as David is the second greatest ever linebacker in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history after only Derrick Brooks, who just might be the best inside linebacker in the history of the modern era NFL not named Ray Lewis.
But Josiah Trotter is already gaining followers as the new leader and so called quarterback of the Buccaneers defense. Everyone is raving about Trotter and a lot of the other new guys for coming in and being nasty. Like A'Shawn Robinson, Trotter is bringing an edge and a ruthless aggression to the Buccaneers defense.
Look, Trotter may not be a legend like Lavonte David, but he does not have to live up to the best of the former Super Bowl winner in order to be an upgrade for the Bucs defense here and now in the 2026 NFL regular season.
Because even David admitted to taking some plays off and not being at his best last season. He was burned out and hurt. Trotter is young, fresh, and hungry with an infectious energy that fans and even the other players can feel in the building, and that is exactly the kind of positive change the Buccaneers defense needed.
Yes, Trotter will have his growing pains and his bumps in the road, but if he approaches every play with this ferocity, the Bucs defense is in good hands.
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