Final Buccaneers 53 man roster predictions: Who makes the cut and who doesn’t?

Inside Linebacker (5)

When predictions for what the 53 man roster might look like were beginning to get made, linebacker instantly jumped out as a tough position to read.

This had more to do with the sheer depth of talent than anything negative, something on full display here. Lavonte David and Devin White roaming the same ground is an embarrassment of riches, and both are highly motivated to have great seasons.

David chose to re-sign in Tampa Bay rather than leave in free agency, and has his sights set on joining Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber as Hall of Famers who spent their entire careers with the Bucs. White requested a trade after not hearing the sort of offer he wanted to from the Bucs during extension talks, which is built-in incentive for him to have the best year of his career.

Outside of David and White, the Bucs have some sneaky talent populating the rest of the depth chart. J.J. Russell and K.J. Britt are returning rotational players, and rookie SirVocea Dennis is a sleeper to potentially be the guy who succeeds David and White as leaders of the defense. He was a Day 3 pick for the Bucs, but he comes from the same Pitt defense as Calijah Kancey and it’s not hard to imagine him leaving an impression on Bucs scouts who were looking at game film for someone else but kept noticing Dennis.

There’s a ton of talent at linebacker for the Bucs — both inside and out — which made it one of the most competitive roster spots to secure. That’s how you know the guys who made the cut are the real deal.