The Linebacker Situation
2 min read
Opinion editorial.
With 5 of the 9 Tampa Bay linebackers on the roster set to hit free agency in March, Jason Licht and Bruce Arians have to question; who is worth keeping, and who should we add to the team?Lavonte David and Adarius Taylor had the best season out the bunch.
Has Adarius Taylor done enough to be re-signed? 60 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, and 1 Interception, I would definitely entertain the thought, and do the same with Kwon Alexander‘s 45 Tackles, 33 solo, 1 Sack, and 2 Forced Fumbles in 7 games.
Kendell Beckwith still under contract makes him another interesting piece to the puzzle. He was in a serious car accident, early in 18′, resulting in surgery on his ankle. The same leg He had ACL surgery in 16′ He was reported during the middle of the season as almost ready to start. He ultimately didn’t see the field at all in 2018. Beckwith had a great rookie season, collecting 73 Tackles, 60 Solo, 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, and 2 Pass breakups in 17′. I hope he can get back to that form for next season.
Other Linebackers who are in question: Cameron Lynch, Devante Bond, Riley Bullough, Emmanuel Smith, Jack Cichy, Kevin Minter.
The depth of linebackers in this draft class is decent this year. The top of this class is Josh Allen 6’5 260 Lbs-Edge Rusher, Devin White 6’1 241 Lbs-Mlb, Montez Sweat 6’6 252 Lbs-Edge Rusher, and Jachai Polite 6’2 242 Lbs-Edge Rusher. Josh Allen should be off the board at #5, however, I haven’t seen anything from him to justify being drafted that early. Devin White would be my target at 5, but a trade down scenario would be better. Getting Montez Sweat and extra picks would be win-win.
Free agency is pretty slim this year. I don’t see how C.J. Mosley doesn’t re-sign for Baltimore, which was in the playoffs. The same with Jadeveon Clowney. The best options that I see is Preston Brown, Anthony Barr, and Shane Ray. Brown saw his stats dipped last year in Cincinnati, a change of scenery might help. Anthony Barr and Shane Ray would help, but Preston Brown is the real prize in free agency.
