Defensive Line Battle
2 min read
The first line of defense is the defensive line, and while a few obvious names will easily secure a roster spot, there will be a few others that will give everything they have to make sure one of those spots has their name on it.
First Line Of Defense
Second Wave Of Defenders
Terry Beckner Jr: The 7th round pick out of Missouri, Beckner hopes to prove the Bucs made the right decision in calling his name. In his final season, Beckner recorded 107 tackles and 7 sacks, but he paired that with a bust for marijuana possession and tearing his MCL, both of which may be a cause of concern for the Buccaneers. With a defense that has improved over last year, the worst thing a player can do is screw up their chances with off-field antics or an injury that can hamper their progress, and Beckner possibly did just that.
Jeremiah Ledbetter: In his 1st year with the Buccaneers, he recorded a single tackle in his only game. It’s certainly not much to build on, and parting ways with him would free up a little more than half a million dollars, which should provide him with the incentive necessary to win a spot on the team. He’s not likely to see much playing time if any at all, but an extra body for depth isn’t a bad thing.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches: He seemed to fare a little better in his 3 years with the Chiefs than he did last year with the Bucs, but given his performance in Kansas City, that’s not saying a lot. While being a better fit in a 4-3 defense than in a 3-4, he has shown himself to be versatile enough that making the change shouldn’t prove too difficult. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee he will fair any better, but recording 2 tackles in 3 games leaves him with nowhere to go but up.
Dare Odeyingbo: An undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt, Dare showed a lot of potential during his 4 years. He had numerous games with multiple sacks, tackles for loss, solo tackles, and total tackles along with a fumble recovery, an interception, and broke up a pass all in his final year with Vanderbilt. While he didn’t put up numbers that screamed draft this guy, he certainly has shown he can get the job done, at least on the collegiate level. With a team that has some question marks on the defensive line, Odeyingbo may just work his way into not only a spot on the team but a few minutes as well.
