A Safety Battle With Nobody Safe

Safety Competition will be stiff as there honestly isn’t anyone that’s completely safe.

Jordan Whitehead: He’s probably the safest bet to lock up a roster spot, as he had a very good rookie year, but he’s facing a lot of stiff competition. His production last year netted him 76 tackles with 4 tackles for a loss, which isn’t too shabby at all, but improving on them has to be his goal if he hopes to secure his spot.

Kentrell Brice: We saw him put some numbers up in Green Bay that could give Whitehead cause for concern. He only had 50 tackles, but did find his way into the backfield for a sack while starting fewer games than Whitehead. If he can take a step up, he may very well battle his way into the starting spot come week 1.

Lukas Denis: Undrafted out of Boston College, Lukas put up some impressive numbers. He was able to force 3 fumbles and 9 interceptions while picking up nearly 140 tackles and finding the end zone on one of his interceptions. It’s not often an undrafted rookie is put in such a nice position that he can realistically see a good amount of playing time, but if his college career is any indication, Lukas finds himself in just that position.

D’Cota Dixon: Yet another undrafted rookie, this time out of Wisconsin, D’Cota didn’t have quite the same output as Lukas, and is unlikely to make a big enough impact to earn a roster spot, but having a Jason Witten Man of the Year award winner on the practice squad isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Mike Edwards: This is the man to keep an eye on. The Buccaneers drafted him with the 99th overall pick out of Kentucky, and while not nearly on the same level yet as his favorite player (Tyrann Mathieu), he definitely can become just as well known, and just as feared. He had 44 consecutive starts before going down with an injury, and managed over 300 tackles and 10 interceptions with a couple of those making their way back to the end zone. If Whitehead is to be knocked out of the starting role, this will be the man to do it, and it very well could happen as early as training camp.

Isaiah Johnson: Once again, it’s time for that perennial practice squad player to make his appearance, and Isaiah doesn’t leave us disappointed. While his luck isn’t likely to change, at least he can rest easy knowing he’ll be in familiar surroundings as once again he’ll find himself relegated to the practice squad

Orion Stewart: He may very well want to introduce himself to Isaiah Johnson, as it’s likely they’ll be seeing a lot of the other on the practice squad. Orion finds himself on his 5th team and will find himself on his 5th practice squad with little hope of making the move up the ladder.

Deone Bucannon: We couldn’t complete the safety battle without our Arizona transplant, and Bucannon makes sure we have one. While his career began, rather promising, he honestly hasn’t been the same since undergoing ankle surgery in 2017. His numbers have tumbled, his speed has slowed, and his chances of battling for the starting role have all but disappeared. He can still contribute, and he should find himself with some quality minutes, but unless he can return to his earlier form, he’s likely to continue the downward slide towards being relegated to the bench.