The upcoming defensive rebuild for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be a little jarring for fans — mainly because there’s a chance a good portion of the players we saw on the field for the 2024 regular season won’t be there in 2025.
Still, something needs to be done. The Buccaneers can’t have one of the NFL’s best offenses and play a game of chicken with a playoff bid every season because the defense is terrible.
One of the players who might be headed out the door is veteran edge rusher Anthony Nelson, who is in the final season of a 2-year, $10 million contract and made Bleacher Report’s list of the Top 50 NFL free agents for 2025, coming in at No. 30.
Nelson might be one of the casualties on the Bucs’ defense that leaves because he gets a better payday somewhere else and not necessarily because of poor play — he had 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 6 TFL, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 13 QB hits in 2024. He did so while playing in all 17 games with only 6 starts and playing in just 51 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps.
The Buccaneers open the NFC playoffs hosting the Washington Commanders in a Wild Card Game on January 12.
“Linebacker Anthony Nelson has never been a full-time starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Knox wrote. “What he’s been over the past three years is a highly productive outside ‘backer who can set the edge, clog passing lanes and get after the opposing quarterback. Nelson, who will turn 28 in March, isn’t quite a pure pass-rusher, but he was very effective in that role in 2024. Having played both outside linebacker and defensive end in Tampa, he should be viewed as a fit for a variety of base schemes.”
