Last year the Bucs defense was a walking M*A*S*H* unit. The Bucs lost 52 player games from starters and key contributors. But despite the missed time, the team was still top 10 in sacks and top five in pressures. For all that pressure, the team struggled to create turnovers, barely averaging over one per game – tying them for 16th in the NFL. Despite the team success in pressures and sacks, no single player hit double-digit sacks and only one player – inside linebacker Lavonte David – topped 100 tackles.
As I’ve done in the past for Pewter Report, I’ve put together some projections for stat lines for the key offensive players entering the season. You could look at this as your own personalized Las Vegas lines for each player. We looked at offense earlier today. Now we move to the Bucs defense.
Bucs Defensive Stat Projections For 2025
OLB Haason Reddick’s Bet On Himself Pays Off
As a primer, my estimations of sacks are based off of how Pro Football Focus accounts for them, which is typically higher than the official NFL statistics. What are traditionally recorded as half-sacks by the NFL I credit as whole sacks. A player is expected to get to the quarterback before he throws the ball and shouldn’t be punished because one of his teammates does the same thing.
Pass Rush Snaps – 476
Hurries – 40
QB Hits – 11
Sacks – 13
Total Pressures – 64
Pressure Rate – 13.37%
Forced Fumbles – 3
Tackles For Loss – 10
Bucs Olb Haason Reddick - Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R
Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
Haason Reddick’s bet on himself hits, and he does enough to earn a solid deal in 2026 in Tampa Bay or elsewhere. For context, the 13 sacks and 64 pressures I have him projected for would rank tied for fifth and 12th in the NFL this past year. More importantly for the Bucs defense, Reddick provides the Bucs with the necessary high-side premier edge rush to help elevate the rest of the defense.
DT Caljah Kancey Plays More As Calf Injuries Are A Thing Of The Past
Pass Rush Snaps – 427
Hurries – 24
QB Hits – 12
Sacks – 9
Total Pressures – 45
Pressure Rate – 10.44%
Forced Fumbles – 1
Tackles For Loss – 13
Bucs Dt Calijah Kancey
Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Calijah Kancey, who missed five games last year, bounces back and plays 14 in 2025. More importantly, he sets a career-high in snaps and pass rush opportunities. This leads to the best season of his career from a production standpoint as he gets close to 10 sacks – quite the feat for an interior rusher.
DT Vita Vea’s Decline Begins – But Modestly
Pass Rush Snaps – 423
Hurries – 29
QB Hits – 5
Sacks – 7
Total Pressures – 41
Pressure Rate – 9.62%
Forced Fumbles – 1
Tackles For Loss – 9
Bucs Dt Vita Vea And Giants Qb Tommy Devito
Bucs DT Vita Vea and Giants QB Tommy DeVito – Photo by: USA Today
Vita Vea is coming off of a near career high in snaps in 2025. Now at age 30, Vea starts to come down in usage and effectiveness. His snaps reduce back to 2023 levels, but because of the talent around him he is still able to maintain a pressure rate close to 10%.
OLB Yaya Diaby’s Sack Conversion Rate Rebounds
Pass Rush Snaps – 455
Hurries – 37
QB Hits – 13
Sacks – 11
Total Pressures – 61
Pressure Rate – 13.43%
Forced Fumbles – 1
Tackles For Loss – 13
Bucs Olb Yaya Diaby
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Yaya Diaby’s overall productivity remains similar to his 2024 season, clearing 60 pressures once again. The big difference in 2025 is that Diaby’s sack conversion rate stabilizes. Edge rushers tend to hover around 18%. In 2023 his conversion rate was an unsustainably high 35%. In 2024 it fell to an unreasonably low 9%. Hitting a stable rate gets Diaby over 10 sacks and makes he and Haason Reddick one of the more formidable – and complementary – edge duos in the NFL.
Last year, the Bucs starting defensive line recorded 23 sacks. I have this group almost doubling that to 40.
ILB Lavonte David Plays Fewer Snaps At Age 35
Total Snaps – 1,018
Solo Tackles – 79
Total Tackles – 94
Tackles For Loss – 12
Missed Tackle Rate – 11.0%
Pressures – 22
Sacks – 5
Forced Fumbles – 2
Interceptions – 1
Pass Deflections – 5
David Lavonte Will Gholston Bucs Raiders Celebrate
On a rate basis, this is a typical season for the legendary Lavonte David. But he misses a game or two as he is now age 35.
ILB SirVocea Dennis Clears 10 Games As A First-Year Starter
Total Snaps – 642
Solo Tackles – 72
Total Tackles – 96
Tackles For Loss – 3
Missed Tackle Rate – 17.2%
Pressures – 24
Sacks – 3
Forced Fumbles – 1
Interceptions – 2
Pass Deflections – 4
Bucs Ilb Sirvocea Dennis
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
SirVocea Dennis is a critical part of the Bucs’ plans to improve in 2025. I have him playing over half a season, but still missing some time due to injuries. Still, with 96 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions in just 642 snaps, he is an impactful part of Tampa Bay’s defense.
CB Jamel Dean Has Better Injury Luck
Total Snaps – 733
Solo Tackles – 45
Total Tackles – 59
Tackles For Loss – 0
Missed Tackle Rate – 7.0%
Pressures – 0
Sacks – 0
Forced Fumbles – 1
Interceptions – 1
Pass Deflections – 6
Bucs Cb Jamel Dean And Commanders Wr Terry Mclaurin
Bucs CB Jamel Dean and Commanders WR Terry McLaurin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Jamel Dean played a career-low 12 games last year, and also missed half of two other games due to injuries, including the playoff loss to Washington. While it’s unlikely he magically plays a full season, Dean should be able to improve upon that in 2025.
Zyon McCollum Has A Pro Bowl Season
Total Snaps – 947
Solo Tackles – 53
Total Tackles – 76
Tackles For Loss – 1
Missed Tackle Rate – 13.6%
Pressures – 1
Sacks – 0
Forced Fumbles – 1
Interceptions – 5
Pass Deflections – 14
Bucs Cb Zyon Mccollum - Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
Zyon McCollum’s ball production skyrockets with a career-high and team-best five interceptions. That, on top of his plus coverage abilities, vaults him to the top of the NFL consciousness regarding cornerbacks and earns him some league-wide accolades.
SS Tykee Smith Follows Up On Rookie Campaign With Solid Sophomore Season
Total Snaps – 783
Solo Tackles – 55
Total Tackles – 73
Tackles For Loss – 7
Missed Tackle Rate – 14.4%
Pressures – 9
Sacks – 1
Forced Fumbles – 1
Interceptions – 3
Pass Deflections – 6
Bucs S Tykee Smith - Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R
Bucs S Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
Tykee Smith’s transition to safety is a mostly smooth process. He and Antoine Winfield Jr. each have the versatility to play the post, split, box and nickel as part of a more evolved and versatile back end. As such, he contributes to the defense in multiple ways, with key pressures to go along with solid takeaway production.
FS Antoine Winfield Jr. Returns To Health
Total Snaps – 757
Solo Tackles – 63
Total Tackles – 90
Tackles For Loss – 4
Missed Tackle Rate – 6.8%
Pressures – 12
Sacks – 4
Forced Fumbles – 2
Interceptions – 1
Pass Deflections – 6
Bucs Fs Antoine Winfield Jr.
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today
Antoine Winfield Jr.’s return to health helps stabilize the back end of the defense. His 2023 season should be considered a stellar career year that is unlikely to ever be replicated, but with 17 splash plays in 2025, he is still a formidable piece of a defense poised to surprise many.
Rookie CBs Benjamin Morrison And Jacob Parrish Split Snaps
Bucs Cb Benjamin Morrison
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Benjamin Morrison
Total Snaps – 615
Solo Tackles – 31
Total Tackles – 49
Tackles For Loss – 2
Missed Tackle Rate – 19.5%
Pressures – 4
Sacks – 0
Forced Fumbles – 1
Interceptions – 1
Pass Deflections – 6
Jacob Parrish
Total Snaps – 478
Solo Tackles – 27
Total Tackles – 42
Tackles For Loss – 3
Missed Tackle Rate – 14.1%
Pressures – 7
Sacks – 2
Forced Fumbles – 0
Interceptions – 1
Pass Deflections – 3
Rookie cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, the team’s Day 2 picks, split duties in the slot for parts of the season with Morrison kicking outside to fill in for Dean as needed. Both record an interception as they get acclimated to the NFL.