Aaron Schatz: Go Sign This Linebacker
February 28th, 2026
Targeted for Bucs?
A linebacker who will be 32 is considered long in the tooth.
Except when a team has a roster spot reserved for a guy who will be 36.
Lavonte David has trained at One Buc Palace this offseason. Yeah, this offseason. Jason Licht said this on WDAE-AM 620/FM 95.7 this week.
Does that sound like a guy who has decided to pack in his career?
Whether David retires or not, plays or not, the Bucs need linebackers. And Aaron Schatz, the inventor of DVOA and creator of Football Outsiders (RIP), typed in a piece for BSPN that the best free agent signing for the Bucs should be Detroit linebacker Alex Anzalone.
The time might have finally come for 36-year-old Lavonte David to leave the Buccaneers, which opens a spot for a veteran in the middle of Tampa Bay’s defense. Anzalone is strong against the run and had 2.5 sacks and eight passes defensed for Detroit last season.
Joe loves this idea and here is why: Tough guy Lions coach Dan Campbell would never have a linebacker as a five-year starter unless he was tough as nails and physical. And Joe thinks that is just what the Bucs lack.
Was David a physical player last year? That’s up for debate. Aside from Tykee Smith, the Bucs defense simply is not that physical. Vita Vea is, but teams stay away from him.
Get a tough guy on the second level like Anzalone, a former Gators star, and watch this defense perk up. And good grief, a fire eater like Anzalone would be a welcome trait for Bucs linebacker and the defense as a whole.