Despite being the youngest player on the roster, the linebacker understands the weight of his role. The Buccaneers brought him in for a reason and he is not afraid to step up and lead.
"Everyone knows their role," Trotter said. "Even as a rookie, I still feel like I have a voice. I'm going to speak up if I need to speak up. You've got to make calls, be a middle linebacker. So, you've got to have something to you. You've got to say it and mean it."
Trotter recognizes he still has a lot to learn. The details matter and he is taking every opportunity to refine his craft, including learning everything he can from his veteran teammate Anzalone.
"It's a great blessing to have a guy like Alex," Trotter expressed. "A guy that has been a vet to other guys from when he was at Detroit or the Saints. To be able to talk to him, have him help me, coach me up, see things from a different perspective or when we're out there talking back and forth. I enjoy having him out there, being able to learn from him, ask questions and continue to grow."
Despite Trotter's pedigree, media pundits have questioned his ability to translate as a coverage linebacker at the next level, mainly because he wasn't asked to do much of that at Mizzou. During this week's joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he intercepted Trevor Lawrence in man-to-man coverage during a 7-on-7 drill. Trotter is more than confident in his abilities and ready to let his play silence the doubters.
"Coming in, I know there's outside noise," Trotter shared. "People saying \[what\] I could or could not \[do\], but I knew what I could do. I knew what God put inside of me. I wanted to come out here and show that I could not only just cover, I could blitz, pass rush and be everything that the Bucs need me to be for this organization.
"If there were five downs, I wish I could be on the field for five downs. Ultimately, I'm just trying to show the organization what I can do to be able to stay on the field."