Bucs’ $94 Million Veteran Identified as Biggest ‘Question Mark’ of 2025 Season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have built an offensive roster that could contend for a Super Bowl once again, but the defense still has some question marks, including long-time team leader Lavonte David and the linebacker core.

The writers and analysts over at Pro Football Network identified David and the inside linebackers as the “biggest” Bucs question mark in 2025 during a document shared with Heavy. And the veteran captain’s age is certainly a major part of their selection.

“Lavonte David is still a good starting linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he took a slight step back in 2024,” they reasoned. Adding: “At 35 years old, he’s in the twilight of his career.”

On top of David’s personal uncertainties, PFN pointed out that “K.J. Britt left in free agency, opening a starting path for SirVocea Dennis to start in Year 3 of his NFL career.”

“With the latter coming off a major injury, though, there’s no guarantee he’ll be an upgrade,” the NFL site concluded.

Buccaneers Need SirVocea Dennis to Live Up to the Hype This Season

Despite only being voted to one Pro Bowl and only being named to one first-team All-Pro roster, David has made over $94 million in career earnings according to Over the Cap. He’s spent his entire NFL tenure in Tampa Bay, beginning as a former second-round pick in 2012, and he’s been rewarded handsomely for it.

Unfortunately, it’s almost time for David to hang up the cleats and enjoy his career earnings. But in order to do so, he needs to pass the torch to a true successor.

Head coach Todd Bowles has strongly hinted that he believes this player is Dennis, hyping him — as much as the monotone Buccaneers HC can hype anyone — as a standout of OTAs and minicamp. And while that’s great, the former fifth-round pick must still prove it on the field.

Needless to say, 2025 is a crucial campaign for Dennis and also a pivotal one for the Bucs linebacker core as a whole.

It’s totally fair for a site like Pro Football Network to mark this position as a question mark, but if things end up working out with Dennis, the Bucs’ ILB position could go back to being one of the steadier areas of this roster.