Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles Says Second-Year Linebacker Will Have 'Instrumental' Role

You can expect to see No. 8 on the field quite a bit in 2024.

Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis (8) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a couple of linebackers this offseason with the departure of Devin White and the retirement of Shaq Barrett, so they will be leaning on K.J. Britt and other young players to help fill some of those roles.

One of those players that will be looked upon to help fill the void at linebacker and have a bigger role with the Buccaneers in his second season is 2023 fifth-round pick SirVocea Dennis.

Dennis was the second Pittsburgh Panther selected by the Bucs in 2023, following his former teammate Calijah Kancey to Tampa Bay. Last offseason, Dennis was garnering plenty of attention for what he was able to do during camp, but things didn't shape out the way he had necessarily hoped once the regular season began.

Dennis saw action in 13 games for the Bucs last year but wasn't able to earn much of a load of playing time playing behind future Hall of Famer Lavonte David, compiling just 13 total tackles and one pass defended. Now, entering his second season with the franchise, Dennis will be expected to take a step as head coach Todd Bowles expects him to play a large part in the defense this upcoming season.

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"'Voss' is going to be a big part of what we do this year – he's going to play quite a bit," Bowles said. "He's learning both [linebacker] spots, whether it's K.J. [Britt's] spot or Lavonte [David's] spot. He understands what to do. He's very instrumental in what we do this year and the packages that we're going to have for him. He's been a great addition. He's stayed healthy right now, and, knock on wood, we've got to keep that up. He's grown as a person. He understands the defense more and we look to see more from him."

Based on Bowles' comments, it appears that Dennis will have a wider net cast across the entire slate of the linebackers, not just limited to playing inside. This should pay dividends for both the defense and Dennis himself, as he will gain more knowledge of how the backers work across the board rather than just inside. With the Buccaneers having slight concerns about the depth at positions, being able to move SirVocea around will sort of put a band-aid over them for the time being.

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