Three defensive free agents the Buccaneers could target in free agency

What defensive help could be coming to Tampa Bay?

NFL free agency is almost upon us and with that comes questions about what direction the Buccaneers will go in. With a little over 43 million dollars in cap space available, the Bucs can be flexible with their options in free agency.

While they have a lot of critical players to bring back, they still can be active and may need to use their cap space to find some pieces for the defense.

Defensive Lineman, Javon Kinlaw

The Bucs certainly should be looking at adding more fire power to their pass rush and defensive line this offseason so why not poach someone from the NFC champs? Kinlaw was the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft which coincidentally was Tampa Bay’s pick before they traded up one spot to pick Tristan Wirfs.

So far in his career, Kinlaw has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play. He has had trouble getting consistent playing time on such a talented San Francisco front and that is something Tampa Bay could take advantage of. Kinlaw clearly has talent but has yet to put it all together and stay on the field. Tampa Bay could pair Kinlaw with Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea to form a pretty formidable pass rush along the interior.

Kinlaw could be one of the best value free agents on the market and the Bucs would be smart to see if there would be a fit in Tampa Bay.

Outside Linebacker, Josh Uche

Like Kinlaw, Uche has struggled with consistency throughout his career as well but he is another guy who could very well be a bargain for someone willing to take the chance. It appears the Bucs are likely to move on from Shaq Barrett this offseason leaving them with a gaping hole at edge rusher. A pass rusher is likely already going to be a top priority for Tampa Bay to address this offseason so if they were to move on from Barrett, bringing in a guy through free agency could make sense.

Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images

After having 11.5 sacks in 2022, Uche’s total in 2023 dropped all the way down to 3.5 sacks. Spotrac has his market value at just over eight million a year, which could work for a team like the Bucs on a one or two year deal. It could be worth the risk to give the 25 year old a shot and see if he can replicate the success he had in 2022.

The Bucs pass rush needs to be better and more consistent in 2024 and in order to do that, they may have to take some swings and Uche could definitely be worth a look if he hits the open market.

Safety, Jordan Whitehead

A reunion! Jordan Whitehead departed the Bucs for the New York Jets in the 2022 offseason and it was simply a matter of Tampa Bay not being able to keep everyone like they did in the previous offseason. Sacrifices needed to be made and unfortunately Whitehead was one of those. The former 4th round pick had success in two seasons with the Jets. Now Tampa Bay has an opportunity to bring him back to the place he was drafted and pair him back up with Antoine Winfield Jr in the secondary.

Whitehead is obviously familiar with Todd Bowles’ defense and was a good fit for it. The Bucs could use his fiery personality as well as his ability to provide solid run support and knack for getting to the QB by blitzing from the strong safety spot.

I would expect the Jets to try and keep Whitehead but if he were to hit the open market, the Bucs would be wise to gauge his interest on returning to Tampa Bay to fill a big need on their defense.