With Lavonte David’s Return, Bucs Keep Dynamic Duo Intact

Since 2019, the Bucs have fielded one of the NFL’s better linebacker tandems in Lavonte David and Devin White. But with David set to hit free agency this offseason, they suddenly faced the potential of a startling reality: heading into 2023 without that duo intact. David has been Mr. Steady in that partnership, while White has been more of a volatile playmaker. So, moving on without David and having to find a new running mate for White would’ve been a challenging proposition.

Thankfully for Tampa Bay and its fans, though, David re-signed with the team on a one-year, $7 million deal, ensuring that he’d be back in red, white and pewter for a 12th season. And with his return for another year, the Bucs will get another season out of their dynamic duo.

David said during his press conference on Thursday that continuing to build something special with his teammate of the last four years was a big part of him sticking around with the team.

“Yeah, it’s key obviously. I always feel like we, me and Devin, we’re the people that get the team going,” David said. “I feel like everybody feeds off of us. So me being back playing beside him we can continue to do what we’re doing and improve on what our performance was last year. Definitely a great opportunity to thrive and be great with him and also for me to just watch him to continue to grow, be a great leader, and be a great football player.”

Lavonte David And Devin White Give Bucs Defense A Good Foundation

Bucs LBs Lavonte David and Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The importance of the Bucs having Lavonte David and Devin White in the middle of their defense can’t be overstated.

David, even at age 33, is still among the most underrated off-ball linebackers in the league. He’s a sure tackler and remains strong in coverage, even if the playmaking ability isn’t where it once was earlier in his career. The veteran was Tampa Bay’s highest-graded player last year for a reason.

As for White, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 Draft, there’s something special about the speed and athleticism he brings to the partnership. He’s had his ups and downs over the last couple of years and he has received his fair share of criticism, but when he’s at his best, he’s a playmaking machine. The Bucs saw it down the stretch of the 2020 season and into the Super Bowl run, and now they need to see it more regularly.

“Devin takes a lot of heat for some things – everybody judges the missed tackles – but he makes tackles that I haven’t seen linebackers make in 30 years,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He can make plays for us. He is still one of our best two players on defense. I have a lot of faith in him. His growth mentally understanding the system – and it’s not an easy system – has been outstanding. I think the world of the guy. I think he is a heck of a ballplayer and I think this will probably be one of his better seasons.”

As much heat as White does get, you’d be hard-pressed to find many teams around the league who would trade their inside linebacker duo for the Bucs’. And as Tampa Bay retools its defensive line and figures out its outlook at safety, it sure has to be nice to have David and White as two fixtures in the middle of the defense.

They say in baseball that a team that’s solid up the middle – catcher, middle infield, centerfield – has a strong foundation. If you apply that ideology to football and more specifically to the Bucs, you can say Bowles has a solid foundation to work with as he builds his defense for 2023. He has Vita Vea up front, the duo of Lavonte David and Devin White up the middle and the presence of Antoine Winfield Jr. up top. Add in Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean – an outstanding duo in their own right – and you can see where this defense is headed.