Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kendell Beckwith primed to be defensive staple
Rookie linebacker Kendell Beckwith is set to become a catalyst for the Tampa Bay Buccaneer defense.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the receiving end of good news Tuesday as a promising defensive end, among other rookies, was cleared to begin training camp with the rest of the Buccaneers, as they reported on Thursday. Kendell Beckwith, formerly of LSU fame, tore his ACL in a game against Florida Nov. 19, perhaps the biggest reason why he fell to the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Up until the injury, he was having a tremendous season. He ended up finishing the year with 91 tackles for the Tigers last season with one sack and four passes knocked down. In 44 total games at LSU, Beckwith finished with 263 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.
As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes, Beckwith will be competing for a spot alongside second-year man Devante Bond.
Beckwith brings a certain level of tenacity to the football field. He explodes off the ball and has a level of quickness that can cause disruption to an offense. One of the things that will be interesting to see is if the aftereffects of that ACL injury will cause him to have a slow start to the season, or if he will be able to maintain a productive and physical style of play.
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I would guess the latter. As Sander Philipse of BucsNation.com noted, Beckwith is more of a first and second down type of player. He excels at stopping the run, but if you ask him to cover anyone, that may be an issue in a one-on-one type of scenario. It should not be an issue defensively when looking at the big picture however, as the Bucs’ have a capable secondary that can create matchup problems in their own right for the opposition.
One thing he does bring is hard-hitting football. In that respect, I think he will fit in well with the likes of Kwon Alexander. Much like the former, Beckwith is not afraid to announce his presence on the football field. He is a great addition to the team in that regard. He should fit in when he gets consistent playing time.
Per the most recent depth chart from OurLads.com, Beckwith is No. 3 at the strong-side linebacker position behind Jacquies Smith and Cameron Lynch. One important note here is that Smith was placed on the PUP list Wednesday. For Beckwith, this probably means more reps over the course of training camp.
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Kendell Beckwith is certainly a player to keep an eye on. Although he still has to develop a bit more, he should see the field sooner rather than later. His physical playstyle and nose for the football should make him a staple of the Tampa Bay defense for years to come.