Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lavonte David, Devin White key to new 3-4 defense

Veteran linebacker Lavonte David and rookie linebacker Devin White will be the two keys to making the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new 3-4 defense work in 2019.

As you may have heard by now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are once again under new management. General manager Jason Licht hired old friend and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians as the team’s new head coach.

Arians then assembled a top notch staff, led by Harold Goodwin as assistant head coach, Byron Leftwich as offensive coordinator, and former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator. This new coaching staff looks to turn the Bucs around and return the team to the postseason for the first time since Jan. 6, 2008.

A big part of a potential turnaround will be Bowles’ 3-4 defense. The scheme relies on a three man defensive line to collapse the pocket, as well as edge rushers that can beat tackles and get to the quarterback. Meanwhile, these edge rushers team with traditional linebackers (usually the two inside linebackers) to form a four-man linebacking unit.

At the center of this unit will be veteran Lavonte David and No. 5 overall pick Devin White.

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David is going into his eighth season in pewter and red, and although he had another strong statistical season in 2018 (a team-high 120 combined tackles plus 3.5 sacks and two passes defended), he slipped a bit in pass coverage. According to Pro Football Focus’ season recap, David allowed 647 passing yards and 87.3 percent of passes in his direction found the mark. This drop in pass coverage helped contribute to the Bucs’ ranking of 26th in passing yards allowed per game.

Even though he’s dealing with a minor tear in his right meniscus that will likely keep him out until the regular season begins, David is very important to the success of Bowles’ new scheme. His ability to play sideline-to-sideline and stick with almost anyone in coverage will be very important as the rest of the defense adjusts to the new play calls, formations and aggressive mindset that Bowles will instill in his defenders.

As one of the few older veterans on this team, David is highly respected in the locker room and on the field. Furthermore, he is seen around the NFL as one of the league’s best off-ball linebackers. His leadership and skill set will not only help with the development of the rest of the team’s young defenders. But more importantly, it will help with White’s transition to the pro level.

Despite David’s level of personal success during his time with the Bucs, White is arguably the more important piece for Bowles’ scheme. Licht and Arians picked him fifth overall because he has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowl player in the heart of the Tampa Bay defense.

The No. 5 overall pick has already taken over the play calls, which shows the level of trust that Bowles and the defensive coaching staff already has in him.

"”I’ve always been in big roles in my life. Everything I did, I always kind of grew up faster than probably what I should’ve, and I think it kind of helped me,” White said to Yahoo! Sports."

Much like David, White can cover sideline to sideline and cover pretty much any offensive skill player. He’s fast, tough, physical, and also a solid pass rusher on blitzes, particularly up the middle. During his time at LSU under head coach Ed Orgeron and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, White was asked to do everything. Quite frankly, there was little that the 2018 Butkus Award winner did not excel at.

"”I think that was a big part of the evaluation process. How mature he was and the accolades from coaches that we really trust that were around him every day, and you hear Ed now talk about how they can’t replace him,” Arians said in the same Yahoo! Sports report. ”So, the sky’s the limit. Let’s let him fail before we pull him back. See what he can’t do. Right now, he can do everything. So until he says: ‘Whoa, I can’t learn all this stuff or I can’t do that.’ I don’t think that’s ever coming out of his mouth, though, knowing him.”"

So far, it seems that both White and David have what it takes to lead the Bucs’ defense to the next level once the regular season comes around. Granted, there are questions, such as David’s slight decline in play last year and White’s rookie status.

However, Arians, Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff seem well assured that the future of their defense is in good hands under the leadership of the veteran and the rookie.