Defensive Coaching Shifts

There is a new face joining the Buccaneers in 2025 in Defensive Line Coach Charlie Strong. Strong replaces Kacy Rodgers, who left for a similar role with the Detroit Lions. Strong returns to Florida, where he served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from 2017-19. Additionally, he held head coaching stints at Louisville (2010-13) and Texas (2014-16) among his 41 years at the collegiate level. This is his second venture in the NFL, as he previously served as the assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach for the Jaguars in 2021. While with Louisville, Strong was named the Big East Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2012. Most recently, he was a defensive analyst at Alabama in 2023 and a co-defensive coordinator at Miami in 2022.

"Extremely smart coach," said Todd Bowles on Strong. "He has been in college and the pro level and knows a lot of guys that were already on the team. Very good schematically and very energetic and he can get the guys going. He is a good fit for the building."

Among the additions to the Bucs' coaching staff is former assistant Mike Caldwell, who returns for a second stint in Tampa after two seasons (2022-23) as the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator and one as the Las Vegas Raiders' run game coordinator/linebackers coach. Caldwell will serve as Tampa Bay's inside linebackers coach, the same role he had on Bruce Arians' staff from 2019-21. During Caldwell's first instance on the Bucs' staff, both Lavonte David and Devin White earned second-team Associated Press All-Pro honors. With Caldwell returning to instruct the inside linebackers, Larry Foote will transition to run game coordinator/outside linebackers coach. Foote coached outside linebackers in his first three seasons with the Bucs (2019-21), before moving over to inside linebackers along with the coordinator title following Caldwell's departure. George Edwards, who has spent the past two seasons as the Bucs' outside linebackers coach, will now be the pass game coordinator on defense in a consulting role.

"[Caldwell] does a heck of a job for us keeping all the guys intact as far as schematics and then putting Foote back on the outside, he was on the outside before we moved him inside and he did a hell of a job there," said Bowles. "Between the three, we have three good guys right there that also coordinated that can really help out and the smarter we are on defense as a coaching staff, the better we are."

Bucky Irving Inside Efficiency

Bucky Irving revitalized the Bucs' ground attack in 2024, adding another dimension with his short-area quickness, vision, contact balance and ability to make defenders miss in space. Irving sat atop the rookie stat leaderboards in nearly every rushing category, spurring the unit to success. Bucky Irving's 37.1% missed tackle percentage led the NFL and his 76 missed tackles forced ranked first among rookies. Irving led the rookie class in scrimmage yards (1,514), rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (eight). Irving's franchise record 5.4 yards per rush attempt average is the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with 200-plus rush attempts in a season, trailing only Adrian Peterson (5.6 in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 in 2002). His 1,514 yards from scrimmage is the second-most by a rookie in team history, trailing only Doug Martin (1,926 in 2012). Irving gained an additional 609 yards after forcing missed tackles in 2024, second-most in the league behind only Derrick Henry (753) per Next Gen Stats. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry on rushes outside the tackles (fifth-most among running backs, minimum of 50 such carries) and 5.3 yards per carry on rushes inside the tackles (second-most among running backs) this season. For his size, Irving's ability to maneuver through congestion by rare cutting prowess and acceleration poses problems for defenses.

"When we first got him watching tape, we thought he would be a good change-of-pace back for Rachaad and we thought he would be a better outside guy and we would use him on the edge because of his quickness and his size," noted Bowles. "But, when we got him, we found out he was a better inside guy and he was a better tackle-to-tackle guy than he was an outside guy so that was a surprise to us. For the most part, his durability and toughness was really another part of it that we did not expect to see from the standpoint of a guy that size, but he showed us that he can do that and more than that. As the year went on and he got the offense down, we got to see what he can really do."

SirVocea Dennis Coverage Prowess

The Bucs placed SirVocea Dennis on injured reserve in October after he aggravated a shoulder injury in the team's Week Four contest with the Philadelphia Eagles this past season. The injury required surgery, sending the first-year player to IR. He played in the club's first four games, splitting snaps with K.J. Britt opposite Lavonte David due to his level of comfort in coverage. To maximize his coverage ability in a pass-centric league, Dennis primarily came onto the field in clear passing situations to fortify the Bucs' defense. During his small sample size, the Pittsburgh product posted 20 tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack. With well-timed blitzes, hip fluidity, instinctual play, eye discipline in zone coverage and react skills to play-action, Dennis helped set the tone.

"He is a very good pass dropper and he is a very good striker," said Bowles. "He is a very good pick guy from a blitz package standpoint like he was in college and he is a very heady player. He is probably our headiest underneath zone player from a backer standpoint with the exception of Lavonte and we just haven't seen enough of him. We have to get him out there and he has to stay healthy."