Another domino falls the right way for the Bucs today now that Tampa Bay veteran linebacker Lavonte David has (again) re-signed with the only NFL team he’s ever been a part of. David and the organization agreed in principle to a one-year, $9,000,000 deal that will include an additional $1 million in incentives. This adds another reassurance to Tampa Bay faithful that their squad will be competitive again this coming year.
Every football team has a player that is affectionately known as the “heart of the defense”. Imagine a guy like Ray Lewis for the vintage Ravens or Lawrence Taylor for the dominant Bill Parcells defenses in New York. For this era of Buccaneers, that role has been filled by Linebacker Lavonte David.
Picked 58th overall in the 2012 draft by Tampa Bay, David has been by far the most consistent member of the defensive unit for more than a decade. At 33 years old with eleven full NFL seasons under his belt, there was plenty of skepticism entering last season about whether David could hold up the entire year, let alone perform at his previous level. Not only did Lavonte play 15 of 17 games but he looked better than he had in ages. He led the team in tackles with 134 which was the most he’d managed since 2015, as well as 4.5 sacks.
Over the span of his career, David has 1,477 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 28 forced fumbles with 18 recovered, 64 defended passes, 12 interceptions, and 160 tackles for loss. He lacks only 10 games played in to move into third place on the all-time list of games played by Buccaneers, in which case he would trail only Derrick Brooks & Ronde Barber. He currently is ranked first among active NFL players in tackles and fumble recoveries.
Buccaneers’ General Manager Jason Licht has been staunchly reinforcing the needs of his team heading into this coming season, adding David onto the ever growing list of necessary reacquisitions during a period that was supposed to be a nerve wracking time for the front office.
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