Buccaneers: Defensive Position-by-Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis

In their first season back in the Tampa 2 defense, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced enough growing pains to make head coach Lovie Smith feel like Alan Thicke.

The Bucs finished 25th in the NFL last season in both yards and points allowed, giving up 368 yards and 25.6 points per game. They struggled to get after the passer consistently, and they didn't create the amount of takeaways Smith had hoped to see.

Heading into the 2015 season, Tampa Bay is hoping another round of offseason workouts and training camp will give its defense time to become more comfortable and confident in its new scheme. Some added depth picked up in free agency and the draft should help, as well.

As the Bucs look to bounce back from a league-worst record in 2014, let's take a look at how the defense is shaping up at each position for the upcoming season.

Defensive End

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

For yet another offseason, the Bucs failed to make any huge improvements at one of the most vital positions in the Tampa 2 defense, leaving their group of defensive ends largely intact from last season.

Gone is oft-injured veteran Adrian Clayborn, replaced by former Buc George Johnson, who was brought in for his second stint in Tampa Bay via a trade with the Detroit Lions. Despite an extremely deep draft class at the position, the Bucs opted not to add any new pass-rushers to the roster outside of a couple of undrafted free agents.

Johnson, who bagged the first six sacks of his NFL career for the Lions last season, is likely to lock down one starting spot, while Jacquies Smith—a waiver-wire wonder who posted six sacks over the final eight games of 2014—should start across from him. Both players showed impressive flashes last season, but neither has ever been a full-time starter in the NFL.

Behind the starters, the Bucs will have a pair of undersized but quick edge-rushers in T.J. Fatinikun and Larry English who have potential as rotational players. William Gholston lacks the speed to bend the edge, but he's a solid run defender who should make the roster again. The likes of Lawrence Sidbury, George Uko and undrafted free agents Ryan Delaire and Jamal Young are the longer shots to earn a roster spot.

With a defensive scheme predicated on getting consistent pressure with the front four, Tampa Bay is banking on some unproven commodities to get after opposing quarterbacks this season. It's a gamble, but it's possible the team's strength at defensive tackle could help this group reach its potential.

Defensive Tackle

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

No other position group on Tampa Bay's roster boasts the depth it has at defensive tackle, where Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy is joined by a strong rotation that will need to anchor the entire defense in 2015.

McCoy returns after a 2015 season that saw him fight through multiple injuries to lead the team with 8.5 sacks, proving to be a disruptive force on a weekly basis. He'll continue to man the 3-technique spot, where he should be dominant again this season.

Behind him, the Bucs have three quality options who will rotate frequently. Clinton McDonald and Akeem Spence return from solid performances last year, and they will be joined by free-agent pickup Henry Melton, who played the most successful football of his NFL career under Bucs head coach Lovie Smith when they were both in Chicago.

Without any proven pass-rushers on the outside, this unit will have to generate pressure up the middle to ensure the Tampa 2 scheme can be effective. It has the depth and talent to do it, even if injuries pop up throughout the year.

Linebacker

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay wanted to get deeper and more athletic at linebacker this offseason, and it did just that, adding fresh faces in both free agency and the draft who are perfect fits for the Tampa 2 defense.

The group will again feature one of the best linebackers in the entire league in Lavonte David, who should be locked up to a long-term extension soon. Despite missing two games in 2014, David still racked up 146 total tackles, four forced fumbles, four defensed passes and a sack.

Tampa Bay finally moved on from Mason Foster, who will be replaced in the middle by the newly signed Bruce Carter, who is much better suited for the responsibilities the Tampa 2 demands of the position. His speed, athleticism and instincts in coverage will be put to good use by defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and the entire defense should benefit from his presence.

On the strong side, there will be a battle between Danny Lansanah—one of the more pleasant surprises on the entire roster last year—and rookie Kwon Alexander, whom the Bucs traded up to grab in the fourth round of this year's draft.

Alexander is extremely explosive and has great instincts as well as the versatility to slide over to the middle and spell Carter from time to time. Lansanah made plenty of big plays last year and should only improve in 2015.

Behind Alexander, look for Orie Lemon to be the fifth (and possibly final) linebacker to make the 53-man roster after performing well in limited action last season and contributing on special teams.

Cornerback

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Tampa Bay's group of corners will see most of the same faces return from 2014, but staying healthy will be key for a unit that struggled through much of its first season in the new scheme.

Johnthan Banks emerged as the team's top cover man in his second NFL season, snatching four interceptions and knocking away 10 passes over 14 starts last year. At 6'2", 185 pounds, he has the size and length to hang with the bigger receivers in the league, and another offseason to get comfortable with the Tampa 2 should only lead to even better numbers in 2015.

Alterraun Verner failed to meet the high expectations he was met with after signing in free agency to help replace the departed Darrelle Revis, but he started to come on strong over the second half of the season. He ended the year with a pair of interceptions, nine defensed passes and two forced fumbles over 14 starts, and he should also improve in his second year in Tampa Bay's new scheme.

Mike Jenkins returns on another one-year deal after a shoulder injury in Week 1 landed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2014 season. If he can stay healthy, he'll give the Bucs a solid veteran to provide depth on the outside.

Brandon Dixon is a young but promising player who gave the Bucs some quality snaps last year while they dealt with injuries across the unit, and he should win a roster spot again this year.

At the nickel spot, expect a three-horse race between two familiar faces from last year—Leonard Johnson and Isaiah Frey—and incoming free agent Sterling Moore.

Johnson struggled in the role last year, being replaced by Frey in the starting lineup late in the season. Moore has experience playing in the Tampa 2 for the Dallas Cowboys over the last few seasons, so don't be surprised if he wins the job in his first year in Tampa Bay.

Safety

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Tampa Bay's group of safeties will look far different in 2015 than it did at the start of the 2014 season, as the switch to the Tampa 2 scheme has called for an overhaul in personnel that should lead to better production this year.

Gone are both Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron, two players who failed to meet high expectations and didn't translate well to the new defense. The race to replace them in the starting lineup looks to be wide-open heading into training camp, with promising young talent fighting against some newcomers for playing time.

The budding star of this group is Bradley McDougald, who was the best of the entire group last year and should lock down a starting spot this season. Across from him, there should be plenty of competition between Major Wright, Chris Conte and D.J. Swearinger.

Wright was re-signed in the offseason after playing well but ending his 2014 campaign on injured reserve. Conte was signed as a free agent, while Swearinger—a former second-round pick who never stuck in Houston—was claimed off waivers.

All three have a decent amount of experience, and it will come down to who can shine in training camp—and stay healthy—to determine the way the depth chart shakes out heading into Week 1.