Aug. 25, 2026, 3:05 p.m. ET
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent the offseason trying to change the complexion of their defensive front, and Saturday night’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs offered signs that the overhaul could be paying off. The Bucs consistently created pressure throughout their 16-15 preseason victory, and it wasn’t limited to one or two players. Nearly everyone who rotated through the pass rush found a way to affect the quarterback, giving Todd Bowles plenty of reason to be encouraged about the depth of his revamped front seven. Anthony Nelson led the way with 1.5 sacks, including a strip sack of Justin Fields that helped end one of Kansas City’s early drives.
He later teamed with Mohamed Kamara to bring Fields down for another sack. David Walker continued building on an impressive preseason, generating three pressures, including two consecutive pressures that showed just how much explosiveness he has coming off the edge. On one of them, he used a nasty spin move to work his way into the pocket and force an incompletion. The Bucs also got an early glimpse of what their first-round pick can bring.
Rueben Bain Jr. made his presence felt almost immediately, using an inside hump move to overpower the blocker and collapse the pocket. At the same time, Yaya Diaby was coming off the opposite edge, creating pressure in tandem with Bain and leaving Fields sandwiched. Tampa Bay’s first team defense allowed only 13 yards and forced two straight three-and-outs to begin the game. The Buccaneers are no longer relying on one player to generate their pass rush anymore. Bain and Diaby can create problems from the outside, while Nelson, Walker and Kamara give Bowles experienced and developing options to rotate through the front. The interior also has more depth than it has had in recent seasons.
For Bowles, that creates the possibility of keeping players fresh while constantly presenting different combinations to opposing offensive lines, something he has been searching for since the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl season in 2020.
