Stud Inside Linebacker Being Released
March 6th, 2026
Pro Bowl LB now a free agent.
This will get your tossing and turning when you go to bed tonight, or help kick-start your caffeine Friday morning, depending on your sleep pattern.
Joe can sense Bucs fans are weary of Joe typing about free agent edge rushers who are pushing or on the wrong side of 30. Fans want guys in their prime
OK, how about this:
The Bucs need inside linebackers in the worst way. Maybe worse than an edge rush. Think about it: If the Bucs don’t upgrade the edge rush — it wouldn’t shock Joe — at least the Bucs have YaYa Diaby.
If Lavonte David retires who do the Bucs have? SirVocea Dennis.
Joe rests his case.
However, late Thursday night, multiple reports out of Chicago have the Bears set to release linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who will be 28 in May.
Last week at the combine Joe spoke with a Chicago source who told Joe the pending release had nothing to do with Edmunds’ play. In fact, the Bears were happy with his play.
The problem is, the Bears are in a pinch with the salary cap and are shedding salary. That’s why they waved goodbye to Edmunds.
The Virginia Tech grad has never had a season with less than 100 tackles in his eight-year career. Last year he tied a career high with four picks and added nine passes defensed.
Joe maintains the Bucs need three inside linebackers. Two via the draft and signing one, or signing two and drafting one. However you want to add it up.
Edmunds would be a great start to rebuilding this Bucs defense.
March 6th, 2026 at 12:32 am
I don’t know hasn’t he always been a cold weather guy? He would definitely be a huge upgrade for the next 4 years if Licht isn’t going to bargain shop again
March 6th, 2026 at 12:46 am
Picked at #16 and has played well. Don’t know his price, maybe $18M. That’s way more than LVD is getting paid, but will Licht abandon his Dollar Store ways? Probably not, but he should. I would look at him very hard and probably pick him up.
March 6th, 2026 at 12:46 am
I really hope we get him! Go Bucs!
March 6th, 2026 at 12:49 am
In the NFL he has always played in a Great Lakes city. He went to college at Virginia Tech.
March 6th, 2026 at 1:34 am
He is an upgrade but the Bucs will be competeing with other clubs who have aneed at the position as well but if they sign him, that is one less LB position to fill.
March 6th, 2026 at 3:24 am
Tremaine Edmunds (drafted #16 in 2018 by Buffalo) became who we thought Devin White would become. And he’s gotten paid handsomely for it.
He signed a 4-year $72 mil contract with the Bears back in 2023 after playing his first 5 yrs for the Bills. He’s in the ‘elite’ for MLBs, but he’s not the highest paid. Fred Warner (49ers) makes $21 mil each year. Roquan Smith (Ravens) makes $20 mil. Then comes Edmunds ($18 mil), Zack Braun (Eagles) $17 mil and Nick Bolton ($15 mil). Quality doesn’t come cheap.
Tremaine Edmunds (6’4″ & 251 lbs with 4.54 sec speed in the 40) is worth it. He’s a LEADER with 8 yrs of MLB experience. Has never made less than 100 tackles in any year, and averages 900 def snaps per season. Has a career 72.4% Completions Allowed percentage, and made 4 INTs last season (and 9 INTs over the last 3 seasons).
Bucs have gotten away cheap at MLB (White, KJ Britt, SVD) for the whole time Bowles has been DC. Once Devin White shall we say ‘went downhill’ our defense has gone into a freefall. We NEED to shore up the middle of our defense (interior DLine, MLB) especially with some very talented performers if we expect to turn this thing around. Tremaine Edmunds would be an excellent start to build around, then draft 2 ILBs for him to work with.
March 6th, 2026 at 3:33 am
Despite the impressive INT and PBU numbers in 2025 the sabermetrics say Edmunds struggled mightily on pass downs. Anzalone is as good as they come in coverage and brings more as a leader and communicator in the middle plus he’ll cost half as much as Edmunds so he is still my guy for the Bucs in FA.
Then absolutely, positively draft at least two more new ILBs.
March 6th, 2026 at 4:33 am
I think Anzalone’s former DC Aaron Glenn, who has $77 mil in cap space to play with, will make him an offer too rich in dollars and assurances for the Bucs to compete with though so I’m not expecting this ideal ILB to become a Buc. His only other NFL DC Dennis Allen is the guy letting Edmunds go. Why? Maybe because Anzalone is cheaper and better vs the pass these past 3 seasons? Edmunds was the best in the business in 2022 in Buffalo but he just isn’t worth the big money to the cap-strapped Bears, or the Bucs if you are asking me.
I’m quite fine with the Bucs getting all their new ILBs in the draft and resigning only David at ILB in free agency. He’ll have a bounce back 2026. There is no need to overpay anyone at ILB when their is a top 5 pass rusher that wants to play in Tampa.
I’m all about the Bucs making a spending splash in FA but at premium positions only. It’s not Mike Evans or… It’s Mike Evans and (Trey Hendrickson) and (Anzalone or Dre’Mont Jones) and… If the Glazers will front some cash for a few months and let Greenberg do what they pay him to do. The cap doesn’t exist. Do what the Eagles do. Except pay a LB over $50 in a 3 year deal then have him be a healthy scratch for the Super Bowl you go on to win. Huff was the piece Vic Fangio needed to get his defense Super Bowl dominating quality- to the tune of $50 mil- until he immediately wasn’t. So don’t do that stupid LB move but sign top end deals and restructure contracts until the 2029-2030 tv/media washes all old liabilities away. This group in this window is worth the investment.