Liking Alex Anzalone
April 14th, 2026
Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone.
Joe has no idea if Zoltán Buday continues to work for the PFF tribe or not. But at least, before the ship ran aground, he got off a missive.
About two or three weeks ago, Cris Collinsworth’s PFF tribe got bought by a stats outfit. The PFF tribe did quality control work for the NFL — trust Joe, the league wanted nothing to do with its dumbarse grades — and the new outfit wanted that backend service the PFF tribe had with the NFL.
The front end of the PFF tribe with all the nonsensical GD grades and the website and podcasts? The buyer told Collinsworth he could keep it. And Joe guesses Collinsworth did but he also had a housecleaning of the staff.
This Buday hasn’t typed an article since. (On the front page of the site there has been a grand total of two stories published in the past 11 days.) But Buday did type an article detailing one free agent signing he liked from each NFL team.
For the Bucs, he liked the move of Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht in bringing in Alex Anzalone.
Favorite Move: LB Alex Anzalone
The Lions got consistently above-average play from Anzalone over the past couple of years. Getting that level of consistency at the position makes Anzalone worth being the 23rd-highest-paid linebacker over the next two seasons.
What will be interesting to Joe is what the Bucs do in the draft. Surely they will draft an inside linebacker (maybe two) and Joe is going to guess the highest-drafted inside linebacker will have every opportunity to win a starting gig.
Anzalone is a good pass defender and boy, the Bucs were awful at that. So Joe wonders if the Bucs draft an inside linebacker who is better known for stopping the run to balance Anazalone’s skill set?
April 14th, 2026 at 12:46 am
Joe, he’s here for 2 years, maybe 3 years tops. We will definitely need another backer who can play the past well. I’m sure they’ll look for a well-rounded backer with their first linebacker choice.
April 14th, 2026 at 12:46 am
* Play the pass
April 14th, 2026 at 1:44 am
Yes, he’ll have to be insanely athletic to match up against Bijan, Etienne, Pitts and who knows Kenyon Sadiq if the schlockers are to be believed.
April 14th, 2026 at 2:45 am
I’m taking Mc Donald @ 15 we would have a good dline rotation
Hopefully we can Grab J Rod. In the 2nd that is solid right there.
April 14th, 2026 at 3:24 am
They already have Roseboom who is more of a run defender. Get a draft pick who can do both
April 14th, 2026 at 3:27 am
We need another limebacker great against both because we do run man coverages and multi coverages and the LB will need to be able to play zone too. And that’s at minimum. What if one of them gets injured? You can’t put in a guy that can’t play the pass for any real amount of time in *this league*. So at least one backup should be able to do this too- and well enough not to be a liability.
April 14th, 2026 at 3:59 am
Joe … ‘So Joe wonders if the Bucs draft an inside linebacker who is better known for stopping the run to balance Anazalone’s skill set?’
The first 5 JBFers unanimously answered that question Joe … grab an ILB who can do both; play the run AND defend the pass. Talented youngsters like that though go high in the draft.