Josiah Trotter Embodies New Bucs Vibe
August 30th, 2026
Passion.
The Bucs made it clear last winter; they want dawgs on defense.
They wanted to add guys with heart. Guys with passion. Guys with unbridled enthusiasm. And if they trend violent, that’s icing on the cake.
The 2025 Bucs defense was a soft, quitting lot. That had to change if folks wanted to keep their jobs.
The guy who embodies everything in the new Bucs defense is rookie inside linebacker Josiah Trotter. The second-round pick is a fire-breathing dragon of a player on the field.
Off the field? He’s a regular guy. But man, he goes Incredible Hulk on the field. His chirping (specifically at opponents) and his passion is clearly contagious.
ESPN is doing a recap of how each drafted rookie in the NFL stands with his team. Jenna Laine notes Trotter’s veteran teammates have given him the stamp of approval.
… “He’s not afraid, and he can back it up,” defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches said. “That’s what I love.”
The change in the defense with Trotter on the field (in padded practice) is night and day. Joe’s seen it at every practice this summer at One Buc Palce.
Joe is confident Trotter will be starting. A team that would start SirVocea Dennis over a promising rookie like Trotter after Dennis puked all over the field simply is not a team serious about winning.
August 30th, 2026 at 9:07 am
My only question is – Does he have as much “grit and Moxy” as our beloved starting QB?
Gee whiz I sure hope so….
August 30th, 2026 at 9:14 am
He is a welcome addition of youth and attitude!
Now if we can get the DBās to play with the same passion and intensity.
August 30th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Iād feel better if the Bucs had a DC who knew how to use players. Something tells me Bowles will have him trying to cover the fastest RBās in the league, instead of someone like K Scott, who can actually do that.
What are the chances that Bowles has Bain out in coverage 10 to 15% of the time, trying blitzes that rarely work? I have to hand it to Bowles, heās great at wasting resources, to this point, anyway.
August 30th, 2026 at 9:21 am
Great…I guess. This seems like a pretty sharp critique of the rest of the D. What are they like ion the wrong side of this “night and day” change, and why?!?
August 30th, 2026 at 9:22 am
If passion is contagious, somebody please have Trotter cough directly into the secondary like itās 2020.
August 30th, 2026 at 9:52 am
We had a poor defensive roster last year (made worse by Kancy and Walker being out.) D looked like crap, thus Todd looked like crap. NOW we have a better roster, Todd will suddenly look smart again
August 30th, 2026 at 9:56 am
CanātMakeAPlay Dennis has been misused as a linebacker. Heās an amazing lead blocker. Remember on that play last season against Philly. He was able to clear out a path for Jalen Hurts to go into the end zone untouched.
August 30th, 2026 at 10:01 am
Does anyone have an opinion on if he is better (or different) from his brother?
August 30th, 2026 at 10:03 am
@ BA: šverry funny!
August 30th, 2026 at 10:04 am
The defense was a direct result of the “coaching” mushroom circle of our hc. A movie line about mushrooms is keep them in the dark and feed them poop. He chooses assistant coaches mostly who were never good where they were before. Plus they were taking after his Kit Kat fed super soft rubber tube wrapped around his mid section. The guys he and Lichtensheist draft are either injury prone or soft. That game against the Jaguars was even more proof to the anti Bowles group that he and his staff are lousy coaches/ teachers. Their soon to be waiters and busboys were lights out better coached than ours. Even their vanilla offensive scheme was lights out better than ours. Anybody who thinks Robinson is so much better than our Lizard Lick OC from last year just look at what he did in Atlanta.
August 30th, 2026 at 11:11 am
I agree.
At least now he went younger with the offensive side and several D assistants
Whitmer is a young stud that can work magic with Baker this season.
West is great.
August 30th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Learn the lesson!
Elite middle linebackers can be found in the 2nd round.
Elite RTs, centers and guards can be found in the 2nd round.
Elite safeties can be found in the 2nd round.
Stop wasting 2nd round picks!
Grab GUARANTEED NFL athletes in the 2nd round.
Grab another MLB in Round 2 next year as well.
Let him sit behind Anzalone for a year.
Then let Trotter have an elite MLB play to play with for years to come.
Or
Bredeson might be in his last year.
Grab an elite LG in the 2nd next year.
I am tired of losing 2nd round picks. Like Braswell.
The Braswell pick should have been used on a MLB for example.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:15 pm
Marine Buc Says:
August 30th, 2026 at 9:07 am
My only question is ā Does he have as much āgrit and Moxyā as our beloved starting QB?
Gee whiz I sure hope soā¦
You sure you were a Marine? Seems like a little B/+c# kinda post.
August 30th, 2026 at 2:43 pm
Trotter is not so good….
August 30th, 2026 at 3:18 pm
Mike C with the b/+c# move doesn’t understand sarcasm. He’s not a huge Mayfield fan. He’s more a man than many Americans who never served.
August 30th, 2026 at 3:23 pm
BAās Red Pen Says:
August 30th, 2026 at 9:56 am
CanātMakeAPlay Dennis has been misused as a linebacker. Heās an amazing lead blocker. Remember on that play last season against Philly. He was able to clear out a path for Jalen Hurts to go into the end zone untouched.
—————
2025 Regular Season Stats
Total Tackles: 101
Solo Tackles: 66
Sacks: 3.0
Passes Defensed: 5
Interceptions: 1
Not saying SVD was good last year but he made SOME plays. He certainly wasn’t as bad as a certain segment of JBF thinks (and says) he was.
August 30th, 2026 at 4:34 pm
Yup, the new Buc Vibe
Overhyped, overrated.
Kid has run stopping ability. Good attitude. Looks like heās in the right place a lot.
Seems like a nice kid.
But heās slow. He rushed to run at the combine, then refused to run at his pro day.
The NFL stays up late at night, studying your weaknesses.
They wonāt run at him. They will throw at him,and keep throwing at him, until he gets faster- and can stop them.
Riiiiight.
Only good thing for him, is no one else on this team can cover WRs
Good luck kid.
August 30th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
Another waste of time cut and paste article. Talk about “loafing”!
August 30th, 2026 at 6:46 pm
BSā we canāt anoint him yet. He has got to play in regular season games with that fire consistently. I wonāt believe it until I see it.