TAMPA — Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter, the 46th overall pick out of Missouri, has been named a Week One starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, beating out 2025 incumbent SirVocea Dennis after a dominant preseason that Head Coach Todd Bowles said he “couldn’t deny.”
“He had a heck of a preseason,” Bowles said. “He came in and he played ball…not only just playing ball, he’s very intelligent. He understood the scheme and he rarely made mistakes. When you get that kind of ballplayer that puts it all together that early, you couldn’t deny him from playing.”
Trotter becomes the first Buccaneers second-round linebacker to start as a rookie since franchise icon Lavonte David opened the 2012 season in the lineup 14 years ago. Trotter will line up alongside veteran Alex Anzalone, the free agent acquisition who has already been voted a team captain and will serve as the defensive signal-caller.
“I think the biggest thing for him was consistency,” Anzalone said. “We do have a defense that does put a lot on a guy like him at the linebacker position. We do different things. He stepped up and played, and now I’m waiting to see where he takes it. Now the real fun starts.”
The Buccaneers are also monitoring the health of wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee), who have been sidelined or limited for several weeks but participated in an 80-minute practice session. “They got their first taste out there,” Bowles said. “We’ll see how the week goes but they ran around pretty good today.” Running back Sean Tucker did not participate in drills and Bowles called him “a game-time decision right now.” The team’s receiver room runs six deep on the 53-man roster following the offseason departure of Mike Evans.
Tampa Bay also claimed cornerback Kevin Knowles off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs, where the former Florida State standout played 13 games as a rookie and tied for the team lead with eight solo kick-coverage tackles while also recovering a fumble. Knowles fills a specific need after gunner Josh Hayes was placed on injured reserve and must miss a minimum of four games. Hayes led the Bucs in 2025 with 15 kick-coverage stops and recorded the team’s only forced fumble on special teams. “With Hayes down, we’re probably short a gunner. He’s a very good gunner, a very good kickoff guy,” Bowles said of Knowles.
The Buccaneers hired coordinator Danny Smith to overhaul their kick-and-coverage units, and Bowles put a number on the stakes: when asked how many wins a good special teams crew can produce in a season, he answered, “Three to four.” One more win in 2025 would have put Tampa Bay in the playoffs. The team also drafted Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th overall pick and installed him in the starting lineup, with both General Manager Jason Licht and Bowles calling the current outside linebacker rotation the deepest in their respective tenures in Tampa. The Buccaneers open the regular season in six days.