Who knew that the Bucs’ pass defense, especially in the middle of the field, would fall apart so badly due to the season-ending injury to inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis?
That’s exactly what happened last year when the second-year linebacker succumbed to a shoulder injury that had plagued him since his college days at Pittsburgh, where he was an All-ACC performer. Dennis posted 239 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and three pass breakups with the Panthers and the Bucs were beginning to see glimpses of that player before he re-injured his shoulder against the Eagles in a Week 4 win.
Dennis had 22 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack in the first three and a half games of the 2024 season before winding up on injured reserve and undergoing shoulder surgery. He was making such a good impression that he was on his way to unseating K.J. Britt as the team’s starting middle linebacker before he was out for the year.
“He’s super instinctive,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said about Dennis at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “He’s fast and active. He’s good in coverage and he’s got great awareness. That was a big blow to us, losing him because he was really coming along. And I think he was becoming one of the better, young linebackers in the league.”
Dennis told Pewter Report that he’s glad his shoulder surgery is behind him and that he can focus on improving as a football player in 2025 without having to worry about that injury flaring up.
“I’m glad I got it done, but I’ve had that since I was in college when it first got messed up,” Dennis said. “I’m glad it’s done, but I wish I would’ve got to play more during the season and had more games and more opportunities. Having it fixed and having it back to normal is exciting and I’m ready for the next step. It just feels good.
“It was what it was with the shoulder, but I wanted to showcase what I could do and that I could play with these guys. Not that I could play with these guys – I want to play with these guys. I want to be here for the team and to be successful for these guys. Playing the way I did in those four games meant a lot to me and hopefully it meant a lot to the guys as well.”
Licht and the Bucs have Dennis penciled in as a potential starter on defense with the unlikely return of Britt, who will be a free agent in March.
“He’s doing a great job and he’s fully recovering – he should be ready by OTAs and ready to go,” Licht said. “We’re excited about his season [coming up] this year.”
SirVocea Dennis Has The Football I.Q. And Ability To Be A Bucs Starting ILB
SirVocea Dennis wants to pick up from where he left off in 2024 – and that’s on the verge of becoming a starter in Tampa Bay. Despite only playing meaningful snaps on defense in just five games in his first two years in the NFL, Dennis has showed he has the skillset and football I.Q. to start for Bucs head coach Todd Bowles at one of the inside linebacker positions.
“He’s a very good pass dropper,” Bowles said. “He’s a good striker. He’s a very good pick guy from a blitz package standpoint like he was in college. He’s a very heady player. He’s probably our headiest underneath zone player from a ‘backer standpoint with the exception of Lavonte [David]. We just haven’t seen enough of him. We’ve got to get him out there more and see him full-time. He’s got to stay healthy.”
Dennis has had numerous interceptions, including a handful of pick-sixes, in practice during his two years in Tampa Bay. But he just hasn’t been able to show that enough in games due to the injuries he’s faced.
Dennis did record his first sack in the NFL last year, and it was actually a trophy sack. He was able to drop the incredibly elusive Jayden Daniels in a 37-20 win over the Commanders in Week 1.
“I thank Lavonte for it, really,” Dennis said. “He kind missed the sack and it kind of fell into my lap. That’s a tough guy to get down no matter what. He’s a guy that runs around the pocket and still sees downfield. Even Yaya [Diaby] saw that.”
If Dennis can stay healthy in 2025, the Bucs believe he can be the answer at one of the team’s two inside linebacker spots.
“The number one thing is just being healthy,” Bowles said. “If we can get him healthy, he had a role on defense starting out the season, but he got injured right there. Coming off surgery, hopefully he won’t have any more injuries and he’ll be right in the mix to play a lot of plays for us.”
