TAMPA, Fla. -- The next stop on our position-by-position breakdown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2014 season is defensive tackle.
If the Bucs were as good everywhere else as they were at defensive tackle, they’d be a playoff team. Gerald McCoy, who had 8.5 sacks despite missing three games with injuries, is viewed by the coaching staff as the team’s best player.
In addition to his pass-rush skills, McCoy plays the run well and is the unquestioned leader in the locker room. But he’s not the only force at defensive tackle.
Clinton McDonald turned out to be the team’s best free-agent signing in 2014. McDonald is a well-rounded player, and he and McCoy gave the Bucs a solid interior pass rush, even though they lacked a pass rush on the outside. McDonald finished with five sacks despite missing three games due to a hamstring injury. He also played the run well.
Akeem Spence was the third player in the rotation at defensive tackle. He finished with three sacks, but his strength is as a run defender. After floundering at defensive end for three years, the Bucs moved Da'Quan Bowers to defensive tackle. He played a rotational role and was more productive than earlier in his career. But Bowers is scheduled to become a free agent in 2015 and isn’t likely to be brought back.
