Buccaneers position preview: Defensive line

Tampa Bay enters 2026 with a significantly deeper group surrounding Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. The Bucs added veterans A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches in free agency while retaining second-year players Elijah Roberts and Elijah Simmons and drafting DeMonte Capehart. All seven made the initial 53-man roster.

The projected starting trio of Kancey, Vea, and Robinson gives Todd Bowles three very different players to work with. Vea remains the massive presence in the middle after a one-year, $30 million extension; Kancey provides the interior pass rush, and Robinson brings another 320-pound defender capable of holding up against the run. The biggest question may simply be health. Kancey has 11.5 sacks and 30 quarterback hits in 29 career games but has yet to play a full season. He appeared in only three games last year because of a torn pectoral muscle. The depth behind the starters should allow Bowles to rotate more freely than he could a year ago. Roberts already has significant NFL experience after playing 507 snaps as a rookie, while Nuñez-Roches gives Tampa Bay another veteran option inside. Capehart and Simmons round out a group that should be able to keep its starters fresher throughout games.