Notable 2017 Numbers:** The most significant number for the Bucs' linebackers, in particular, last season was seven. That's the combined number of games that Alexander and David missed due to injury, including several at the same time. Even with the surprising amount of production provided by Beckwith as a rookie, and some good relief work from Taylor, those absences gave the Bucs' defense far less to work with when it came to generating big plays.

When David was on the field, he was indeed a provider of such splash plays. He was the only defender in the entire NFL who both forced five fumbles and recovered five fumbles. For the first time in his six NFL seasons, however, David did not record a single sack, nor did Alexander. And while David had three games with double-digit tackles, which the Bucs have seen many times through the years, he also had two games in which he had just three stops and two others with only six.

Duffner explained that lower tackle totals for David didn't necessarily mean he was any less effective in his play. And, as noted above, a stouter defensive line should provide him, and the rest of the Bucs' linebackers, with far more opportunities for takedowns.

"Sometimes he can be having a heck of a game and he may only have five or six hits," said Duffner of David. "We'd like him to have double-digit hits all the time, but I want him to be a productive player based on what his job is, and also lead the rest of the team by his actions and his energy into following suit with him."

Alexander, meanwhile, produced enough after returning from injury to earn his first Pro Bowl invitation. In addition to making 97 tackles in what was essentially 11 games, he also tied for the team lead with three interceptions and had seven tackles for loss, one fewer than David. Alexander has emerged as an emotional leader on the Bucs' defense and he likely has more Pro Bowl visits in his future.

From a team standpoint, the Buccaneers' rush defense wasn't nearly as good as the team wanted, as it allowed 117.5 yards per game to rank 23rd in the NFL. Tampa Bay also allowed 4.27 yards per carry, good for 24th in the league. That can't all be placed at the feet of the linebackers, given the struggles up front, but neither can the position be totally absolved from blame. The Bucs' main starting trio of Alexander, Beckwith and David did account for 22 tackles for loss, eight quarterback pressures, seven passes defensed and seven forced fumbles, so they did make a significant impact. Still, with rankings of 32nd in total yards allowed and 22nd in points allowed, the entire defense has room for improvement, linebackers included.

Key Question: When will Kendell Beckwith return?

There's little reason to question the production that Alexander and David will provide, presuming they avoid injuries this year, and in fact they are likely in position to do even more with a better line in front of them. The depth is good, too, and Cichy could be an interesting addition. The Bucs didn't have to do a whole lot to this crew in the offseason because it was already in pretty good shape.

However, Beckwith's availability for the start of the season for the second year in a row. The Buccaneers drafted him in the third round in 2017 despite the fact that he had suffered a torn ACL in November of his final year at LSU. They did so not knowing if the rookie would be ready to go for the 2017 regular-season, figuring it was a good move for the long run, regardless. Beckwith surprised everyone by being ready for the start of training camp and never slowing down from there. He played in all 16 games, made nine starts and was the team's fourth-leading tackler.

The Buccaneers will hope that Beckwith just happens to be a quick healer, because now they have his ankle to worry about. So far, so good.

"Everything that we hear from our trainers is that he is on schedule and he is doing well," said Duffner. "He's in every meeting, he's just following through the rehab program that they've put together for him, prescribed for him and so far, everything is going so far as planned."

Still, there has been no specific timetable publicly suggested for Beckwith's return to action, so there is no guarantee he'll be ready for Week One this time around. The eventual result will have an impact on the final roster cut before the start of the regular season. If Beckwith is fully ready to go, the team will simply pick its best five or six-man group of linebackers. If Beckwith is not ready but also not that far off, then the linebackers could get one extra roster spot at the expense of another position. If Beckwith is deemed not particularly close to returning to action when the season starts, he could end up on PUP or some other list, which would not cost the Bucs an immediate spot on the 53-man roster.