Position Battle: Left Defensive End

With the arrival of Lovie Smith in Tampa also came expectations of a tough, if not dominant, defensive team. The current roster boasts talent whose skills are comparable to their counterparts of the championship Buccaneers team. Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp have praised their counterparts—Sapp has said that McCoy may be bigger, faster and stronger than he was; Brooks has stated that David is further ahead than he was at the same point in his career—and each player has shown confidence in Smith’s ability to bring winning ways back to Tamp Bay, and it seems to all start from the defense. With All-Pros in McCoy and David, along with an infusion of talent through free agency, the defense has the makings of a very solid unit but one spot—more than any other—is up for grabs: the LDE spot that will bookend Michael Johnson.

In the mix for the LDE spot are the following players: Da’Quan Bowers, William Gholston and Adrian Clayborn—I believe Steven Means is a candidate to backup Michael Johnson on the weak side, but he could also receive snaps at LDE. Taking a look at that group of players, each of them has potential. Here’s a quick breakdown of each of them.

Da’Quan Bowers

Many fans have been disappointed in Bowers for not living up to his draft spot so far in his young career. That’s fair, and Bowers definitely has to prove that he can live up to the enormous potential that he has. In three seasons—the first two of which were injury-plagued—Bowers has just 5.5 sacks; however, Bowers has definitely shown flashes of what he could become. Bucs fans who aren’t hoping for his release are hoping that Lovie Smith and defensive line coach Joe Cullen and coaching intern Stephen White can harness that potential and raise the play of the former second-round pick.

Although Bowers has been a disappointment, his potential is undeniable. Even after being put in the doghouse by Greg Schiano—along with the abundance of stunts run last year—Bowers was pretty productive on a snap-to-snap basis. Unfortunately, he was inexplicably placed on the bench in favor of the terrible Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. Smith has shown confidence in Bowers ability to thrive in the defense that will be run under him—one in which the defensive linemen will be given freedom to rush the QB—and Bowers has shown his own excitement to play for Smith.

William Gholston

Gholston started the 2013 campaign slowly, often being rotated with Steven Means on the inactive list. Then, toward the end of the year, Gholston seemed to finally start to “get it.” Playing in a limited role, Gholston notched two sacks late in the 2013 season and became more consistent at applying pressure to the QB. With prototypical size and athleticism, he has the physical capability to become a good player in the NFL. If he continues taking lessons from veterans around him and works hard on the practice field, he could develop into a nice compliment to Michael Johnson, giving the Buccaneers a pair of tall, athletic ends.

Adrian Clayborn

With the acquisition of Michael Johnson, Adrian Clayborn’s future with Tampa Bay was put in doubt. Since Johnson has joined the team, there have been more signs of Clayborn not being a part of the Buccaneers’ future. Clayborn was one of nine players who didn’t have their fifth-year options picked up and will now be battling with at least two other players for a starting spot at a position that he has not played on a full-time basis. Some believe he is not capable of playing the position full-time because of the Erb’s Palsy that he was born with which, according to rumors, has weakened his right arm; however, Clayborn was effective in his time at LDE last year, notching an equal amount of sacks (3.0) on the left side as the right side. If he plans on having a future with Tampa Bay beyond the 2014-2015 season, he must raise his play to new heights.