Ranking every player on the Steelers free agency board
By Kinnu Singh
2. Lavonte David, ILB
With Tom Brady retiring from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — indeed, this is likely one of the factors that prompted Brady to retire — the Bucs have kicked off a ubiquitous fire sale where every top player must go.
Leonard Fournette is gone, and as discussed previously, Donovan Smith is expected to follow suit. Even the previous losses of Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul made a noticeable impact on the Bucs’ performance in 2022.
But there is no greater loss to the Bucs’ defensive roster and locker room than that of Lavonte David, an inside linebacker whose talents have long been overlooked. The 33-year-old linebacker is nearing the end of his career, which makes his next destination one that needs to be on the cusp of playoff contention.
A few shrewd moves and the Pittsburgh Steelers could easily be there, and with David in their scheme, the Steelers could benefit from one of the league’s preeminent defensive minds. David paired up brilliantly alongside Devin White in the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, and for a decade predating that, David was an unsung hero on an overlooked team.
Just like the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers are a few moves away from being a much more solid, competitive unit. Even if David is costly, a short contract is worth it for this lauded defensive leader.