Buccaneers X-Factor: Player to watch in Week 1 matchup vs Commanders

Who is the key to getting a win this Sunday?

The time has almost arrived and before we know it, the Buccaneers will have kicked off another season. Tampa Bay is set to host the Washington Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels this Sunday in the season opener and they want to get off on the right foot. In order to do that, they will need someone to neutralize what Daniels does best… create chaos.

This week’s X-factor is Lavonte David.

The longest tenured Buc returned this past offseason on a one year deal after some rumblings of retirement. If David would have hung up the cleats back in March, it wouldn’t have been because he couldn’t go anymore. Anyone who has watch this team over the last few seasons can see that David still has it and has not slowed down a bit.

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He has been playing at such a high level doing a number of different things such as run defense, coverage and even blitzing the QB. On Sunday though, the Bucs may need him to play babysitter when it comes to Washington rookie QB Jayden Daniels. The LSU product was the second overall pick in this year’s draft by the Commanders and there is a lot of excitement surrounding him not only because of what he can do with his arm, but his legs may be even more dangerous.

The 2023 Heisman trophy winner didn’t just win the award out of pure luck. He won it because he was darn good at what he did at LSU. Over his last two seasons at LSU, Daniels had a combined 2,019 yards rushing along with 21 total rushing touchdowns. All of that as a quarterback! He is a talented thrower of the football no doubt but his legs are something the Bucs have to keep an eye on and that’s where David comes in. With the departure of

Devin White this past offseason, Tampa Bay turned to K.J. Britt as his replacement and while Britt is a solid player, he doesn’t have the athleticism and speed that White had, so Todd Bowles may have to use David as a spy on Daniels, specifically on third down situations.
New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will no doubt try and get creative with getting Daniels’ legs involved early and often. David will be a key to stopping that.

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Back in the day, Tampa Bay had Derrick Brooks spy Michael Vick and it worked extremely well. I’m not saying Daniels is Vick, but the threat to run is still very much there. With a runner like Daniels, a 3rd and 10+ situation may seem like a daunting task for a rookie signal caller, but he will be able to escape potential pressure and run for positive yards a lot of the time if the Bucs don’t have someone accounting for him.

David doesn’t have the speed that Daniels does, but all he has to do is make sure that the rookie doesn’t run wild all over the Bucs defense on Sunday. The 34 year old linebacker has proven time and time again that he still has the goods, now the Bucs need him to be a key piece in shutting down a dangerous opponent.