Malcolm Butler spent his biggest night on the sideline. In Super Bowl LII, the cornerback who had made the most famous interception in New England Patriots history didn't take a defensive snap, and the team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33. The reasons were debated, but the lesson stuck. Now Tampa Bay Buccaneers
legend Gerald McCoy is making that argument to HC Todd Bowles.
The argument centers on the Buccaneers' 2nd-year linebacker David Walker, who has been on an impressive run of form. Per Polymarket Football on X, Walker stands as the NFL's most efficient pass rusher with a pass-rush win rate of 26% and sack rate of 7%.
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Gerald McCoy, who spent nine seasons with the Buccaneers, believes Walker is too good to be ignored by HC Todd Bowles as a starter. As a result, he seemingly came forward with an ask.
"LET HIM PLAY MORE!! He'll have 12 sacks easily," McCoy wrote on X
.
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Bringing Walker in could give Tampa Bay's pass rush a much-needed boost. Starter Yaya Diaby and highly touted rookie Rueben Bain Jr. have combined for just one sack and 15 pressures. His arrival could change the dynamic up front.
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Gerald McCoy's comes watching Tampa Bay's defensive performance in the ongoing season. While head coach Todd Bowles' unit features an elite run defense, it has been heavily weighed down by a weak pass defense, contributing to the team's frustrating 1-5 start.
As such, they sit at in the bottom half in the NFL against the pass, giving up 224 yards per game through the air.
Linebackers usually strengthen a team's pass defense. However, David Walker, who has garnered the attention of Gerald McCoy through his performance in the 2026 season, has missed his actual rookie year in 2025 after suffering a season-ending ACL injury during training camp.
But in through six games, Walker has racked up 9 solo tackles and 4.0 sacks, alongside 14 total pressures. However, per McCoy, the 26-year-old linebacker has more potential to show if Bowles allows him to start the games.
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So far, Walker has started zero games and has come off the bench as a rotational substitute for all 6 appearances. However, Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles may have his reasons for resisting the young linebacker from the starting lineup.
But Bowles has explicitly stated in press conferences that Walker's defensive snap count is entirely dictated by the weekly game plan and opposing team personnel.
"Yeah, game plan-wise, we ramp it up every week – he's been playing that well," Bowles said a few days back. "We give him the plays we can give him, but it's been ramped up every week. Depending on the game plan and what the other team does and personnel-wise, you want to see him get more reps in there. We intend to do that, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way depending on the game."
While Todd Bowles has clearly revealed his plans with David Walker, the Buccaneers' 1-5 start of the 2026 season remains one of the reasons behind the growing calls for changes in the defense.
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Next up, Tampa Bay is gearing up to face the Carolina Panthers in a Week 7 clash, where it will be interesting to see if Bowles starts Walker in the game following the callouts.
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The post "Let Him Play More": Bucs Legend Wants Todd Bowles to Make Significant Change to Improve defense
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