The 2016 season looked promising for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line. General manager Jason Licht seemed to have assembled talent in the middle and on the ends. The interior of the line had Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, and Akeem Spence. McDonald came to the Bucs as a free agent in 2015, McCoy and Spence were drafted by a previous regime. On the outside, the Bucs boasted William Gholston, Jacquies Smith, Robert Ayers, and 2nd round rookie Noah Spence. Gholston and Noah Spence were drafted, Smith was an undrafted free agent, and Ayers was a sought after free agent pick up in 2016, with the ability to play interior and improve the depth of the defensive line overall.
Injuries broke the Buccaneers defensive line, and boosted the Jaguars’
