Lavonte David has played a lot of football.

Being the longest-tenured Buccaneer, the underappreciated inside linebacker has seen it all.

From the dark days of the Bucs not making the playoffs from 2012-2019, a Super Bowl victory in 2020, to having four consecutive seasons of making the postseason, David has been battle-tested and seen firsthand what it takes for a team to reach the highest level of success. That is why when he spoke at training camp on Friday, his comments about the team’s culture should keep the optimism high that the good times keep rolling in 2024.

Lavonte David: Building Friendships “Makes Everything Go Easier”
Every year 32 NFL teams head into training camp the same – 0-0 with a lot of optimism.

So while this is the case for the Bucs entering this season, they also have reason to be optimistic. It has already been well-established that the team was not expected to be as competitive as they were last season. Even after making the playoffs, big question marks about the future began to arise as they went into the offseason.

With quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, and inside linebacker Lavonte David, among others, all being free agents and with left tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. needing new deals to stick around long-term, there was plenty of uncertainty about where the team was headed.

As Wirfs mentioned at his press conference with general manager Jason Licht after agreeing to his new deal earlier this week, these Bucs are a “tight-knit” group.

That explains not only why all of them wanted to remain in Tampa Bay, but that the team made a big investment in a culture that David agrees is the best it has ever been.

“I do agree,” David said. “Outside of football, [there] are friendships that are built. In this game right here, as much as people go in and out, at the same time there have been great people that [are] coming in, so you want to build those types of relationships with those types of people. That’s what we have. I feel like they’ve been drafting those types of people.

“With the type of people that we are getting, the relationships are going to last for a very long time outside of football. When you build those relationships outside of football, on the football field it makes everything go easier. You know how to talk to somebody, and if you talk to somebody a different type of way, they won’t take it as disrespect and they won’t take it as criticism – it’s just constructive criticism. That’s the type of team we have.”

Bucs Have Built A Roster Of Leaders And “Great People”
It’s hard to argue with David about how the Bucs have built out the roster in recent seasons.

Not only have Licht and the front office found talented players, but the team has done so by identifying high-character pieces that fit seamlessly into the puzzle. The team is hopeful the trend continues, and early impressions are that Tampa Bay’s 2024 draft class will fit into the culture and carve out meaningful roles.

David is just one leader on the team, but when he is out on the field it makes it clear that he wants to help out his teammates. During training camp this year, he is often the only full-time starter on either side of the football to go out with the third team to make sure that guys are on the same page and communicating.

While that speaks volumes about his leadership, he also thinks that head coach Todd Bowles as well as the other leaders of the team help reinforce the chemistry and camaraderie – and that it all translates to game day.

“I think starting with Coach Bowles, those guys implemented that and it’s trickling down to the leaders to be able to carry it out through the locker room,” David added. “I think we’ve got a great group of guys, and a great group of young guys, too, as well, who just come in and work and want to be great, and at the same time be great people on and off the field.”