Former Mizzou linebacker Josiah Trotter didn’t waste any time letting Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans know that he’s an impact player.
During the Bucs’ Week 1 battle in Cincinnati against the Bengals, Trotter was doing just about everything he could to keep Tampa Bay afloat as the 2026 season began and so did Trotter’s NFL career.
The first-team All-SEC performer at Mizzou in 2025, who was selected in the 2nd round with the 46th overall pick of the 2026 draft by the Bucs, decided to show Tampa Bay exactly what it was getting immediately. Trotter, who comes from a football family and who started his collegiate career with 2 seasons at West Virginia in 2023 and 2024, launched his NFL career on Sunday by registering his first pick-6, his first sack and a slew of tackles.
Trotter’s pick-6 came late in the 3rd quarter, as he picked off Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and took it back 38 yards for a touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 27-20 with 2:16 left in the period.
PFF celebrated Trotter’s grand introduction to the NFL with this post, which included the highlight of his pick-6:
The Buccaneers joined in the social media party with this post showing off Trotter’s pick-6 against 1 of the better quarterbacks in the NFL:
Mizzou football’s social media team chimed in on Trotter, too, celebrating his first career NFL sack, which came earlier in that 3rd quarter:
Trotter will try to make a big impact during his entire rookie season and help the Buccaneers contend for the NFC South title. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Tampa Bay’s chances to capture that division crown in 2026:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
