More Than Just A Backup
February 19th, 2025
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
Short in stature, long on impact.
Tampa Bay’s depth chart lists Christian Izien as a backup safety. Buc fans know that hardly tells the whole story.
Undrafted out of Rutgers, Izien has made 14 starts in two years and finished fourth on the team last season with 75 tackles.
In his 2024 season wrap up, Todd Bowles singled out Luke Goedeke and Izien as players who took their games to another level.
“I thought Christian Izien before he got hurt made great strides and did a lot of things well,” Bowles said.
The Bucs list Izien at 5-foot-10, but that’s a big stretch because he was 5-8 when he came out of college. He played primarily in the slot as a rookie and then showcased his versatility last year as Bowles used him as a valuable chess piece, with rookie Tykee Smith assuming most of the nickel duties.
“Izien’s a good athlete,” says co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote. “He’s quick, he’s fast and he likes to play the game. When we were looking at him at Rutgers, we knew he had the right DNA we would want.”
The right DNA.
The Bucs are hoping Antoine Winfield Jr. can stay healthy and rebound from an injury-riddled season. Jordan Whitehead was disappointing in his second stint with Tampa Bay and it should shock no one if Izien moves into a starting safety role this fall.
At the moment, Bowles loves the ability to play Izien at strong safety, free safety and even corner.
After the Week 10 loss against San Francisco, Bowles singled out Izien as Tampa Bay’s best defensive player that afternoon.
Izien’s season ended prematurely in a 26-24 setback at Dallas when he suffered a pectoral injury. He was placed on I.R. and was sidelined the final three games, including the playoff matchup against the Commanders.
Izien went out on a high note with 13 stops against the Cowboys, three more tackles than anyone else on the field at Jerry’s World.
This is not to suggest Izien is a finished product. He’s a willing tackler, aggressive in run support, but Izien needs to take better angles and wrap up more efficiently.
He also needs to improve his coverage skills, but there’s a reason Izien was on the field for 75 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps last season — Bowles loves his work ethic and competitive nature.
“He’s a tough kid, very smart,” Bowles says.
At the age of 24, Izien is young enough to absorb coaching suggestions and refine his technique. He plays hard, with an impressive burst, and Izien’s versatility makes him a valuable asset for a defense that allowed the most completions in the league in 2024.
You’d better believe Izien isn’t satisfied with being considered a prized backup.
The third-year pro aspires to be a full-time starter and if Whitehead fails to recapture his previous form, Izien just might get his wish.
February 19th, 2025 at 11:01 am
He had some great games. I definitely noticed his tackling and agree with “Izien needs to take better angles and wrap up more efficiently.”
February 19th, 2025 at 11:04 am
Izien and Tykee Smith are valuable due to being cross trained on multiple positions. Couldn’t imagine asking Dean to fill in at safety or nickel.
February 19th, 2025 at 11:23 am
I like Izzy, but if he’s a backup, then our secondary is talented. If he’s a starter, we have real depth concerns.
I’d really prefer and hard-hitting downhill-type run support safety like 2020 Jordan Whitehead.
February 19th, 2025 at 11:33 am
An average to above average pass rush would make Izien outstanding. Sadly, the Bucs won’t sign a competent FA edge rusher nor will they trade for one. They’ll say they “like” the talent in house. Translates to the Glazer Bots won’t cut the check necessary to land an edge rusher.
February 19th, 2025 at 11:37 am
Schiano has another undersized sleeper in the draft as a late round pick, CB Robert Longerbeam.
February 19th, 2025 at 11:41 am
AWJ, Izien, Tykee … Tough, smart, athletic players with that “it” to make football plays. They are players Dungy would have drafted. They don’t fit the prototypical measurements, but they show up on tape. Very Barber-esque.
February 19th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Larry Foote … ‘Izien’s a good athlete. He’s quick, he’s fast and he likes to play the game. When we were looking at him at Rutgers, we knew he had the right DNA we would want.”
Doesn’t that sound like the defensive coaches are the ones keeping an eye on who to draft? Jason has been great at drafting offensive players, but questionable when it came to defensive players … until BA & Todd Bowles arrived. Our selections of defensive guys seems to have improved starting in 2019. That would imply to me that JL & TB & their staffs have a very good working relationship and trust of each other.
February 19th, 2025 at 12:43 pm
Bucs success against the run is not just because of the front line. Corners are a big part of stopping the run when Ends fail to contain or teams run quick WR Screens as an extension of the run game.
Once pressed into full service Izien didn’t hold up to the entire season and was lost down the stretch and in the most important game of the year was on IR.
I guess he will get a pass until it happens again over a few more seasons before Folks start busting on him like they do Dean.
February 19th, 2025 at 12:48 pm
He was on the field for 75% of the defensive snaps? Wow, that’s remarkable. I like Izien – but that’s actually a bad number since I rarely remember seeing him. Of course in Bowles super soft garbage zone defense where he tells plays to stand in a spot like a potted plant, it’s hard to blame Christian for not standing out more.
I still say if Bowles is married to playing this trash scheme, he needs to bring in Ronde and Brooks to show how you should play a zone – which isn’t about standing flat footed and waiting for something to happen. To be clear, I’m not talking about bringing them in to teach the players, but to show the moronic coaches how to run zone, show some film from that 2002 Bucs defense, which was literally the best passing defense in the history of the NFL – and they mostly ran zone, but it was reactive and moved and only gave the tiniest of windows to throw the ball. If the Bucs just tightened up that zone, suddenly the issue at edge wouldn’t be a problem – because QB’s couldn’t always throw the ball to someone who is standing wide open whenever they got pressured.
February 19th, 2025 at 1:04 pm
Thank you Rod Munch. Excellent.
Now prepare for long diatribes of hyperbole to dispute your very accurate analysis.
February 19th, 2025 at 1:26 pm
before last season some people were calling him a bubble roster guy…i was like wtf…dude can ball…he’s no bubble guy…
dude’s a keeper, and just might be ready to start back there…
i’ve been a big fan of his game since his rookie year…
if anything, he’s solid solid solid…and at worst a terrific back up…
there’s no fretting when izien’s in the game
February 19th, 2025 at 2:00 pm
I like Izien. He has been consistent. Hoping Winfield can rebound this season.
February 19th, 2025 at 6:29 pm
Hey Sage, are we going to get a More Than Just a Backup Trask edition? lol
February 20th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Rod – I agree with you that the secondary players and coaches would benefit greatly from learning how to play proactive zone as opposed to reactive zone defense. Unfortunately, I simply don’t think that we have the right personnel at the moment to make it work (that may change in the offseason). While the 2002 team is an outlier because it was one of the best units in NFL history, the front seven allowed the back-end guys to do things that the current team can’t. First, the defensive line was able to consistently generate pressure with 4 (and still be effective against the run – maybe Monte was on to something not having Simeon, Sapp, etc., drop into coverage), leaving 7 to play in coverage. Second, Quarles became a master at taking away the intermediate middle of the field, leaving Brooks to take away the short routes and backs. Schematically, I think it’s much more difficult to play effective zone when you’re in a 3-4 and blitzing a high percentage of the time.
That said, regardless of the scheme, I agree with you that our players and coaches need to better understand how to play in space, and that you can use the zone to force the ball where you want it as opposed to guarding air and then reacting once it’s too late.
February 20th, 2025 at 11:15 pm
Further to the excellent points by Rod and Benjamin – let cows be cows, tigers be tigers, cheerleaders be cheerleaders, etc. Let’s stop trying to make all 11 on defense as interchangeable as ball bearings. How about coaching players up to have the best zone back 7 (if you really intend on playing the rubbish scheme) and the best four pass rushers you can coach, and let them loose.
Yes you have to stop the run. Sapp used to say “we stop the run on the way to the quarterback.” Yes there are different zones and as an exception, maybe you drop your edge. JPP snagged a couple critical interceptions with one hand and a claw. But he wasn’t dropping 50% of the time either. His head coach at the time knew –
Let pass rushers be pass rushers, and pontiffs be pontiffs.
February 20th, 2025 at 11:16 pm
Really don’t mind if you sit this one out………
My words but a whisper, your deafness a shout.