With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their bye week, let’s take a position-by-position look at how they’ve performed so far.

Defensive line. Tackle Gerald McCoy and end Michael Johnson have been playing through injuries. They’ve been decent, but haven’t done anything special. William Gholston moved into the starting lineup at end after Adrian Clayborn suffered a season-ending injury, but hasn’t had a big impact. Tackle Clinton McDonald was supposed to add interior pass-rushing skills, but he’s been quiet so far. The Bucs have only nine sacks. They need to get a lot more active up front for coach Lovie Smith’s defensive scheme to have a chance to work. GRADE: D

Linebackers. Lavonte David has been solid, but he hasn’t been coming up with a lot of big plays. Middle linebacker Mason Foster missed three games with a shoulder injury and that really hurt the defense. Danny Lansanah has been a bright spot. He’s taken the starting job on the strong side away from Jonathan Casillas. Lansanah has returned two interceptions for touchdowns. GRADE: C

Defensive backs. The Bucs have a lot invested in their secondary, but they haven’t been getting much in return. Safeties Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson have been very quiet. Cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Johnthan Banks have been slightly better, but they’re not coming up with big plays. GRADE: F