BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 98
Current official roster portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Outside linebacker • Eighth NFL season
A Hawkeye who became a Buccaneer
Anthony Nelson
- Born
- March 4, 1997 • Age 29
- Hometown
- Urbandale, Iowa
- Listed size
- 6 feet 7 inches • 271 pounds
- High school
- Waukee High School • Waukee, Iowa
- College
- University of Iowa • Playing seasons: 2016–2018
- NFL Draft
- 2019 • Round 4 • Pick 107 • Tampa Bay
- Buccaneers career
- 2019–present
- Jersey
- No. 98
- Current status
- Active roster • As of November 3, 2026
Sources: official Buccaneers profile, 2026 team media guide, Iowa player biography and current roster.
Sources: the football journey, NFL career records, Iowa records and the academic announcement. NFL statistics are through November 1, 2026.
For the Krewe, Anthony Nelson is a familiar example of being ready when the next assignment arrives. Tampa Bay’s 2026 preseason review emphasized his steady contribution to the edge rotation, his regular special-teams work and his ability to produce important plays. The rewards for that patience have included championship experience and afternoons when No. 98 changed a game. The Buccaneers’ assessment of his role.
Iowa roots • A career with Tampa Bay
From the Hawkeyes to the Krewe
An Iowa beginning Urbandale, Waukee and the Hawkeyes.
An Urbandale, Iowa, native, Nelson captained football and basketball teams at Waukee High School. He redshirted at Iowa in 2015, then played from 2016–2018. Iowa player biography.
The call from Tampa Bay Fourth round, 107th overall.
The Buccaneers selected Nelson on April 27, 2019. Their draft announcement highlighted the 6-foot-7 defender’s production at Iowa and his performance at the NFL Combine. The selection brought him from the Big Ten to an NFL opportunity with the franchise that would become his professional home. Tampa Bay’s selection announcement.
A championship chapter Super Bowl LV.
Nelson recorded his first NFL sack at Detroit on December 27, 2020, then finished his second professional season as part of the Super Bowl LV champion Buccaneers. That season gave his early Tampa Bay career both an individual milestone and a place in one of the franchise’s defining teams. His official Buccaneers career record.
Recognition along the way
NFC Defensive Player of the Week Week 8 of the 2025 season.
The Saints performance earned Nelson his first NFC Defensive Player of the Week award, announced October 29, 2025. Teammate Chase McLaughlin won the special-teams award that week, giving Tampa Bay a pair of honorees after the road victory. The official awards announcement.
Honors on and off the field All-Big Ten and Academic All-America.
Nelson earned first-team Academic All-America honors in 2017 and second-team honors in 2018, along with three Academic All-Big Ten selections. In 2018, conference media named him second-team All-Big Ten, while coaches selected him to the third team. Iowa’s honors record.
October 26, 2025 • Tampa Bay at New Orleans
The day No. 98 took over in New Orleans
A tip, a catch and a touchdown
6
POINTS • INTERCEPTION RETURN TOUCHDOWN
Tampa Bay 23 • New Orleans 3
A three-yard pick-six, two sacks and a forced fumble.
On October 26, 2025, the Saints had just stopped Tampa Bay on four consecutive runs near the goal line. With New Orleans backed up deep in its own territory, Nelson gave the Buccaneers an immediate answer. He jumped to tip Spencer Rattler’s pass to himself, secured the interception and pushed through the quarterback on a three-yard touchdown return. Tampa Bay led 7–0. The official game recap.
The pick-six was part of a much larger performance. Making his first start of that season, Nelson recorded two sacks and a forced fumble as the Buccaneers beat New Orleans 23–3. He disrupted the quarterback, created a takeaway and reached the end zone in the same afternoon, giving the defense a lift in a divisional road game. The Buccaneers’ account of his performance.
Tampa Bay • 2019–2026
A Buccaneer through the years
Nelson’s connection with Tampa Bay continued when he signed a new two-year contract on March 13, 2025. It was his third contract with the Buccaneers, following his rookie deal and a 2023 renewal. The team described him as a valued part of the edge rotation and emphasized his extensive work on special teams, keeping a familiar contributor in place. The contract announcement.
Through November 1, 2026, he had appeared as a reserve in all eight Buccaneers games. His current defensive record included eight tackles and one sack, with no starts. The gamebooks recorded 123 defensive snaps and 106 special-teams snaps, illustrating assignments in both phases. Those snap reports are labeled unofficial. The weekly record below documents each appearance and the credited statistics.
The person behind No. 98
Roots, family and life beyond football
His parents are Christy and Jeff Nelson; his father played football at Iowa. Iowa family background.
A memorable family weekend A new son and a decisive play.
Days before Tampa Bay’s 2024 overtime win at Carolina, Nelson and his wife, Jordyn, welcomed their second son, Eli. That Sunday, Nelson forced Chuba Hubbard’s overtime fumble, which Yaya Diaby recovered, helping set up the 26–23 victory. Nelson received the game ball after a weekend that joined a family milestone with a crucial football moment. The Buccaneers’ December 2024 report.
Commitment in the classroom Academic achievement at Iowa.
In December 2018, Iowa identified Nelson as an accounting major with a 3.86 GPA. The university’s announcement recognized the work behind his academic honors alongside his development as a defensive end, documenting another substantial part of his college experience. The dated academic announcement.
Service before the NFL Silver Cord involvement.
His high-school background includes more than 100 hours of community service through Silver Cord. Iowa biography.
NFL regular season • Career through 2026
The NFL career record
The regular-season tables cover eight NFL playing seasons, all with Tampa Bay, from 2019 through 2026. The asterisk marks the incomplete 2026 season, through November 1, Week 8. NFL postseason and preseason figures are excluded from regular-season totals.
| Season | G | GS | DEF Solo | DEF Ast | DEF TKL | ST TKL | Sacks | Sack YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 1.0 | 10.0 |
| 2021 | 17 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 5.0 | 45.0 |
| 2022 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 19 | 44 | 2 | 5.5 | 46.0 |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 3 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 3 | 4.0 | 25.0 |
| 2025 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 6 | 3.0 | 11.0 |
| 2026* | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| NFL career | 115 | 22 | 113 | 87 | 200 | 19 | 22.5 | 160.0 |
G = games played; GS = starts; DEF = defense; ST = special teams. DEF Solo + DEF Ast = DEF TKL. The career record contains 200 defensive tackles and 19 special-teams tackles, or 219 across those phases. Sack YDS are credited yards lost.
Historical tackle figures use the team-guide DEF/ST series, reconciled against original gamebooks. For 2024, those originals and the player log support 23 solo + 13 assisted = 36 defensive tackles, plus three special-teams tackles. The website aggregate and an older team ST table imply one additional ST assist; this page retains the original-gamebook total of 39 for that season.
Annual source chain: 2021 guide, PDF p. 242 · 2022 guide, PDF p. 185 · 2023 guide, PDF p. 157 · 2024 guide, PDF p. 179 · 2025 guide, PDF p. 210 · 2026 guide, PDF p. 190. Each guide supplies the preceding season; the 2021 guide covers his first two years. Current figures come from the eight 2026 gamebooks below.
Pass defense and takeaways
| Season | TFL | QB hits | PD | INT | INT YDS | INT LNG | INT TD | FF | DEF FR | ST FR | Total FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026* | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 30 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
TFL = tackles for loss; QB hits = hits on the quarterback; PD = passes defended, including interceptions; FF = forced fumbles. INT YDS/LNG/TD are interception-return yards, longest return and touchdowns. An em dash means there was no interception return.
FR means recovery of an opponent’s fumble. Total FR = DEF FR + ST FR: two defensive recoveries and one special-teams recovery. The latter came against San Francisco in 2024. His three career recoveries produced no return yardage or touchdown; no individual NFL safety is credited. The 2025 interception was returned three yards for a touchdown.
Sources: the annual guides above, the 2024 San Francisco gamebook, PDF p. 6, the official return categories and the 2026 gamebooks. All seven regular-season forced fumbles were credited on defense.
NFL postseason appearances
| Season | Date | Round | Opponent | TB result | G | GS | DEF Solo | DEF Ast | DEF TKL | ST TKL | TFL | Sacks | Sack YDS | QB hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jan 9, 2021 | Wild Card | @WAS | W 31–23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 1 |
| 2020 | Jan 17, 2021 | Divisional | @NO | W 30–20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Jan 24, 2021 | NFC Championship | @GB | W 31–26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Feb 7, 2021 | Super Bowl LV | KC | W 31–9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2021 | Jan 16, 2022 | Wild Card | PHI | W 31–15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 |
| 2021 | Jan 23, 2022 | Divisional | LAR | L 27–30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Jan 16, 2023 | Wild Card | DAL | L 14–31 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Jan 15, 2024 | Wild Card | PHI | W 32–9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2023 | Jan 21, 2024 | Divisional | @DET | L 23–31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Jan 12, 2025 | Wild Card | WAS | L 20–23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Postseason career | — | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 5 |
Nelson appeared in ten NFL playoff games, starting two. The separate postseason record totals 13 defensive tackles, two special-teams tackles, one sack and five QB hits. His sack came at Washington following the 2020 season. No postseason interception, pass defended, forced fumble, fumble recovery or individual safety is credited.
The highlighted Super Bowl LV appearance included 18 defensive snaps, 11 special-teams snaps, one ST tackle and one QB hit. The ten playoff games total 252 defensive and 162 special-teams snaps; NFL playtime reports are labeled unofficial. His zero-stat game at Detroit still counts as an actual appearance.
January and February dates belong to the preceding season. Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective; @ = away. WAS = Washington; NO = New Orleans; GB = Green Bay; KC = Kansas City; PHI = Philadelphia; LAR = Los Angeles Rams; DAL = Dallas; DET = Detroit.
Original playoff gamebooks: 2020 Wild Card @WAS · 2020 Divisional @NO · 2020 NFC Championship @GB · 2020 Super Bowl LV KC · 2021 Wild Card PHI · 2021 Divisional LAR · 2022 Wild Card DAL · 2023 Wild Card PHI · 2023 Divisional @DET · 2024 Wild Card WAS.
September 13–November 1, 2026
Eight appearances through Week 8
| Week | Date | Opponent | TB result | G | GS | DEF snaps | ST snaps | DEF TKL | ST TKL | TFL | Sacks | Sack YDS | QB hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 13 | @CIN | L 27–33 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2 | Sep 20 | CLE | L 19–23 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 3 | Sep 27 | MIN | L 16–23 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Oct 4 | GB | L 14–17 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 5 | Oct 8 | @DAL | W 24–16 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 6 | Oct 18 | PIT | L 19–26 (OT) | 1 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 7 | Oct 25 | @CAR | W 43–13 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 8 | Nov 1 | ATL | W 16–0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2026 total | Through Nov 1 | Tampa Bay | — | 8 | 0 | 123 | 106 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 3 |
All eight rows represent actual reserve appearances, with no starts. The Week 5 game at Dallas produced no credited counting statistic, but the substitution list and playtime report confirm that he played.
Through Week 8: four solo tackles plus four assists = eight defensive tackles, no special-teams tackles, one sack for five yards, one TFL and three QB hits. No PD, interception, forced fumble or recovery is credited in these games. His 123 defensive snaps and 106 special-teams snaps come from playtime reports labeled unofficial.
Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective; @ = away; OT = overtime. CIN = Cincinnati; CLE = Cleveland; MIN = Minnesota; GB = Green Bay; DAL = Dallas; PIT = Pittsburgh; CAR = Carolina; ATL = Atlanta.
Original gamebooks: Week 1 · Week 2 · Week 3 · Week 4 · Week 5 · Week 6 · Week 7 · Week 8. The current Buccaneers roster confirms his active status.
University of Iowa • 2016–2018
Three playing seasons with the Hawkeyes
After a 2015 redshirt year, Nelson’s Iowa playing seasons were 2016–2018. All three bowl appearances below are already included in his 39 career games. Iowa career biography.
| Season | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL | TFL | TFL YDS | Sacks | Sack YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 8.0 | 43 | 6.0 | 39 |
| 2017 | 13 | 13 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 9.5 | 42 | 7.5 | 39 |
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 22 | 45 | 13.5 | 67 | 9.5 | 63 |
| Iowa career | 39 | 27 | 59 | 60 | 119 | 31.0 | 152 | 23.0 | 141 |
G = games played; GS = starts; Solo + Ast = TKL. TFL includes sacks; YDS = credited yards lost. Iowa’s final records total 59 solo + 60 assisted = 119 tackles. They do not provide a separate defensive-versus-special-teams tackle split.
Original final records: 2016 final statistics, PDF p. 6 · 2017 final statistics, PDF p. 6 · 2018 final statistics, PDF p. 6. The 2016 final table credits 6.0 sacks, correcting the seven stated in later biography prose; the three annual figures total 23.0 career sacks. Starts of 1, 13 and 13 are documented in the Iowa player biography.
College disruption and takeaways
| Season | QB hurries | PBU | INT | PD | FF | FR | FR YDS | FR TD | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Iowa career | 16 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
College QB hurries differ from NFL QB hits. PBU = pass breakups, excluding interceptions; PD = PBU + INT. FR = fumble recoveries; FR YDS/TD = recovery-return yards and touchdowns; BLK = blocked kicks.
His 2018 end-zone fumble recovery against Maryland produced one touchdown with zero return yards. That recovery touchdown is his one defensive touchdown, counted once. His blocked kick came against Penn State in 2017. No college interception or individual safety is credited.
Sources: 2016 final statistics, PDF p. 6 · 2017 final statistics, PDF p. 6 · 2018 final statistics, PDF p. 6; the 2018 return table, PDF p. 3 and scoring table, PDF p. 4. The Iowa biography identifies the Maryland recovery and Penn State block.
His actual bowl appearances
| Season | Date | Bowl | Opponent | Iowa result | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL | TFL | TFL YDS | Sacks | Sack YDS | QB hurries | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jan 2, 2017 | Outback Bowl | Florida | L 3–30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 7 | 1.0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | Dec 27, 2017 | Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College | W 27–20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 12 | 1.5 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | Jan 1, 2019 | Outback Bowl | Mississippi State | W 27–22 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2.5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bowl subset | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5.0 | 22 | 2.5 | 19 | 3 | 1 |
These three actual bowl appearances produced 11 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, three QB hurries and one forced fumble. This is a subset of the college totals above. G = appearances; GS = verified starts. Results are from Iowa’s perspective; January bowl dates belong to the preceding season.
Nelson played as a reserve in the first Outback Bowl and started the next two bowls. His 1.5 sacks in the Pinstripe Bowl combine a solo strip sack and a shared sack. In the final Outback Bowl, his 2.5 TFL totaled three yards, with no sack. No bowl PBU, interception, recovery, blocked kick, touchdown or safety is credited.
Original gamebooks: 2016-season Outback Bowl · 2017 Pinstripe Bowl · 2018-season Outback Bowl. Each defensive table is on PDF p. 4 and participation on PDF p. 5.
Sources & statistical notes
The records behind the spotlight
- Identity and career: Buccaneers profile, 2026 team media guide, Iowa biography, draft announcement and 2025 contract announcement.
- Featured performance: Saints game recap, Nelson performance review and weekly award announcement.
- Personal background and development: Carolina overtime and family report, Iowa academic honors and 2026 role assessment.
- NFL statistics: Tampa Bay’s annual media guides, all eight completed 2026 gamebooks and ten actual playoff gamebooks, linked beside the tables. Regular-season and postseason figures are separate; DEF and ST credits are identified.
- 2024 tackle reconciliation: The complete original final-gamebook series supports 36 DEF plus three ST tackles: Week 1 · Week 2 · Week 3 · Week 4 · Week 5 · Week 6 · Week 7 · Week 8 · Week 9 · Week 10 · Week 12 · Week 13 · Week 14 · Week 15 · Week 16 · Week 17 · Week 18. The player log is on 2025 guide PDF p. 210; the differing team ST table is on PDF p. 288.
- College statistics: Iowa’s three original final-season reports and the three bowl gamebooks, linked beside their tables. Bowl figures are already included in annual totals; university hurries and NFL hits remain distinct categories.
- Portrait: the current official Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster image.
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season statistics stop after November 1, Week 8; preseason is excluded. NFL postseason figures are separate. The college bowl appearances are subsets already included in Iowa’s annual and career totals. Pass breakups exclude interceptions; passes defended include them.