Anthony
Nelson
LB
#98
Anthony Nelson
#98LB
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Height : 6' 7" · Weight : 271 lbs · Age : 29
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 15 | 38 | 21 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 16 | 40 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17 | 46 | 26 | 20 | 5.5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 16 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Contract
Tampa Bay Buccaneers payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 5.37 M$
- Average per year
- 5.00 M$
- Total value
- 10.0 M$
- Seasons left
- 2 · through 2027
2026
5.37 M$
Not guaranteed
2027
2.60 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Linebackers
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (3 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular linebackers: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
4
2th percentile
Tackles for loss
1
35th percentile
Sacks
1.0
71th percentile
Pressures
1
13th percentile
Interceptions
0
43th percentile
Passes defended
0
22th percentile
Yards allowed per target
—
Passer rating allowed
—
Missed tackle rate
—
Defensive snaps
57
0th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.2
Games
17
WAR 2026
0.0
Games played
3
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
→ Stable (-1)
- 20230.1 WAR · 0.006 per game
- 20240.2 WAR · 0.012 per game
- 20250.2 WAR · 0.013 per game
- 20260.0 WAR · 0.000 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
-1 · 29 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
74
Established starter
- TCK
- Tackling
- 70
- COV
- Coverage
- 84
- RDF
- Run defense
- 68
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 81
- DUR
- Durability
- 74
- EX
- Experience
- 75
Why these ratings?Hide details
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TB | 3 | 0.0 | 48 | 74 | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | TB | 15 | 0.2 | 73 | 78 | 38 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | TB | 17 | 0.2 | 53 | 78 | 37 | 6 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | TB | 16 | 0.1 | 43 | 82 | 36 | 5 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | TB | 17 | 0.2 | 74 | 79 | 43 | 4 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2021 | TB | 17 | 0.2 | 81 | 83 | 21 | 6 | 5.0 | 0 |
Anthony Nelson in five questions
What are Anthony Nelson's stats in 2026?
Anthony Nelson has 1 sack and 1 QB hit in 3 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is Anthony Nelson?
Anthony Nelson is 29 years old. He is 6'7" (201 cm) and weighs 271 lb (123 kg).
How good is Anthony Nelson?
Anthony Nelson produced 0.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress). His PAL rating is 48 out of 100: around average for his position.
What number does Anthony Nelson wear, and what team does he play for?
Anthony Nelson plays for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, at LB, and wears number 98.
What is Anthony Nelson's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.2 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
