The Hunt For Another Pass Rusher
March 9th, 2023
Todd Bowles explains.
Joe is like Todd Bowles in this regard.
Bowles likes to have pass rushers. Joe’s the same way. The more the merrier. Bowles agreed with that motto when he spoke at the podium at the combine before the #NFLMedia throng.
Though Bowles was asked about the status of Bucs sack king Shaq Barrett coming off a blown Achilles on the wrong side of 30, Bowles sure seemed like a man looking to add a pass rusher in the coming weeks in free agency or the draft.
“Well, 30 doesn’t seem bad,” Bowles said of Shaq’s age. “Tom [Brady] played until he was 45. It’s not a bad thing being 30 [laughs], but we will see how he comes back.
“He is where he needs to be right now. We will see going forward.
“[Shaq’s status] doesn’t have a bearing on what we will do or won’t do. You can’t have enough pass rushers regardless of who it is, but hopefully Shaq makes it back and we will see what happens.”
Joe remembers Bowles’ season-ending press conference in January. Joe asked him, since Shaq’s status is unknown and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is still a work in progress, would he look to add a pass-rushing outside linebacker during the offseason.
Bowles didn’t say yes or no but he did say the Bucs simply needed to get more sacks from their outside linebackers.
As Joe stated this morning, it’s time for JTS to make that next step. What we don’t know is if Bucs coaches have doubts about JTS after seeing him for two seasons. If they do, that may add urgency to finding an edge rusher.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:09 am
No more big haired, boy banders who rely on finesse and disappearing for quarters at a time. That would be great…thanks. Keep on Tryon, Hall n Arse…
March 9th, 2023 at 8:11 am
Why don’t we move Devin White around and just have him rush the passer more like what Dallas does with Parsons? White was doing that a lot more the year we won the SB and after? Last year he barely rushed at all? He’s not a coverage LB but has the speed to rush a heck of a lot more instead of getting burned in coverage.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:19 am
The hunt for a HC
Bowles is just a pat$y placeholder for this transition season.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Stop all the talk about Rodgers & Lamar Jackson and try to scrape up enough money to bring back Nelson & Nassib……that would be a start.
This should be an easy draft for us……we have multiple needs due to likely departing players……LVD, Dean, D Smith, Lenny, Hicks/Gholston.
As much as I’d like, I simply can’t see a pass rusher high up on the list.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Keep on Tryon MAY have a future with his biggest fan Sellin’ Sullivan. The over/under on career length is 3 more years.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:39 am
ARDEN KEY!!!! GONNA be next free agent steal for whoever signs him.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:45 am
Bowles has never developed a pass rusher he is good at developing DBs
March 9th, 2023 at 8:55 am
Plenty of solid pass rushers in this year’s draft… But now we need a starting left tackle as well.
Bucs will probably pick an edge rusher in round 1 or 2.
March 9th, 2023 at 8:57 am
Ds … ‘Bowles has never developed a pass rusher he is good at developing DBs’.
I have no idea of what he did with DEs/OLBs in NY (nor do I care), but if you notice Shaq didn’t blow up UNTIL he started playing for Bowles. And Nelson seems to be coming along fairly well (I sure do hope that we can afford to re-sign him). Until JPP got hurt his last year, he did pretty well out there for an older DE/OLB. Granted that Bowles didn’t exactly DEVELOP him, but he did put in position to display his talents, so there’s that.
JTS was a reach from Day One. Barely 2 years of college ball, missed the last year, and came into the NFL very raw. Hall’s another one who was a reach from Day One. He MIGHT be a 3-Technique one day, but he’ll have a lot of developing to do before that. Personally I think he’s more suited as a DE in a 4-3, but you never know.
MAYBE this is why they brought George Edwards on-board?
March 9th, 2023 at 9:00 am
I’m starting to mistrust Bowles on defensive draft picks……Not impressed with JTS or Hall…..I’m sure he had major input on them with Licht.
Let’s draft a Tackle, CB or perhaps a LB to replace LVD if we don’t keep him.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Shaq Barrett is a very interesting situation for the Bucs…
Not only is he 30 and coming off a major debilitating injury – he is also one of our most expensive players on the team behind Tom Brady ($35M), Evans ($23M) and Godwin ($23M).
Shaq is scheduled to make $21.25M in 2023 – that is 9.4% of our entire cap.
We can’t cut him because of the injury. We can’t trade him because of the injury and he may not want to restructure…
Perhaps they could reach an injury settlement with him and send him packing with a big bag of Glazer loot.
This is not looking good.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Marine Buc … So which would you go with in Rnd 1 … an OLineman (LT or whatever), a CB, a DT, a ILB, a TE, a Safety, a RB, a WR … or a pass rusher? Oh wait, or a QB? Oh wait again, or a kicker?
Did I miss any position groups? We desperately need starters in all of them.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:07 am
@ TBBF
I agree.
But to be fair to TB – JTS was the last pick of the first round and Hall was the first pick in the 2nd round.
Too early to tell with both players.
JTS has shown some nice speed and skill but needs some work.
Hall flashed a little in the beginning of last season but then disappeared…
They will both probably be starters in 2023 so let’s hope they can step up to the challenge.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:12 am
Someone mentioned the forgotten Cam Gill a while ago. He was my “breakout” candidate in 2022 until he shredded himself and went on IR. Hope he rehabs fully.
But it doesn’t matter. The bald one pictured above could make Lawrence Taylor play like Matt McCoy.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:15 am
Thinking they draft OL in the first we all know Licht loves small school guys OL in the 2nd and 3rd. Just draft a hog please
March 9th, 2023 at 9:15 am
@ DR
I agree.
BPA would be my motto going into the draft because this team’s roster has holes at nearly every position.
But I believe (regardless of what the Bucs honchos say) we are in a full on rebuild.
Start with the trenches – so LT or DT/DE would be my first choice.
Pass rusher or CB would be my second choice… Or maybe a versatile Safety like Branch out of Bama. Can play SS, FS and slot CB in nickel.
RBs and LBs and TEs can be found in rounds 3-6.
I would pass on the QBs (no pun intended). I am not overly impressed with any of them. If Stetson Bennett is available in the 5th or 6th I would consider it…
March 9th, 2023 at 9:19 am
Pass rusher is our biggest need. Having a great pass rush will hide a lot of issues for the defense just like a great QB does for an offense. Can’t rely on just Joe who knows how hell develop?
March 9th, 2023 at 9:22 am
Bowles, Licht, and the scouts are doing their due diligence evidenced by the fact they interview >100 players at the combine. CB-OLB/DE-DT are all position we might double dip at during the draft, and will definitely see a lot of them brought in off the UDFA market. Saw some names I like and have looked at myself, while seeing a few suprises names I wouldn’t have expected to see it all. Just crazy seeing the list of interviews where some teams talked to a dozen players, while we basically interviewed a quarter to a third of the players at the combine
March 9th, 2023 at 9:31 am
Draft producers instead of potential – we don’t have time to wait for them to grow into their roles –
And Bowles has missed on a lot of DB’s thus far, not seeing his rep there – SMB, Neal, Ryan etc
Davis is okay and Dean he benched in the playoffs, dude is gone
Winfield was like Wirfs, Evans, Godwin – can’t miss – need more of these type selections regardless of position
March 9th, 2023 at 9:32 am
Let’s see the Bucs defense needs an OLB, an ILB, probably a S, probably a CB, probably a DL. The offense needs a QB, LT, LG, RB, probably a TE, probably a WR. For starters and the team is over the cap! Dilemma!!!!
March 9th, 2023 at 9:35 am
I agree with making Devin White the new Shaq. He’s better suited for that.
March 9th, 2023 at 9:42 am
Keep drafting high prospects DE we’ll hit eventually
March 9th, 2023 at 10:58 am
What are ya’ll watching on Sundays that makes you think Devin White can play outside LB in this system? When one of his biggest knocks is engaging/disengaging blockers in space or being overwhelmed by offensive linemen once they get their hands on him? Honesty question, speed I get, but he’s undersized, hasn’t shown the greatest handwork, has no real pass rush moves, and cannot set the edge with his size/presence on rush downs.
March 9th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Its gonna be a long season If our Bucs D cannot get off the field. Real Long.
March 9th, 2023 at 11:16 am
Gotta draft 2 OLB.
Even if the light comes on for JTS, Shaq is questionable to return to form, and you can’t have enough pass rushers.
March 9th, 2023 at 11:53 am
Marine Buc … ‘Start with the trenches – so LT or DT/DE would be my first choice. Pass rusher or CB would be my second choice.’
Agree on both counts. Yes we are in a near-total rebuild (if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it’s a friggin duck). Given that we’ve got holes in virtually all position groups, it makes sense to start at the beginning … in the trenches … and build out from there. We need another quality DT to pair with Vea (and cover the remaining 50% of the def snaps that he doesn’t cover). We also need a LT to replace Donovan (of replace Wirfs if he moves over, which I hope he doesn’t). BPA among those 2 positions in the Top-2 Rnds works for me.
Granted we also need another CB and a pass rusher, but those can potentially be 2nd, 3rd or 4th Rnd picks (depending upon who & what’s available?). Those 4 positions … defensive & offensive tackles, pass rusher & cornerback … pretty much shoot our draft. Even IF we move down to pick up another pick, that’d still only be 4 picks more than likely in the Top-4 Rnds (right now we only have 3). I never expect much out of Rnds 5-7.
ASSUMING that we do really well in the draft (pick up 4 starters/key rotational players) & maybe a kicker, we’ll still have tons of slots to fill, and very little money to fill them with. Whooppee. I’m thinking that our best bet is to re-sign as many of our vet FAs as possible to very team-friendly deals (guys like LVD & Gholston), then look for guys who are willing to play on 1-year prove-it deals. Of course, the irony is that most of the good ones of those will want to play for a contender. I’m not holding my breath on that one just yet.
March 9th, 2023 at 12:45 pm
If they don’t have doubts about JTS they need to be replaced. I said from the beginning that the dude was a BUST. He’s done nothing to prove me wrong.
March 9th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
This…….
Tampabaybucfan Says:
March 9th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Stop all the talk about Rodgers & Lamar Jackson and try to scrape up enough money to bring back Nelson & Nassib……that would be a start.
March 9th, 2023 at 3:57 pm
Mike Johnson – I think we are in for our definition of “long” to be converted to eons instead of minutes.
March 9th, 2023 at 3:58 pm
Agree!
80forBrady Says:
March 9th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
This…….
Tampabaybucfan Says:
March 9th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Stop all the talk about Rodgers & Lamar Jackson and try to scrape up enough money to bring back Nelson & Nassib……that would be a start.
March 9th, 2023 at 5:33 pm
High standards!
#CollapseForCaleb
March 9th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
How about let’s find one passer.
The last 2 high round picks have been bust
March 9th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Pass rusher
March 9th, 2023 at 8:21 pm
@Bnasty, I suggested this earlier this year. I think White wpuld create havoc using his speed rushing from the edge. Not an every down rusher but maybe some sub packages. They would need to find a quality ILB to permanently move him, esp with LD potentially leaving. Great minds think alike though.
March 10th, 2023 at 12:02 am
Toad Bloweszo.
Consecutive losing seasons until he is gone, and then a few more due to the deep trench he and his red air tufts and big red nose have dug.
The assumption was, an inbred robot with poor programming could still have a winning season with Tom Brady at QB and stud pass catchers all over the place, as well as a defensive genius running the defense who happened to not get in the way of Tom Brady.
Wrong assumption.
Bloweszo may easily be the worst head coich in Buccaneers history.
March 10th, 2023 at 9:16 am
Trade or cut Shaq. Also all players over 30 with expensive contract. Cut Garrett & sign Mayfield. Getting rid of Smith was a good start. Should’ve happened a few years ago. I hate lazy under performing players & smith tops the list.
March 10th, 2023 at 7:36 pm
Our search for a pass rusher will be no Hunt For Red October. More likely to be Hunt For Blue December because heck will freeze over before we get a good pass rusher.