Dropping Edge Rushers More In Coverage Explained
February 26th, 2025
Sometimes Joe would run head first into blunt objects when the Bucs would take edge rushers and down linemen and drop them into pass coverage.
It was maddening.
It felt at times like waving a white flag, or at least a sign that says, ‘Our edge rush stinks.’
Yes, the Bucs did more of that than usual last season and head coach Todd Bowles explained yesterday on the Ira Kaufman Podcast.
“It would really help us if we could rush the passer with four guys,” Bowles said.
“Other than YaYa Diaby — on the outside I’m talking here, not the inside guys — we didn’t get consistent pressure from the other side. And at the same time, when you’re down a corner and a safety, you gotta give them help from somewhere. So when those guys weren’t rushing the passer [effectively], we decided to drop [edge rushers in coverage] a little bit more than normal and get pressure from other ways like up the middle with Lavonte [David] and doing certain things like that with [Calijah] Kancey and moving him around. So we’d like to get pressure with four, that would help the secondary immensely.”
What an admission there by Bowles. His tone was candid, as fans can hear.
Yes, Jason Pierre-Paul and Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett would drop in coverage during their run as stud Bucs edge rushers, but it wasn’t to the degree seen last season.
The Bucs were desperate to put heat on quarterbacks, and while their sacks total was tied for seventh in the NFL, the overall QB pressure wasn’t ideal.
February 26th, 2025 at 11:39 am
Ah ha, the truth comes out. Now that you admit a good d-line makes an average secondary great; coach, recruit & manage your cap accordingly!
February 26th, 2025 at 11:45 am
We all know the reason for dropping lineman into coverage and confusing the offense. It’s an outgrowth of the old Buddy Ryan defense. It seems that the only one confused by the tactic is the Buc fans who very seldom see success. Here is the question I would ask:
“If you have players who are ineffective in rushing the passer why would you keep -playing him for 3-4 years doing same thing (looking at you, JTS)?”
February 26th, 2025 at 11:50 am
I do love that Bowles in general prioritizes pressure on the QB; even if he has to manufacture it with complex scheming to make up for sub par personnel.
We need to add at least 2 upgrades at OLB/DE, 2 at ILB, and 2 at CB/S between FA & the draft, but the priority should be edge IMO. I wouldn’t mind another DT either if the value is right since this draft has a lot of pass rushing DT’s.
February 26th, 2025 at 11:54 am
So the remedy to the issue is to make the defense less effective? Great strat, Todd!
February 26th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
Bowles is right he drops players in the coverage because he knows his current pass rushers are pretty mich useless, so he might as well get something out of them.
We didn’t see #58 Shaq Barrett Dropping the coverage very often with the Bucs….when Licht can find a legitimate pass rusher, you’ll stop seeing pass rushers in coverage.
February 26th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
It’s not a good enough explanation for me. Jason find a quality edge rusher and yes you might have to give up some of your precious draft picks but get one and rush him please. Stop the drop backs The only quality play I can remember was Shaq getting that interception touchdown Beyond that it’s a waste.
February 26th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
7th in sacks is very surprising to me.
February 26th, 2025 at 12:40 pm
Yeah, but the problem was offenses knew exactly where our guys would be and receivers were running WIDE OPEN all day long. Coverage ability, in my mind, is every bit as important for us this offseason as pass rush. Witness our historic low in interceptions. You have to be near the ball to intercept it.
February 26th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Bucs defense had the most sacks (47) and most pressures (224) in 2021, and our defense finished with its’ best ranking #5. Bucs also posted our best record (13-4) so we must’ve been doing something right.
That ‘doing something right’ I’d contend was because of our roster.
o DLine: Vea (607 def snaps), Suh (717 def snaps), RNR (415 def snaps), Gholston (507 def snaps ), McLendon (253 def snaps)
o OLBs: JPP (601 def snaps), Shaq (767 def snaps), Nelson (358 def snaps), JTS (560 def snaps), Gill (100 def snaps)
o ILBs: LVD (787 def snaps), D White (1079 def snaps), Minter (331 def snaps)
o CBs: Davis (638 def snaps), Dean (685 def snaps), SMB (461 def snaps), Cockrell (474 def snaps), Edwards (531 def snaps), Sherman (140 def snaps), Delaney (213 def snaps), Desir (308 def snaps)
o Safeties: Winfield (876 def snaps), Whitehead (796 def snaps), Adams (214 def snaps)
As I look at all those names (24), they were a pretty experienced bunch, and were the previous year’s Super Bowl champion. Bowles had them blitz a bunch that year (532 times), but that was only about the same as what we blitzed in 2019 (613 times) and 2020 (542 times).
If we want to get back to that type of production, we need to beef up our interior some (to replace what Suh provided) AND add a high production OLB (to replace what JPP & Shaq provided). Other than that, Todd’s gonna keep manufacturing pressure from all over the place via mega-blitzes to compensate for lesser talent at key positions.
February 26th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Hilarious.
So they’re ineffective at their specialty. Rather than coach them up to be better pass rushers, let’s have them do something they’re not trained to do and t a lot worse at. Let’s drop them into empty zones where they don’t cover anyone. At least they can ask the beer vendor if he’s got cold ones.
No one will expect it. It’s Jenius. Cripes.
February 26th, 2025 at 1:15 pm
Wait a minute “HOPE” hasn’t panned out in an edge rush. I’m shocked. So is this the off-season the Bucs address the pass rush or are we just going to throw a quarter in the well again and “hope.” I don’t understand, I’m just a simpleton, if you know you have a weakness every year and still don’t address it. Confusing to me because I feel Licht is top 5 GM in there league, but still doesn’t address the pass rush.
February 26th, 2025 at 2:29 pm
Sorry fellas my grandson is a complete moron
February 26th, 2025 at 3:47 pm
Ok but I distinctly remember another interview where he said he didn’t need an edge rush to get after the quarterback. Now he’s saying he did because he had guys out in the secondary. For the record, I’m not a Todd Bowles hater. Proof is in the pudding, he wins and motivates his team to win. Just not convinced he values an edge rush like he suggested in this interview.
February 26th, 2025 at 3:55 pm
What?!? They can’t do their job so let’s have them be even worse at a different job by dropping them into coverage. Just admit it was stupid and predictable.
February 26th, 2025 at 4:44 pm
Bowles knows and adjusts. He’s seen a lot of football
February 26th, 2025 at 4:45 pm
He was trying to get in the QB’s throwing lanes to break up the line of sight and confuse the o-line with who was coming especially with a lot of the short passes. I give him props for saying it as it was easy to see and I think they are going defense a lot with this draft. I can see them trading up if their pick is there, particularly a LB but we’ll see how they approach FA. I do think they miss D. Whites great speed in his first and second year and they may be able to address that through both the draft & FA. Because of LVD’s situation I wouldn’t surprised if they draft 2 LB’s in first 2 rounds it depends on who they have rated where and again FA.
February 26th, 2025 at 5:06 pm
WELP!!!! Given the Bucs Defense Ranking in pass coverage, dropping the backers didn’t help either…lol.
February 26th, 2025 at 6:04 pm
Both Super Bowl winning defenses from the Bucs had great pass rushers. If I were king for the day I’d make that a priority for sure and that fellow from Cleveland surely looks real good to me. Almost ‘Brady good’.
February 26th, 2025 at 7:14 pm
I’m just so happy that none of the people who comment here are anywhere near influencing or managing this team and it’s roster. In Licht We Trust.
February 26th, 2025 at 7:58 pm
Maybeeee…
Bring in more DBs & LBs?
Change what you have your DBs doing?
Bump & run?
Re-route receivers?
Bring DBs within the same county as the receivers or at least closer to the line?
Ya know, Let cover-corners play like…Cover-Corners, the same reason you drafted them- remember?
Dropping pass-rushers into coverage makes as much sense as asking a DB to line up at the LOS with his hand in the ground to help the pass rush!? At least when Vea drops into coverage, he takes up a lot of space-ya know- like a hockey goaltender.
The wrong coordinator left!
February 26th, 2025 at 8:30 pm
If your outside guy isn’t getting pressure, then here’s a suggestion — play someone else who IS good in coverage and drop them instead of dropping an edge rusher who is basically useless in coverage.
February 26th, 2025 at 9:27 pm
Jeff Says
“So the remedy to the issue is to make the defense less effective? Great strat, Todd!”
Not actually what he said. Bowles was right. Because of the injuries to the secondary, they had to do something, right?
I can see his point. If they were not rushing the passer, then the guys were available to drop back.
The Dline and secondary was mostly neglected in the past couple drafts…for good reason. Protecting Baker was more important. But we all knew it meant the defense would suffer for a year or two.
Now? The defense will get what it needs.
February 26th, 2025 at 10:13 pm
Everyone seems to be ignoring one part of the interview… “And at the same time, when you’re down a corner and a safety,”…
It’s a two part issue.
Edge LBs not getting to the QB + important positional players in the secondary injured = mediocre secondary w/ OLB dropping back. Not sure we could have done any better given the personnel we had on the field. Could any DC do more with the LESS we were needing to use? Hard to prove either way.