Too Much Excitement?
March 18th, 2019
New Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett.
Look, before Joe gets rolling here, Joe sure as heck hopes this Shaquil Barrett blows up and becomes a household name for the Bucs.
But Joe just has a hangup; if a guy is so good, why did his former team let him walk away, especially a bad team?
Joe is, of course, referring to the Broncos, who have been very Bucs-like in their record the past two seasons. Generally, only the sorry Bucs let good players walk away only to start for Super Bowl teams (such as Michael Bennett, Aqib Talib, Mark Barron, LeGarrette Blount, Jonathan Casillas and Darrelle Revis — Joe sure hopes Adam Humphries isn’t the latest). It sure seems no team throws away quality players quite like the Bucs.
So Lindsay Jones of The Athletic typed up an article to determine if Barrett is as big of a steal as some believe.
The Bucs defense is in transition heading into 2019 under new head coach Bruce Arians and his new staff, including Bowles, who will install a 3-4 defense. Barrett’s experience in Denver was as a 3-4 outside linebacker, part of a rotation behind Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Bradley Chubb over the past five years. Barrett had 14 sacks in his four seasons with the Broncos and wanted to have a bigger role with his new team. This is a chance for him to earn both playing time and another contract in 2020.
Joe is always dubious about expecting starter’s production from a veteran backup. There is a whole lotta hope here and you know what Joe thinks of “hope.”
Basically, Barrett is the football version of penny stock. It’s like it is 1990 and Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is either buying Amazon.com stock or stock in Pets.com.
Joe sure hopes this Barrett turns into the next Derrick Thomas.
March 18th, 2019 at 5:56 pm
Love the analogies…
March 18th, 2019 at 5:59 pm
Light gave us some pieces to get excited about on a tight budget for sure. One year prove it deals, and we should have plenty of cap room to keep the good ones with.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:05 pm
Come on joe who would take snaps away from those guys
March 18th, 2019 at 6:05 pm
Again it seems like Licht is going back to his roots with the Patriots. Find a hidden gem in all the FA chaff. Hopefully Barrett will be a gem that shines.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:06 pm
Not worried. His contract isn’t some leap of faith risk.
I can say confidently his name came up all the time on Denver sports radio shows as a guy basically everyone likes and has wanted to keep around for a while. I don’t think any person wanted him gone but the Broncos only had so much cap space.
They have a ton invested in that position between a top 5 pick and a top 2-3 defensive player salary. It is the strength of their team. They couldn’t justify dumping $7M+ into Barret to keep him and he wasn’t going to come back to the team for $4-5M knowing his opportunities would be very limited. To me that’s the bottom line of the situation.
If the worst thing we get out of this is what Denver got from Barrett as a rotational player then he’s more than worth the deal. He’s not being paid like a starter/star so there is no reason to have that sort of “hope” or expectation.
He’s also the only player besides Spence that profiles as a prototypical 3-4 OLB (i.e. 250-260ish lbs). Nassib/JPP = more 4-3 DEs. I’d imagine even running a 3-4 look that JPP will rush with his hand in the dirt more than playing off coverage.
Josh Allen would be a dream. Then you have your stud prototypical 3-4 OLB and Barrett can play his rotational role of the 3rd/4th best pass rushing option.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:17 pm
I’d rather have backups on a 1 year prove it deal then starters who sign a 3 year with guaranteed money who get real lazy real fast. A NFL career is short, watch these fringe guys give you their all, just hope it is enough.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:25 pm
All teams trade and let good players walk! Steelers, Giants, KC ! Every team every year it’s called Free agency! No team can keep everyone all the time.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:30 pm
I thought this was a good signing. I like the moves we have made on a tight budget. None of the high dollar guys seem to work out anyway…….. some back-ups just need a real shot at starting! Imo
March 18th, 2019 at 6:30 pm
There should be some excitement around this signing. Unheralded guy stuck behind 2 STUDS. And he still managed to get 3 sacks on 275 snaps. Carl Nassib on the other hand got 6.5 sacks on 600 snaps. I like his chances at 8-9 sacks this year.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Not really sure what excitement is being referenced here. Don’t see any major projections in the quote.
Sorry Joe nobody talking about this guy becoming a household name or Derrick Thomas except you……….Pretty sure almost all the fan base would all agree that we just expect this guy to be a quality NFL player for us.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:37 pm
OK maybe I spoke to quick. GOAT calling for nine sacks…..That’s a high bar.
March 18th, 2019 at 6:45 pm
Sometimes…………all there is hope
March 18th, 2019 at 6:49 pm
Our 2 wildcards… Beckwith, Spence..
Can KB come back?
Can Noah find his game?
Combined with who just signed, we have the LBs to play the 34. I’m hoping dline with the first pick. Imo
Oliver if Allen and Q are gone. Gmc must be replaced at some point in the future.
Draft for the trenches!
Go BUCS
March 18th, 2019 at 6:58 pm
You’re right Joe we should have signed Chubb or Von Miller? Oh that’s right they were not available!
March 18th, 2019 at 7:04 pm
I’d rather have this guy on our team than not. Only time will tell if he’ll be good or not.
March 18th, 2019 at 7:07 pm
“Joe sure hopes this Barrett turns into the next Derrick Thomas.”
Barrett doesn’t have to be the next Derrick Thomas…..he simply has to be better than Cameron Lynch or Adarius Taylor…..and, I think he’ll do that.
March 18th, 2019 at 7:11 pm
He’s better than what we have joes and let’s not pretend very many people know about Denver roster. Agreed I think he’s instantly better than any linebacker outside of David that was on the field last year. If I was The glazers This would be the position I would force licht to take and that is to basically prove the players you have drafted are good enough to win before bringing in major free agents and cutting our vets
March 18th, 2019 at 7:36 pm
It is a Jason Licht free agent signee so I’m gonna hold my applause.
March 18th, 2019 at 7:37 pm
Browns let Nassib go cause of guys in front. Just like Denver did.
That has worked out pretty good. Is Nassib a baller. Not yet. Maybe never a baller. Good contributor though You need guys like that. Guys that don’t take plays off. This kid is same way. Denver beat writer had some nice things to say about him and was fan favorite.
———-
If joe picked the team / was GM
Obviously Johnny football and / or Jameis would be QB . Maybe each would play a half
And they would be 100 mil over the salary cap.
March 18th, 2019 at 7:57 pm
Simeon Rice. The Bucs Signed him as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals. They let him walk.
March 18th, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Million dollar question is.. Can Noah Spence be resurrected??? His technique was so polished coming out of school,only problem he was handed to some idiots. I know you still got Noah if you reading and paying attention.
March 18th, 2019 at 8:15 pm
I don’t believe ANY of these guys are guaranteed to make the final roster. So this second safety means nothing. Every year, the team signs a bunch of tryout deals.
March 18th, 2019 at 8:17 pm
@Bird
Your post was going so well…and then you went right back to trolling.
March 18th, 2019 at 8:37 pm
Giants let an excellent player walk and they aren’t good
Browns let Nassib go and he has played well and they aren’t good
March 18th, 2019 at 9:06 pm
I have not read a single comment from anyone expecting Barrett to suddenly throw in a 20 sack season. I do see alot of comments expecting him to be a solid rotational player with upside and special teams prowess, which I fully expect him to be in a contract year. It’s a low risk signing giving a veteran player that’s been stuck as a #3 rotational guy for 5 years. If the Donkey’s dont draft Chubb last year, Barrett probably gets 8 or 9 sacks and signs a multi-year deal.
Based in past performance, Joe has proven to be a pretty awful talent evaluator, so I’ll take the over on Shaq Barrett this year.
March 18th, 2019 at 9:09 pm
This whole cap thing is so annoying. Are we fans or accountants? Value this and value that I”m so sick of this crap.
March 18th, 2019 at 9:21 pm
Well, if we are truly switching to a 3-4, he won’t be a starter. Because Lavonte and Carl Nassib would likely be the starting outside linebackers.
March 18th, 2019 at 9:30 pm
Thank you Lord Cornelius for a rational discussion of an excellent acquisition that improves the defense. How much improvement we will see, but at this point it looks good at a minimum and may be even better. You gotta like picking up guys with something to prove.
March 18th, 2019 at 9:36 pm
Sounds like a perfect Jason Gump pick up
March 18th, 2019 at 10:11 pm
Jamaal Stanley Says
“Million dollar question is.. Can Noah Spence be resurrected??? His technique was so polished coming out of school,only problem he was handed to some idiots.”
That’s a total misrepresentation of the Noah Spence situation. No coach is at fault for him. That man is injury prone, and coaches barely got to work with him.
We’ve been waiting years just to see if he could meet the potential he had when drafted, and all he does is get injured. When coaches finally did get to put in some work with him, he wasn’t up to snuff.
You people called Vita Vea a bust at the start of last year before he even played a game due to injury, but Noah Spence get s a pass?
Get real.
March 18th, 2019 at 10:11 pm
Bonzai
What am I trolling ? Making a joke that has a lot of truth in it. What am I missing ?
March 18th, 2019 at 10:12 pm
Bonzai
Why are you trolling Jamal ?
March 18th, 2019 at 10:18 pm
Why does every1 seem to think LVD is gonna be an OLB. He’s already slotted as one of the starting MLB. JPP is prolly gonna play sum rush LBer from 2 point stance and DE from 3 point stance. Vea in the middle and McCoy as the other DE. Unless we land Josh Allen I think Barret is a for sure starter at OLB.
March 18th, 2019 at 10:22 pm
The only signings are depth signings.
The Bucs are leaving the draft wide open. These one year deals only get paid if the make the final 53 man roster. If the Bucs draft a good Safety or LB, you can bet one of these guys won’t be on the final 53.
I don’t know if anyone ever goes to the transactions page of the Bucs website this time of year, but a lot of one year contracts are signed every year, only to not make the team. It’s just noticeable because fans are desperate for free agents and it is a new coach.
And for heaven’s sake…stop blaming Jason Licht. This is the first year salary cap has been an issue at all with him. Last time we were in this situation, Rich McKay bailed on the team rather than stick around to fix it.
And Licht is no longer calling any shots anyway. Arians is in absolute control.
March 18th, 2019 at 10:39 pm
Bonzai…..Also every year there are guys that make contributations and start games that nobody ever really talked about. Sometimes never knew about.
Last year we saw Nassib and Whitehead making plays. Two guys that nobody expected to do anything.
People wanna look at the top dollar players andd think that’s all we have and they are our only chance. But it never works out that way. Not for any team in the league.
That’s why it’s funny when fans say that our depth sucks in the preseason. Do they even realize they are fooling themselfs?
March 18th, 2019 at 11:01 pm
Practice hours devoted to developing depth should lead to a better team regardless of the status know of being a “starter” .?! Opinion is questionable, but with players added, and players subtracted, WAIT, Yes we are a better team! I don’t think BA is worried about age as much some seem to believe. This man would have not,( wouldn’t) took the job if he had any doubts of bringing the best. Read it how you must see it, BUCS are now letting the winds set the sail.
March 18th, 2019 at 11:07 pm
System pick up. Can’t argue with it. Let’s see what the new regime does with it.
March 18th, 2019 at 11:08 pm
14 sacks!! take away JPP and he would be on the bucs ring of honor for sacks over the past 4 years
March 19th, 2019 at 12:50 am
But, but,…. Carl Nassib….
Maybe Shaq Barrett is this year’s version of a Nassib-type pickup…
March 19th, 2019 at 5:31 am
LVD is not playing OLB in Bowles defense unless he gains 30+ pounds. Come on man..
This new defense is the one gap modern 3-4 that Bucs fans have been begging the coaches to play for the last 3-4 years. Get familiar with it. It’s gonna be exciting.
March 19th, 2019 at 9:43 am
Unless it’s Allen or Q. Williams, I think you gotta hit the nail on the head of this LB corp. and draft White. Got rid of Kwon. Do we even know if Beckwith will come back and will he now be injury prone after suffering such a bad injury that will last over a year to get back on the field.
White is monsterous and looks like he has the size to play DT. He was already great at getting to the QB in college, what is gonna happen when he has Vita, GMC, and JPP in front of him.
March 19th, 2019 at 9:44 am
He’ll be a solid rotational player with experience in a 3-4. Not hoping for too much, just a good value add.
I agree that Bucs fans shouldnt be thinking hes the next coming of Justin Houston or something, and it seems some fans on Twitter were acting that way.
But I do like the move.