BSPN: Best Free Agent Fit For Bucs
March 1st, 2025
Bucs GM Jason Licht
In a near-perfect world, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht will sign a proven edge rusher in free agency.
(In a perfect world, Licht would trade for a proven edge rusher and use the Team Glazer free agent loot elsewhere.)
In the world of Aaron Schatz, the creator of DVOA and founding father of Football Outsiders (RIP), the Bucs would use Team Glazer free agent loot on an edge rusher.
And that man would be Josh Sweat. Schatz decided to plug in the best free agent fit for each NFL team and it’s Sweat for Tampa Bay.
Although the Buccaneers were a surprising 11th in pass rush win rate (41.7%) this past season, they’re probably losing several edge rushers to free agency, including Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Enter Sweat, fresh off an impressive Super Bowl LIX performance. He had six tackles, three quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks.
Sweat also had eight sacks during the regular season and 33 pressures. He will be 28 next season, so he’s right in the prime of his career.
Would Joe whine about Sweat if the Bucs signed him? No. Joe just has the feel with Sweat, the Bucs would be buying high.
His last good game happened to be the last NFL game played so that is fresh in people’s minds.
Instead, Joe would rather Licht trade for Titans edge rusher Harold Landry.
He has better production than Sweat and is the same age. What Joe finds important is that without much around him outside of Jeffery Simmons, Landry produced.
Sweat had studs all around him.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:11 am
Agreed. Pass on Sweat.
Much cheaper and therefore hungrier options, ala Shaq Barrett, out there.
Maybe that didn’t read right. A signing like Shaq was a few years ago. Not Shaq himself right now over Sweat.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:16 am
Aaron is a Schatzhead.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:24 am
We cant trade. im sorry….too many holes, and theres draft prospects that will fit.
Emmanwori
Schwesinger
Revel
stay put and let the draft fall to us….
Braswell replaces JTS, he just needs to be allowed to rush…and we have Shaq again and if we draft Emmanwori, we have those packages where he can also rush.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:24 am
Gotta say, as others have – Joe, your coverage from this combine has been fargin awesome . I know you do it every year. This seems even better than usual. Hopefully your thirst is bring properly quenched.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:25 am
I agree too, on landry and sweat points. It seems what you were getting at in your second paragraph Joe, is we get to pick the price with a contract in place vs bid. Both obviously come off the salary cap.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:39 am
Landry is a legit OLB.
I wanted us to draft him back in the day
Trade Dean for a 3rd.
Trade Landry for a 3rd.
Re-sign Shaq and Carlton Davis.
Draft a 3rd CB in the 3rd.
Sign Zions twin.
March 1st, 2025 at 12:42 am
Agree with last paragraphs completely.
Sweat will cost too much, didn’t have an exceptional reg season, and was surrounded by studs. Landry sounds nice but prob costs too much for Licht to make the trade… he won’t give more than a 3rd.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:17 am
Licht won’t trade picks. I wish he would but we all know he won’t.
“You are what your record says you are.”
March 1st, 2025 at 1:53 am
Landry is a legit OLB as Teacherman has pointed out, but he has a real big contract with the Titans which is why they are shopping him around. He is due $24 million this season as part of a 5 year $87.5 million contract. That is a lot of coin. Can the Bucs afford that and still have coin for other needs as well as resigning Chris Godwin?????
March 1st, 2025 at 2:10 am
This team has only drafted one decent edge rusher under Licht and really doesn’t do a great job developing ER’s so I would prefer they get someone opposite Diaby-a proven commodity-and further along than Yiayia.
March 1st, 2025 at 2:34 am
Agree on preferring Landry over Sweat. Yes he’s got a big contract, but in a trade, that doesn’t mean we have to eat the whole thing (his average salary, for 2 years left on his contract, is $17.5 mil/year, and so part of his current CAP impact is due to years past; let the Titans eat that).
Not re-signing Nelson could be a biggie, if that happens. He’s been improving steadily every year, and last year provided 4 sacks, 20 pressures, 6 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 FR & 40 tackles (25 solo) in 17 games (573 def snaps plus 384 S/T snaps). He cost us $5 mil last year, and I’d say that for a guy who played half the def snaps, he gave us a decent return. Not flashy, but solid.
Still contend that the best way to improve the productivity of our OLB stable is to add a beastly DT/NT to pair with Vea in the middle and provide more consistent interior pressure. There seem to be a number of good ones in this year’s draft, but it’ll probably take a 3rd Rnd pick to get one of the better ones.
March 1st, 2025 at 6:48 am
Haven’t heard Braswell’s name in a while. He might take the jump.
March 1st, 2025 at 6:58 am
Sweat is a product of the other guys around him, hope the Bucs don’t bite.
March 1st, 2025 at 7:14 am
Licht got JPP for a third round pick. Expect him to look for that kind of trade, if any. Licht lives for the draft. I don’t see him parting with more then a third rounder. That eliminates quite a few players like Hendrickson, Garrett, and probably Landry. Maybe a 3rd, and R.White for Landry? Expect Licht to fill needs without trades.
March 1st, 2025 at 7:46 am
I think Sweat looks as good as he does because he’s literally surrounded by all-pros/pro bowl players, would attract a YUGE salary for what I suspect would be mediocre performance.
I was wondering why Anthony Nelson doesn’t get more looks, then saw his run defense grade.
WHAT are the odds that ANY edge we draft THIS year would start and pay will THIS year? Slim…none
That leaves the FA/trade route, or yet aNOTHER season of making average QB’s look like Joe Montana
March 1st, 2025 at 7:58 am
We need a veteran, YaYa Diaby regressed without Devin White and Shaq on the field. JTS just aint it
March 1st, 2025 at 8:53 am
Thank you Aqualung!
March 1st, 2025 at 9:43 am
Glazers will NEVER spend the money to land a proven edge rusher. The Bucs do not have a championship mindset. They want to be the Buffalo Bills
March 1st, 2025 at 9:58 am
They seem to live by the slogan IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT. Then they wonder why they’re inconsistent at times.
March 1st, 2025 at 11:55 am
Agreed but like you said Joe I wouldn’t cry about sweat if we got him. Deff need someone beside who we got yaya isn’t the guy yet maybe he won’t be but he isn’t there yet. I’m not saying he can’t be our 10 sack guy a season but until he does we need another guy and prob 2
March 1st, 2025 at 12:31 pm
This just in : The Bucs need an edge rusher!
March 1st, 2025 at 1:58 pm
To be clear, Landry is due 17.5 mil for the best 2 seasons. That’s very reasonable for a highly productive pass rusher.
March 1st, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Next not best
March 1st, 2025 at 2:19 pm
We are not losing JTS to FA we are kicking him to the curb?
March 1st, 2025 at 3:16 pm
No Sweat.
March 1st, 2025 at 10:12 pm
Yeah, Sweat seems like fool’s gold to me. Hard pass!
March 1st, 2025 at 10:17 pm
An edge rusher is not going to improve the success of the real Bucs defense weakness, which is piss-poor middle linebacker play. A tremendous pass rush ain’t going to help when a QB can get rid of the ball in under two seconds to a wide-ass open receiver 5-7 yards down the middle of the field. First pick needs to me MLB or corner.
March 1st, 2025 at 11:05 pm
BSPN and the king stat nerd have all the answers for Jason Licht? Yeah right…
Go Bucs!
March 1st, 2025 at 11:10 pm
Pass averages 7 sacks a year