Harold Landry May Only Cost A Third-Day Draft Pick?
March 5th, 2025
Titans OLB Harold Landry.
If this really is an accurate assessment, Joe cannot fathom how Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht couldn’t or wouldn’t pull the trigger.
You can see it; Joe can see it. And Joe thinks the Bucs can see it.
The Bucs have a Grand Canyon-sized hole at edge rusher. While YaYa Diaby at times flashes and looks like a stud, Joe sure would like to see more of those 15 sacks Bucs coach Todd Bowles said Diaby could have had last year.
Some way, Diaby turned those 15 sacks into 4.5.
Joe firmly believes the Bucs are a veteran, reliable, solid, productive edge rusher away from making a Super Bowl run.
When Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht sat down with NFL Media podcaster Gregg Rosenthal last week at the Combine, he said he was not “blind” to the holes on the defense.
OK, that’s the first step in recognizing there’s a problem. Being upfront about it.
Now what?
Joe maintains Tennessee edge rusher Harold Landry could be that answer. Landry, who will be 29 this summer, has had no less than nine sacks in each of the last three seasons. The Titans allowed Landry to start looking for trade partners.
Why can’t this be the Bucs?
Well, Ben Solak of BSPN isn’t typing that the Bucs should go out and get Landry. But Solak did research what a team would have to give up to obtain Landry.
Solak thinks Landry could be had for a third-day draft pick.
The Falcons sent a third-round pick to the Patriots for Matthew Judon last year. Judon was 32, only hitting the cap for $6.5 million and had recently delivered 12.5- and 15.5-sack seasons. Also, last August the Seahawks traded 27-year-old Darrell Taylor to the Bears for a sixth-round pick — Taylor wasn’t a scheme fit in Seattle and had only one year of $3.1 million left on his rookie deal.
I’d imagine Landry will come in somewhere between those two compensations as long as he plays on a restructured contract for the acquiring team. A fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft seems fair, though contract machinations can dramatically affect the price.
So a guy who has had 31.5 sacks in the past three seasons can be had for a fourth-round pick!? If Joe took a call from Titans GM Mike Borgonzi and he wanted a fourth-rounder for Landry, Joe would swear he’s getting punked.
Joe couldn’t make the deal fast enough.
It’s not like Licht hasn’t solved his edge-rushing woes before with a trade of a coveted draft pick. His greatest heist as Bucs general manager was Jason Pierre-Paul for a third-round pick. Robbery!
Three seasons later, the Bucs are Super Bowl champs!
So, as Licht told Rosenthal, he’s not blind. Now what? Wanting to resolve a massive hole on an otherwise strong roster and actually resolving it are two different things.
It’s like Joe watching college football on a Saturday on a scorching hot September afternoon. A cold beer sure would hit the spot. But to get that beer, Joe has to get off his leather couch, walk to the kitchen and open the fridge.
That beer ain’t gonna fetch itself.
March 5th, 2025 at 7:03 am
MLB that can drop and cover also allows the pass rush to get to the QB
that was the area of the field that every team tried to exploit!
March 5th, 2025 at 7:09 am
Can’t pull the trigger fast enough provided Landry will restructure!
March 5th, 2025 at 7:20 am
A 5th/6th and Dean
March 5th, 2025 at 7:20 am
They must think he’ll be cut eventually so y give anything up? His cap hit is out of whack also
Or maybe Todd’s late night lab tweaks call for something chea I mean “a different direction.”
March 5th, 2025 at 7:45 am
Joe, my question is and has been all last season was, are the Bucs edge rushers that bad or the coaching from the position coach was bad. Didn’t realize till a couple of weeks ago that Foote had coached both JPP and Barrett
March 5th, 2025 at 7:50 am
Maybe offer a conditional 2026 pick based on performance.
March 5th, 2025 at 7:58 am
Joe,
You, I and a great many fans want an Edge rusher splash or two or a hundred. But, is that what the Bucs need?
The Bucs pass rush was surely at its weakest when Kancey was out at the start of the season. But, that is when the Bucs held Detroit’s top ranked scoring offense to 16 points. That is when the Bucs held the Super Bowl Champion Eagles to 16 points. That is when they held Washington to 20 points. And, if Sean Payton hadn’t schooled two Bucs inside linebackers for two first quarter touchdowns, Denver would have likely been held under 20 points giving the Bucs defense four consecutive exhibitions of prowess against top ten scoring offenses.
So, what happened? Did the edge rushers all get hurt? Did the starting interior defensive linemen all go on injured reserve? No! What happened was an injury that further weakened the already pitifully thin ILB group followed by unending injuries among the DB’s.
ILB an DB are the Bucs failure points. They are needs. OLB is a want. A very reasonable want. But, the cure is at DB and ILB.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:04 am
Would be nice but we know JL.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:12 am
4th rounder! No way. 2nd round pick necessary to land the Landry. Glazers won’t do it. They love rookie bargains.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:18 am
toopanca … ‘OLB is a want. But, the cure is at DB and ILB.’
There’s 1 BIG piece missing out of all that: another DT/NT to share time with Vea. When Shaq excelled (with 19.5 sacks), Bucs had Vea, Suh & RNR manning the middle of our DLine. We also had JPP manning the other OLB slot. IOW, we had a beastly front.
When Vea went down in 2020, Shaq’s sacks went down (to 8 sacks). And yet we still had Suh, RNR & JPP.
When Vea came back in 2021, Shaq’s sacks went up to double-digits again (10 sacks).
When Suh & JPP didn’t get re-signed in 2022, Shaq’s sacks fell again (to 3 sacks in 8 games before he got hurt). They rose slightly (40 4.5 sacks) in 2023, but he was never the same.
IOW, Bucs NEED to replace what they had with Suh & RNR to help Vea. We can do that with one real beastly DT/NT, but he’s not gonna be a 7th Rounder. Quality beasts are only found near the top of the draft. You have to be willing to spend the draft capital. Let’s go ILB, CB, DT/NT in the Top-3 Rnds.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:22 am
Meanwhile, Landry.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:38 am
You need way more than an edge when WRs are running free. Way too many times the CB or Safety weren’t even within 5 yards and sometimes 7 or 8. There were times when the receivers were so open you couldn’t figure out who was supposed to be covering them. So yes an edge rusher would be great, but if you’re not going to improve the secondary QBs will just use a quick release to wide-open receivers.
March 5th, 2025 at 8:56 am
DR, I think the Bucs would draft Kenneth Grant if he’s on the board. To your point, the defensive line production drops off a lot when Vea is resting. Grant is nearly Vea’s size but almost never came out of the game for Michigan. He could spell Kancey or Vea. It would be crazy to draft a DT earlier 3 out of 4 drafts but that’s what Philly does.
As far as Landry goes, he’s going cheap because teams know he will probably be cut and you can get him for nothing.
March 5th, 2025 at 9:01 am
Without a Doubt
This guy had 9 sacks with the Titans image what he could do with help from The Beast!!!!
March 5th, 2025 at 9:06 am
The last paragraph is vintage Joe!….Lol!!! That’s writing prose I can understand! I love the idea of us getting Landry in the fold. If we could pull that deal off and, Jihaad Campbell be there at pick #19, we’re already cooking with gas!
March 5th, 2025 at 9:08 am
@Joe
“Joe firmly believes the Bucs are a veteran, reliable, solid, productive edge rusher away from making a Super Bowl run.”
And I would also add you need at least one inside LB, maybe two, one more good Defensive Tackle and a very good CB……When you get that, and you get lucky with injuries, maybe you are a superbowl contender…
March 5th, 2025 at 9:20 am
🙂 Thanks.
March 5th, 2025 at 9:43 am
If you get Landry for a day 3 pick, that frees up your first rd pick to go ILB or CB.
Also, why trade instead of waiting for him to get released? Control. You control the trade, salary, what you trade and the Bucs get him. If you wait, he’s a FA. I guarantee there will be a market for him and you will have to pay him more. Plus he may choose to sign with some other team.
Landry > Mack.
March 5th, 2025 at 9:58 am
Yes the last paragraph is vintage Joe, possibly influenced by comedian Ron White! LOL.
March 5th, 2025 at 10:17 am
Of course Landry makes sense but Licht ain’t trading picks and we all know it.
March 5th, 2025 at 10:29 am
I’m seeing elsewhere that Rachaad White is somewhat expendable and possibly on the trade block. I could see one-for-one there. Maybe, on the outside, a White and a sixth for Landry.
White would certainly be a better RB2 than the Titans currently have, but Landry almost necessarily have to restructure his contract. The cap number is $20 mil higher for Landry than it is for White, and the team has other needs to fill.
March 5th, 2025 at 10:40 am
Landry for sure would be my top choice on edge. Of course if they think the kid from Boston college could be a blue chip player and had at 19, they may want to pursue Mack as a stop gap while they develop him. I don’t think you’re drafting edge in round one and trading for Landry. But who knows?
Also need a starting mlb, corner and a healthy Winfield. All doable.
March 5th, 2025 at 12:23 pm
There have been several trades the past couple of days with veteran starters with good ratings who have been traded for 4th-6th round picks. The Bucs are not going to find edge rushers in those rounds that have proven production. If an edge rusher isn’t acquired in free agency or trade, than the Bucs are still rebuilding no matter what anyone says.
March 5th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Do it!
March 5th, 2025 at 1:51 pm
A) What are his contract demands?
B) Will he get cut if they can’t find a trade partner?
Even better if we can sign him without a pick.
March 5th, 2025 at 3:17 pm
Lock it in. Offer a 3rd rounder on the condition that he restructures. And make sure it’s what he wants!
March 5th, 2025 at 3:18 pm
SlyPirate Says
“Even better if we can sign him without a pick.”
In this instance, it’s worth the pick to keep him from hitting free agency. IF he restructures.
March 5th, 2025 at 6:32 pm
@DefenseRules
I have no idea who you are…but I’d love to meet you one day. You write the best posts!
Going on the Bucs cruise, per chance?
March 5th, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Bonzai, Why would you give a 3rd round pick if he’s available for day 3 pick? What stellar negotiating. He’s going to be cut or traded for a 5th or 6th if teams don’t want to negotiate with his agent. If he’s cut, you get to negotiate your own terms.
March 5th, 2025 at 7:29 pm
I like it a lot. Another Shaq hopefully.
With Kancey coming on and Vea, this guy would have a lot more opportunities for sacks. Suh (and JPP) were super important in grabbing the offense’s attention and freeing up Shaq to ring up sacks. When they were out of the lineup, he struggled.
I don’t know Tennessee at all but I’m guessing this guy is carrying most of the burden solo.