Bucs Mailbag: Edge Rusher, RB, O-Line Are Hot Topics

QUESTION: Scott, how much do you expect the Bucs run defense to suffer with Shaq Barrett being cut? He’s always been a high-end run defender.

ANSWER: That’s a good question. There certainly could be some drop off in run defense next year without Shaq Barrett in Tampa Bay. Despite being just 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, Barrett was a very good run defender for years with the Bucs. He played with great get off and leverage, and that helped him initiate contact with tight ends and offensive tackles rather than just catching blocks and getting driven backwards.

Even at age 31 and coming off a torn Achilles, Barrett’s 68.9 Pro Football Focus run defense grade was the best among all Bucs defenders at the line of scrimmage – defensive backs and outside linebackers. That was slightly ahead of nose tackle Vita Vea (67.9), who weighs over 100 pounds more than Barrett.

Of the returning Buccaneers, outside linebacker Markees Watts had the next best grade at 66.9, although he has an extremely small sample size of just seven snaps in run defense. YaYa Diaby, who is slated to start at one outside linebacker spot, had a 66.5 PFF run defense grade, while Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who is likely the current front-runner to replace Barrett, had a 60.2 run defense grade. Anthony Nelson, who is also in contention with JTS, earned a 53.4 PFF run defense grade.

After not addressing the position in free agency, the Bucs are expected to select another edge rusher in this year’s NFL Draft. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, who would get consideration at No. 26 if he was still on the board, earned an 82.1 PFF run defense grade last year. Latu formally met with the Bucs at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland, who also had a formal meeting with Tampa Bay in Indianapolis and is scheduled for a Top 30 visit, had an 83.4 run defense grade. Penn State’s Adisa Isaac, who also formally met with the Bucs at the Combine, had a similar 82.4 run defense grade. Kneeland and Isaac are considered to be second-round options for Tampa Bay.

QUESTION: Which edge rushers should the Bucs target for trade similarly to the Jason Pierre-Paul trade, and what would the cost be for each target?

ANSWER: I don’t know of any edge rushers that are necessarily available for trade right now outside of Philadelphia’s Haason Reddick. The Eagles were contemplating trading defensive end Josh Sweat, but decided to extend his contract instead for salary cap reasons. Carolina used the franchise tag on outside linebacker Brian Burns and then traded him to the New York Giants for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-rounder in 2025. That might be the going rate for Reddick, or perhaps slightly less since he’s an older player who is about to turn 30.

Two of the more bigger name edge rushers – Washington’s Chase Young and Montez Sweat – were traded to the 49ers and Bears, respectively, last year. Sweat inked an extension with Chicago, while San Francisco moved on from Young, who signed a one-year deal with New Orleans.

Eagles OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: USA Today

Outside of Reddick, I am unaware of any other outside linebacker candidate that Bucs general manager Jason Licht could trade for right now. In last week’s Bucs Mailbag I discussed several reasons why the team would not likely be interested in trading for Reddick. I won’t go into great detail here other than saying he’s going to turn 30 this year and is in the final year of his contract worth $15 million per year.

Coming off back-to-back Pro Bowls, it’s unlikely Reddick would want to take less. So any team trading for Reddick would have to take on his $6.9 million salary for 2024 and would likely have to work out an extension to justify surrendering a draft pick. Otherwise that team would only be renting Reddick for a year.

While Reddick has had four straight seasons with double-digit sacks, including last year in Philadelphia where he notched 11, he has never recorded a sack against Tampa Bay despite playing the Bucs twice last year and two games in the 2021 season when he suited up for Carolina. So I’m not sure he’s made the greatest impression for Licht and the Bucs’ brass.

At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Reddick is not the biggest edge rusher, either. In fact, he’s an inch shorter and 10 pounds lighter than the Bucs had with Shaq Barrett. If he was younger the Bucs might be interested, although Jason Pierre-Paul was 29 when Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade with the New York Giants. The Falcons desperately need a pass rusher and Atlanta has been rumored to be interested in trading for Reddick along with Arizona, which is the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017.

QUESTION: I’m not sold on the Bucs running backs. Any chance we draft one in the early rounds?

ANSWER: I don’t think the Bucs would consider drafting a running back prior to the third round this year. That seems like the sweet spot for Jason Licht, who has drafted three running backs in the third round since taking over as general manager in 2014. In his first draft in Tampa Bay, Licht selected running back Charles Sims in the third round, and later made Ke’Shawn Vaughn a third-round pick in 2020. Two years later, Licht drafted current starter Rachaad White in the third round in 2022.

Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs do need another rusher as Chase Edmonds is the only proven commodity behind White on the depth chart. The Bucs wisely cut Vaughn, who wound up being a bad draft pick. Sean Tucker was hyped as an undrafted free agent signing last year, but underwhelmed and was often inactive. Patrick Laird isn’t overly talented and spent last year on the practice squad and might wind up there again.

The running back class is not strong on quality talent this year. There are no first-round caliber backs like Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson in years past. Florida State’s Trey Benson might be the first back off the board this year somewhere in the second round. Texas’ Jonathon Brooks is the most talented runner, but is coming off a torn ACL. He could still go in the second round, but the injury could cause him to slip into the third round.

With more pressing needs at interior offensive line and edge rusher, the Bucs will likely address running back somewhere on Day 3. Tampa Bay only had formal interviews with two running backs at the NFL Scouting Combine that Pewter Report is aware of in USC’s MarShawn Lloyd and Kentucky’s Ray Davis. Lloyd is an explosive back with good hands out of the backfield with great elusiveness. He could be an option with one of the team’s two third-round picks.

Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen is intriguing in that he’s a big back at 6-foot-1, 235 pound, and will only be 20 on draft weekend. Allen and Troy’s Kimani Vidal run with nimble feet and power, and could be options in the fourth round. If Tampa Bay was going to select a running back late in the draft Louisville’s Jahwar Johnson and Georgia’s Kendall Milton could be options. All four of these runners interviewed with the Bucs informally in Indy.

QUESTION: If he’s still available in Round 2, will Tampa draft Texas A&M’s Layden Robinson?

ANSWER: I don’t think Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson warrants a second-round grade. In fact, he may not be selected on Day 2 at all. Robinson struggled at times at the Senior Bowl and at didn’t do much at the NFL Scouting Combine. That doesn’t give him a lot of momentum heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.

Robinson could be a third-round pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him last until Day 3 pick. At that point, he could be an option for the Bucs if they don’t address guard on the first two days of the draft, or if the Bucs want to double up on the position to hedge their bets and add depth at the position.

Boston College G Christian Mahogany – Photo by: USA Today

Robinson is a pretty good athlete, but at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, he doesn’t offer a lot of size. Pass protection consistency is a big issue for Robinson, and it’s something that is going to keep him out of the starting lineup at the next level until he makes significant strides in technique in that area. To Pewter Report’s knowledge, the Bucs did not interview Robinson at the Combine – either formally or informally.

There are several other guard candidates I like a lot better than Robinson, starting with Duke’s Graham Barton, who will be a first-round draft pick, possibly by Tampa Bay if he’s there at No. 26, or if general manager Jason Licht trades up to get him. UConn’s Christian Haynes and Boston College’s Christian Mahogany could be options in the second round. Barton and Haynes met formally with the Bucs at the Combine, while Mahogany had an informal interview.

The Bucs also had formal interviews with Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan, Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton, Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe and Notre Dame right tackle Blake Fisher. All four could play guard at the next level with Morgan and Guyton being late first-rounders or early second-rounders, and Beebe and Fisher likely candidates for the third round. Remember, Licht has had success drafting offensive tackles and moving them inside, doing that with left tackle Cody Mauch last year and center Robert Hainsey four years ago.

QUESTION: What Bucs offseason situation so far has been the most surprising?

ANSWER: I can’t really think of anything that was terribly surprising. Pewter Report accurately forecast the release of outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and the trading of Carlton Davis III, so we were ahead of that news. I fully expected Bucs general manager Jason Licht and assistant G.M. Mike Greenberg to re-sign all four of the team’s big free agents – Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans, legendary linebacker Lavonte David and kicker Chase McLaughlin.

Bucs WR Mike Evans and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

And Pewter Report accurately predicted that All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. would get the franchise tag. Even the re-signing of former Bucs strong safety Jordan Whitehead, who played the last two seasons with the New York Jets, made a ton of sense and didn’t catch us off guard.

I suppose the fact that wide receiver Mike Evans was signed for just two years was a bit of a surprise. I thought he would get a three-year deal. The two-year deal works to the team’s advantage in my opinion. And the fact that Evans didn’t make $25 million per year, and only averaged $21 million instead was a bit surprising. Yet Evans has some incentives where he can earn up to $29 million.

If I have to offer up which signing was the most surprising I would say Jets cornerback Bryce Hall. I didn’t see that move coming, and I think it’s a great one. Hall is a great fit for Todd Bowles’ defense and brings experience and length to the outside cornerback position. He’ll compete with Zyon McCollum to start, but will likely fill the No. 3 cornerback role on the depth chart.