How Randy Gregory Affects Bucs’ Draft Plans

The Bucs signed veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory just a few weeks before the 2024 NFL Draft.

Gregory signed a one-year deal worth $3 million and potentially another $2 million if he hits certain incentives.

So how does Gregory’s signing affect Tampa Bay’s draft plans – if at all – at the outside linebacker position?

As head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht both said at the NFL Scouting Combine, the team cannot have enough good pass rushers. If the right edge rusher is available in the right round and it makes sense, the addition of Gregory won’t prohibit the Bucs from drafting another outside linebacker.

At the same time, adding Gregory, who split time between Denver and San Francisco last year, to the mix does allow Tampa Bay to be more flexible in the draft and not feel compelled to draft another outside linebacker to replace Shaq Barrett on the roster. If the team doesn’t draft an edge rusher this year, it can get by with what it has during the 2024 season – if Gregory can at least be somewhat productive and the team’s young talent continues to develop and ascend.

Here’s a look at the six edge rushers Tampa Bay currently has on the roster.

Bucs’ Current Depth Chart At OLB

As it stands right now, the Bucs have six outside linebackers they feel really good about it. Tampa Bay will keep at least five edge rushers – perhaps all six if their play merits it during training camp and the preseason. Here is how Pewter Report currently sees the depth chart at outside linebacker.

OLB1 YaYa Diaby

The Bucs are very excited about Diaby’s potential as enters his second year with the team as a starter. Diaby has the size, speed and ability to be one of the league’s better pass rushers, evidenced by 7.5 sacks last year. But he needs to improve his pass rush moves and his pass rush win rate, which was just 6.6% last year, according to Pro Football Focus.

OLB2 Randy Gregory

At 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, Gregory brings size and length to Tampa Bay, in addition to experience and wisdom to a very young Bucs outside linebacker room. At age 31, he still has the ability to be a starter in the league, although he may not be able to handle a full workload each game over an entire season.

OLB3 Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

It’s a make-or-break season for Tryon-Shoyinka, who will want to compete for the starting job with Gregory in his contract year. The team didn’t pick up his fifth-year option, but head coach Todd Bowles will be using him in a variety of ways this season. Tampa Bay values his versatility to rush the passer from the edge and the middle, as well as dropping into coverage.


OLB4 Anthony Nelson

Bowles admires and appreciates Nelson’s football intelligence and the steady play he brings as a backup. Nelson is in the final year of his contract and will want to make the most of his playing time. That means playing like a starter and getting more sacks and more sack-fumbles when he’s rushing the passer.

OLB5 Markees Watts

Bucs OLB Markees Watts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs are very excited about Watts’ potential after witnessing his 22% pass rush win rate in limited playing time during his rookie season. If he can master Bowles’ defense this offseason and show he can do everything from stunt and twist and drop into coverage, Watts could be a surprise starter based on his athleticism and tenacity.

OLB6 Jose Ramirez

Like Watts, Ramirez was giving great looks – and fits – to both offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke in practice during the year. Ramirez has great agility and instincts as a pass rusher. He’ll need to add size and get stronger this offseason in order to have a chance of making the 53-man roster if Tampa Bay ends up keeping five or six edge rushers.

Randy Gregory’s Addition Eliminates Bucs’ Need To Draft OLB

Here are some additional things to consider about Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers. Half of the unit is not under contract beyond 2024, as Randy Gregory signed a one-year deal with the Bucs and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson are both in contract years. Drafting another edge rusher makes sense from a talent acquisition standpoint, in addition to creating some continuity and longevity at the position.

Bucs OLB Randy Gregory – Photo by: USA Today

But this is not a great draft for edge rushers. There will likely be just three or four selected in the first round with Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Florida State’s Jared Verse, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and perhaps Penn State’s Chop Robinson being those players. After that, the quality and quantity at the outside linebacker position tails off dramatically.

And there is a good chance that Turner, Verse and Latu are off the board by the time Tampa Bay picks at No. 26. There are some players the Bucs like, such as probable second-rounders like Penn State’s Adisa Isaac, Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland and potential fourth-rounder Mo Kamara out of Colorado State. But are any of those pass rushers difference-makers?

The team added three young outside linebackers last year in YaYa Diaby, Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez. Unless the perfect pass rusher falls to the Bucs in a particular round, there is a chance that Tampa Bay likely wants to see what it has in the young players it has already accumulated before acquiring any more new ones.

The addition of Randy Gregory allows that discovery to take place this spring and summer and thus eliminates the need for drafting another outside linebacker.

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