SR’s Fab 5: Inside Jason Licht’s Plan To Flood Bucs With Pass Rushers

Welcome to SR’s Fab 5 – my weekly insider column on the Bucs that features five things that are on my mind. SR’s Fab 5 is now a quicker read, but still packs a punch. Enjoy!

FAB 1: Inside Jason Licht’s Plan To Flood The Bucs With Pass Rushers

Bucs general manager Jason Licht was stunned.

The Bucs had just beaten the New York Giants, 25-23, at Raymond James Stadium on October 1, 2017 to improve to 2-1 on the season. The loss sent the Eli Manning-led Giants to an 0-4 start.

Licht was somewhat satisfied that his team barely beat a bad Giants team because wins are hard to come by in the NFL, but very unsatisfied with Tampa Bay’s pass rush.

Manning, who was regarded as a statue in the pocket during his playing days, dropped back to throw 49 times and wasn’t sacked once. In fact, he wasn’t even hit once in the pocket.

To make matters worse, the non-mobile Manning actually scrambled for 22 yards, including a 14-yard rushing touchdown, on three carries. Despite the Bucs victory, it was an ominous sign of things to come for Tampa Bay’s pass rush – or lack thereof.

“I definitely remember that game, it was raining,” Bucs defensive tackle Will Gholston said. “It was pouring and we didn’t get to the quarterback once. Didn’t touch him.”

The Bucs finished dead last in the NFL in sacks in 2017 with just 22. Gerald McCoy led the way with only six as Tampa Bay underwhelmed with a 5-11 record in Dirk Koetter’s second season as head coach, coming off a 9-7 debut in 2016.

Licht, who was an offensive and defensive lineman in college, knows that football is – and always will be – a game that is won in the trenches. He vowed to never let the Bucs not be able to rush the passer again.

The next year, defensive line coach Jay Hayes was fired and replaced with Brentson Buckner. In the 2018 offseason, Licht made the best trade in his time as general manager, shipping a third-round pick to the Giants to acquire a Pro Bowl pass rusher in Jason Pierre-Paul. He also signed veteran Eagles edge rusher Vinny Curry and spent a first-round draft pick on nose tackle Vita Vea.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But Licht wasn’t done bolstering the Bucs’ pass rush. He continued to flood the defensive line by acquiring defensive end Carl Nassib, a former third-round pick in Cleveland, off the waiver wire before the start of the season.

Pierre-Paul became the first double-digit sacker in Tampa Bay in a decade and led the team with 12.5. Curry wound up getting hurt and finished with just 2.5 sacks, but Nassib replaced him as the starter and was second on the team with 6.5.

The next year, Licht would cut McCoy, whose career was in decline due to injuries, and sign Ndamukong Suh, who only contributed 2.5 sacks, but was healthy for every game in 2019. Suh spear-headed Tampa Bay’s top-ranked rushing defense and did end up leading the team with four fumble recoveries, including two for touchdowns.

In 2019, Licht also had his best free agent signing – not named Tom Brady. Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett signed a one-year, prove-it deal from Denver and led the league with 19.5 sacks, which broke Warren Sapp’s single-season franchise record of 16.5 sacks (2000).

Barrett teamed with Suh, Vea and Pierre-Paul to help produce a total of 7.5 sacks alone between that red and pewter quartet in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LV. Future Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes didn’t have the benefit of healthy offensive lines, but Licht’s defensive line was certainly talented enough to take full advantage.

Over the past three years, Licht has taken steps toward revamping the Bucs defensive line as the aging Suh and Pierre-Paul weren’t re-signed in free agency after the 2021 season.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, DT Calijah Kancey and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Vea was re-signed to a lucrative new deal and led the Bucs in sacks last year with a career-high 6.5 sacks, then added one more in the playoff loss to the Cowboys. Barrett was given the franchise tag in 2020 and re-signed to a huge new deal after posting 10 sacks and having his second Pro Bowl season in 2021.

Licht has also spent the team’s last three top picks on pass rushers along the defensive line. Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was the Bucs’ first-round pick in 2021. Athletic defensive tackle Logan was the Bucs’ initial pick in the 2022 draft at the top of the second round.

This year, the Bucs selected speedy, undersized defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. The Bucs’ starting front five trenchmen in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 defense are as follows:

OLB Shaq Barrett – former franchise tag player, 2x Pro Bowler
DT Logan Hall – second-round pick in 2022
NT Vita Vea – first-round pick in 2018, Pro Bowler
DT Calijah Kancey – first-round pick in 2023
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – first-round pick in 2021

Throw in inside linebacker Devin White, a first-round pick in 2019, and the last time Licht drafted an offensive player in the first round was tight end O.J. Howard way back in 2017.

Whether or not this revamped defensive front is as successful as the unit Licht built from 2018 on and won Super Bowl LV with, there is no doubting the amount of resources he has thrown in that direction.

Licht has once again flooded the defensive front, also re-signing former fourth-round edge rusher Anthony Nelson and drafting another outside linebacker in YaYa Diaby in the third round this year. If the players he and Bowles have drafted and signed pan out, opposing quarterbacks could drown in that pass rush flood.

But if the high picks along that revamped defense don’t pan out, Licht and Bowles could end up drowning themselves.

FAB 2. Return Of “The Shaq”

Vita Vea led the Bucs with 6.5 sacks last year. Good for Vea, but bad for Todd Bowles and the Bucs. He never wants a 350-pound nose tackle to lead his defense in sacks.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s the job of Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers in Bowles’ defense, specifically Shaq Barrett.

Add up Anthony Nelson’s 11.5 career sacks over four years and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s eight career sacks over two, and that equals the number of sacks Barrett had in 2019 alone, which was an NFL-leading 19.5 QB captures.

A big reason why Vea was Tampa Bay’s leading sacker was because Barrett missed the final nine games of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. Barrett only had three sacks before he was placed on injured reserve.

Now, the Bucs’ two-time Pro Bowler is back and ready to make up for lost time. Even though Barrett turns 31 later this fall, he’s ready to turn back time.

“I feel like a big year is coming for me,” Barrett said. “I’m not going to say it’s going to be like 2019 numbers-wise, but it should be like a 2019 year for me in terms of playing free and fast and enjoying the game because it got taken away from me. I wasn’t taking it for granted before, but with my injury I have more of an appreciation for it now. I want to take advantage of this season, play free, play fast, have fun and help this team get some wins.”

Barrett was medically cleared to practice on the first day of training camp and has been just about full bore ever since. He said he doesn’t even think about his surgically-repaired ankle anymore.

“I feel like my comeback took too long, actually,” Barrett said. “We took it slow in the training room. They got me right and put me through all the drills so I could have confidence going onto the field and practicing. It built my confidence up over time. I really don’t even think about the injury anymore.
“I never feel it on the field playing football. The only time I feel a little bit of the difference is when I’m doing single-leg calf raises and I stay on my right side for a certain amount of time. Then I can’t match that on my left side. But on the football field I never second-guess or question myself regarding the injury. It’s out of my mind.”

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

What is on his mind is the fact that he doesn’t have a lot of time left in the NFL and in red and pewter. Although, the Bucs made a huge commitment to Barrett sticking around for the 2024 season by restructuring his contract earlier this week, buoyed by the fact that Barrett had a very good training camp and appears to be regaining his old form.

“I definitely need to make up for some lost time for sure,” Barrett said. “I’m closer to the end of my career than I am the start of it. I want to make the most of the time I have left here. I don’t know what the future holds or how many years I have left to play. But there is not going to be a game where I don’t leave it all out on the field. Like last year, it could be gone – just like that.

“I want to leave it in this organization’s mind and my mine that I can still play. Age is nothing to me right now. I’m feeling good. I didn’t start until my sixth year in the league, so my body should be fresher than a typical 10-year player who has been starting the whole time. I’m ready to go. With our [OLB] room we should be able to dominate this year.”

That’s music to Todd Bowles’ ears, who has liked what he’s seen from his most experienced pass rusher since his return to action in late July.

“The last preseason game, I saw flashes of the old Shaq,” Bowles said. “He was quicker than normal. His pass drops were good. His pash rush was good. That was a positive sign. And he’s walking around with a smile, so that’s a good sign for us.”

FAB 3. Bucs Livin’ On The Edge With 6 OLBs

It’s April and general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles look at their roster, especially outside linebacker where backup Anthony Nelson led the unit with a career-high 5.5 sacks last year. Nelson is back on a two-year deal, but 5.5 sacks sounds like a ceiling-type sack number for the Bucs’ top backup.

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Thirty-year old Shaquil Barrett is in the middle of his recovery from a torn Achilles. He only posted three sacks in the first eight games of the season when he was healthy. Can he make a full comeback and return to Pro Bowl-caliber form?

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is entering a critical third year after stalling out with four sacks in each of the last two years. Is he just a very good athlete? Or is he a legit pass rusher who can really play football and live up to his first-round hype?

In addition to these questions, remember that injuries hit the outside linebacker room hard last year. There was a three-game stretch late in the season where Nelson and Tryon-Shoyinka each had to play every snap because the team ran out of edge rushers. The Bucs’ pass rush suffered as a result.

Licht and Bowles weren’t going to let that happen again. They drafted not one but two outside linebackers this year in YaYa Diaby in the third round and Jose Ramirez in the sixth round.

Diaby, who had a career-high nine sacks last season, wound up making the 53-man roster and figures to be the No. 4 edge rusher on the depth chart right now. Ramirez struggled with injuries in August, but made the practice squad as the seventh outside linebacker.

Bucs OLB Cam Gill and DT Ndamukong Suh – Photo by: USA Today

That’s right, the Bucs wound up keeping six outside linebackers on the 53-man roster, including undrafted free agent Markees Watts and Cam Gill, who had half a sack as a reserve in Super Bowl LV and 1.5 sacks in the preseason, but missed last year with a foot injury.

“All six of them are explosive and can rush the passer,” Bucs defensive tackle Will Gholston said. “They help not only on defense, but also on special teams. They are some heavy hitters. Jason Licht – the dude has it figured it out. He’s got a formula and it’s worked out.”

Licht has stockpiled high-end talent along Tampa Bay’s starting defensive front. But this year, he and Bowles are making sure the cupboard is stocked with enough quality reserves to keep the Bucs’ pass rush humming all year.

“You just can’t have too many of those guys,” Licht said at a recent press conference. “Injuries occur, and even without thinking of injuries, you just can’t have enough pass rushers. I think it’s going to pay off for us.”

The good news is that Barrett looks ready for a bounce-back season. Tryon-Shoyinka looks ready to take the next step. Nelson looks ready to answer when called upon. And Diaby looks ready to hit someone.

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

Should injuries or ineffectiveness occur, Licht and Bowles know they have Watts and Gill waiting to help out if needed and rush the passer. With six players, Tampa Bay’s outside linebacker room now has a little bit of everything.

The Bucs have a pair of long-armed edge defenders like JTS and Nelson; two very explosive and powerful players in Diaby and Watts; and two undersized, relentlessly quick pass rushers in Barrett and Gill.

“It’s amazing because his formula is very Swiss army knife-like,” Gholston said of Licht’s penchant for finding good defenders up front. “We can put YaYa in as a three-technique and he can do his thing. Shaq can drop in coverage and get some one-handed interceptions. Joe can line up and come from anywhere.

“We can line up Vita [Vea] as a linebacker and send him on a blitz. I’ve even seen Vita line up at fullback and catch a touchdown. The formula that he has is when it comes to making sure the defense can fit the mold of what Coach Bowles wants it to be – It works.”

FAB 4. Rookie Pass Rushers Are The Real Deal

Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey has practiced just twice since July 30, when he injured his calf early in training camp.

Outside linebacker YaYa Diaby hasn’t played a down yet in an NFL regular season game.

Outside linebacker Markees Watts is buried on the depth chart.

Yet the Bucs really believe in their rookie pass rushers this year. Just wait and see what happens.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay’s defensive line will be younger, faster and more athletic than before when bigger defensive tackles like Ndamukong Suh, Akiem Hicks and Will Gholston were starting over the past couple of seasons. At 6-foot, 286 pounds, Kancey is four inches shorter than Hicks and about 50 pounds lighter.

“Calijah – he’s a different type of player than we’ve had in the past since I’ve been here,” Bucs outside linebacker Shaq Barrett said. “But he’s fast. I’ve been loving what I’ve seen from Logan [Hall], Calijah and Mike [Greene]. They are strong but they bring more speed. Our pass rush could be so in-sync in this year where we can play off each other with stunts and games. We’ll probably do it a little bit more this year than we have in recent years. I can’t wait to get out there. I’ve been waiting for so long for this.”

The Bucs will be doing more stunts and twists upfront with their new athletic lineup. And speaking of athletes, Diaby is an absolute freak. Powerfully built at 6-foot-3, 263 pounds, Diaby ran a 4.51 at the NFL Scouting Combine and is coming off a very good training camp.

“YaYa is so consistent with his pass rush,” Barrett said. “I saw that all camp. He’s consistent with his get-off, his long arm, his power, and then when he switches it up with finesse and nobody’s expecting that. It works every time.”

Watts, who had a sack-fumble and several pressures in the preseason, was one of the surprises in training camp to some. But Pewter Report featured Watts as one of our training camp sleepers over the summer.

“He really jumped off the tape, even that very first time we had him here on a tryout because he is Gumby,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “He plays about this low to the ground [holds hand near the floor]. He is very explosive off the edge. He is smart, plays hard, [has] natural power. He’s got a big upside, so we’re very excited about him.”

Bucs OLB Markees Watts Photo By: Cliff Welch/PR

Watts wears No. 58, which was Barrett’s old number before he switched to No. 7 this season. Perhaps Barrett left some of his sack mojo on that jersey that will wear off on Watts.

“He looks good in that number,” Barrett said. “His first year compared to my first year? He’s way ahead of me. He’s got a bright future as long as he keeps growing and learning. He’s got it all. He’s got the speed then he plays so low that he can bend around he doesn’t mind touching the ground. He’s got the speed off the ball and then he’s got the power. He’s definitely well-rounded and I’m glad we kept him.

“We’re so deep in our room – we have to be able to unleash our pass rush and get after the quarterback. We have to get to the point again where we’re stopping the run early and not worrying about the run. Just let us go and turn us loose and impose our will on teams.”

FAB 5. Bucs Still Chasing Elusive Goal Of 50 Sacks (Or More)

Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles has an annual goal for his defense. Record 30 takeaways and post 50 sacks. Even when the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2020 and finished 2021 with a franchise-best 13-4 record, the defense has fallen just short of those goals.

Since Bowles arrived in Tampa Bay in 2019, the Bucs have produced 47, 48, 47 and 44 sacks over the past four years. With a healthy Shaq Barrett returning and more speed and pass-rushing ability up front, the Bucs believe that this could be the year the defense reaches the 50-sack mark.

Bucs OLBs Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Right now 50 is the ceiling because we haven’t gotten to it yet,” Barrett said. “But once we get to it we’re going to break through that ceiling and there’s going to have to be a new ceiling. Fifty is the current ceiling, but most definitely once we break through 50 we’ll set our goals a little bit higher. We just have to be consistent with it. One time isn’t enough to get 50. We have to get 50 consistently and build on it.”

Part of the reason why sacks were down last year was not just due to Barrett’s injury. Tampa Bay’s run defense slipped to 15th in the league last year, allowing 121.1 yards per game. The three previous seasons, Bowles’ defense finished in the Top 5 in rushing defense, and allowed just 91.6 yards per game on the ground in 2021.

Bowles has put a huge emphasis on getting back to stopping the run on early downs and setting up more third-and-long pass-rush situations.

“My favorite response is, ‘If you stop the run you can rush the passer,’” Bucs reserve defensive tackle Will Gholston said. “I’ve never thought about 50 sacks. My individual goal is to kick the dude’s ass in front of me. I don’t care about nothing else.”

Gholston, who didn’t record a sack last year, won’t be counted on to be a pass-rushing force. When he sees the field, it will either be on early downs or third-and-short situations to help stop the run and let players like Barrett feast on third-and-long downs.

“We’re going to be good,” Barrett said. “I don’t see us under-performing at all as a front four in the pass-rushing department – or the run-stopping department. We know how important it is to rush the quarterback. It changes the whole game when you can consistently get after the quarterback. It helps to have a lot of guys who can do it and to have a lot of fresh bodies.

Bucs NT Vita Vea, OLB Shaquil Barrett and DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“If I’m not in, YaYa can get to the quarterback. Nelly (Anthony Nelson) can get to the quarterback. If Joe [Tryon-Shoyinka] is not in, Cam [Gill] or [Markees] Watts can get to the quarterback. We have Calijah [Kancey] and Vita [Vea] inside along with Logan [Hall] and Mike [Greene]. I love our D-line and the way we rotated guys in during camp – the way we’re able to put pressure on the quarterback with anybody – with everybody. We should have a pretty good year getting after the quarterback this year.”

With more speed and athleticism up front than ever before, Bowles is getting even more creative behind the scenes with his blitz packages and pressure packages. When asked what’s new and what’s in store for opposing offenses this year, Gholston just grinned.

“I can’t tell you because there is no way not to give it away,” Gholston said. “I’m excited to see it. I’ve watched Coach Bowles stand on the sideline and literally call out the offensive play even when they’re just breaking the huddle. ‘Hey, this is what is going to happen.’ Dude’s a genius. He’s always prepared, and now he really has a different arsenal to use. It’s going to be fun – really fun.”

The post SR’s Fab 5: Inside Jason Licht’s Plan To Flood Bucs With Pass Rushers appeared first on Pewter Report.