Joe Is Minicamp No-Show, Putting Career In Question

Where's Joe?

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, the former University of Washington edge rusher and one-time NFL No. 1 draft pick -- and someone whose pro football career notably is beginning to wind down -- has disappeared into offseason obscurity for now.

He didn't show up for minicamp for the Philadelphia Eagles, his fourth pro franchise overall and third in nine months.

This was newsworthy because Tryon-Shoyinka was the only veteran on the roster who didn't make an appearance and presumably was fined up to $53,959 for missing those two days of workouts.

This has been somewhat of a mystery because neither the Eagles, who signed him as a free agent to a one-year $1.4 million deal in March, nor Tryon-Shoyinka have offered any reason for his absence.

All of which seems a little ill-advised because he was going to have to battle to make this team come August.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (90) of the Cleveland Browns ties to pull down Rams wide receiver Brennan Presley (81) in 2025. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Tryon-Shoyinka is a prime example of how quickly things can change in the highly competitive NFL, where just 2,240 players are employed at any one time in an active or practice team role.

Just five years ago, he was a first-round pick, the 32nd player drafted overall, for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the COVID pandemic still providing a tenuous backdrop. He signed a four-year deal worth $11 million.

He sat out the 2020 season at Washington in order to work out and get himself ready for the NFL. He felt becoming a second-team All-Pac-12 selection the year before, even with sitting out a season, was more than enough to sell himself to the pros.

The UW's Joe Tryon (9) sacks WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon (18) during the 2019 Apple Cup. | Jennifer Buchanan-Imagn Images

Tryon-Shoyinka played in 62 games, starting 45 of them, over four seasons before the Bucs decided he wasn't productive enough and didn't give him a contract extension.

He finsihed with 15 career sacks while in Tampa Bay, just two during the 2024 season, and he was left to find another landing spot.

The Cleveland Browns signed him to a one-year $4.75 million deal but used him in only eight games before trading him during the season to the Chicago Bears, who used him for another eight outings before they parted ways.

So at the tender age of 27, Tryon-Shoyinka now finds himself well removed from all of that promise of being a first-round draft pick and just trying to hang on.

Whether he and Philadelphia can find some common ground for him to play there this fall is far from a certainty.

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