Buccaneers Should Pursue Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl Edge Rusher
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprised many by winning the NFC South for a third-straight season and then impressed even more by making it to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield's career revival paired with receiver Mike Evans' record-extending 10th-straight 1,000-yard receiving season contributed greatly to the perceived overachievement, but so too did coach Todd Bowles's defense.
Bowles's Bucs defense allowed the 7th fewest points allowed per game while the offense averaged 20.5, and while there are certainly areas to look at for improving the unit, it stood tall for much of the season.
Now, there is speculation that players like outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett could find themselves left off the 2024 roster as a result of the business side of the NFL.
However, there is one name that has suddenly come available who could help boost the Buccaneers defense to an even higher status next year - Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick.
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) celebrates after sacking Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second half at SoFi Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Let's acknowledge up front that Tampa Bay adding Reddick, who has requested and been granted permission to seek a trade, would be complicated to achieve.
But, let's also understand it's not impossible to make happen despite the Eagles star carrying a nearly $16 million cap hit post-trade to the Bucs this offseason.
While Tampa Bay currently carries just under $38 million in projected cap space next season simple restructures of defensive tackle Vita Vea and cornerback Jamel Dean's contracts provide the potential to add nearly $19 million alone, according to Over The Cap.
That makes Reddick's contract easier to absorb while designating Barrett as a post-June 1st release leaves the Bucs with $46 million to re-sign Mayfield, Evans, safety Antoine Winfield, and potentially linebackers Lavonte David and/or Devin White depending on what the players and team decide to do with those multi-layered situations.
Additionally, Reddick is going to want an extension in the process of finding a new team as 2024 is his last non-void year on his current deal.
The linebacker turns 30 in September and is coming off his second-straight Pro Bowl season while securing double-digit sacks in each of the last four years while playing for the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers before joining the Eagles in 2022.
He's also played in every regular season game of his career since joining the NFL as a 1st-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017 coming out of Temple.
The same Temple where Bruce Arians got his first head coaching job, produced eight staff members on the latest Tampa Bay Super Bowl team, and where Bowles played defensive back under Arians in the mid-1980s.
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