Could the Buccaneers bring back a Super Bowl-winning pass rusher?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their first vital blow in training camp. losing rookie outside linebacker David Walker in Sunday's practice to a season-ending ACL injury.

Walker was already showing flashes of the kind of role he could have carved out in his rookie season, so losing him is unfortunate news for the Buccaneers. He had caught the attention of several of the Bucs' offensive linemen and head coach Todd Bowles, who commented on the loss of Walker during Monday's post-practice press conference.

"He was making a big impact early," Bowles said. "Obviously, we were counting on him to do a lot of things. We’ve got other guys that have to step up. I told him he has to look at this as a redshirt year. It’s unfortunate. It didn’t look like it was too much on film, but it ended up being that.”

The Bucs do have "other guys" on the roster, and the onus will be on the likes of Markees Watts, Jose Ramirez and undrafted rookie Warren Peeples to make the most of their extra opportunities. However, if the Bucs wanted to add veteran depth to the room, they could look no further than last year's roster.

After spending most of the season retired, Shaq Barrett made a return to the Bucs ahead of Week 17 after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. He got his first taste of action in the following week against the Saints, with the division on the line, and played 12 snaps and recorded his only tackle of the season. He played five snaps in the playoff loss to the Commanders and has remained unsigned as a free agent.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett and safety Christian Izien during training camp. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Barrett is one of the most accomplished pass rushers in franchise history. A torn Achilles in 2022 and a tragedy in 2024 left Barrett looking like the shadow of the player who recorded 19.5 sacks. However, he still notched 56 pressures in 2023 and has accepted a rotational role at age 32. He would provide additional veteran leadership in the room and knows the defense inside and out. Unfortunately, he won't offer much in special teams upside and looked to have lost a step last season, and a second reunion seems unlikely.

The free agent market is pretty barren for upside rotational pass rushers. The Bucs aren't looking for a starter, and anyone coming in would be receiving rotational snaps. With that in mind, the free agents available — the likes of Matt Judon, Preston Smith, Za'darius Smith or Jadeveon Clowney — are unlikely signings. Tampa Bay could try and swing a trade with another team or sign another familiar face in Daniel Grzesiak, who spent the year on the Bucs practice squad in 2024.

With Walker shelved for the season, Watts, Ramirez and Peeples have an opportunity to secure a spot on the roster. Especially with no real options available on the open market.

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