How Shaq Barrett Will Avoid Being a 1-Year Wonder

The NFL's reigning sack leader still has plenty to prove in 2020, and a coach that will set him up for success.

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had any idea that Shaq Barrett was going to lead the NFL with 19.5 sacks last season, they probably would have offered him more than the one-year, $4 million deal they gave him in free agency last offseason.

But the Bucs got the bargain of the year, and now that Barrett is back for at least one more season on the franchise tag, everyone is waiting to see if he can replicate his incredible success from a season ago.

Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote admits that money is a big motivator, but also notes that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and his dynamic scheme is a big reason why Barrett will put up big numbers again this season.

“Coach [Todd] Bowles does a great job," Foote said via video conference call following Monday's training camp practice. "He understands how teams are going to want to try and block us and block those guys. He does a great job of putting schemes in there so those guys can’t double us all of the time, and you’ve got to worry about other pieces on our defense. Bowles will work his magic and put everybody in a position to make plays. We need other guys to step up, so they just can’t focus on one guy. Shaq – he’s a dynamic rusher. He knows how to rush [and] he understands the angles. It all ties in with our back end. If everybody is getting the quarterback to hold the ball, everybody up front should be able to get sacks.”

After four seasons as a rotational player for the Denver Broncos, Barrett took full advantage of his first chance to be a full-time starter in the NFL last year.

Barrett racked up nine sacks over the first four weeks of the 2019 season, and knew teams would start paying more attention to him throughout the rest of the year. But despite efforts to help offensive tackles with extra protection, Barrett continued to destroy opposing quarterbacks all year long.

That trend should continue in 2020, with Barrett once again playing across from another sack-master in veteran Jason Pierre-Paul, and with a coordinator and scheme that is tailor-made to put him in position to make big plays.