Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 Free Agent Profile: DL Ndamukong Suh
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in addition to replacing the greatest quarterback of all time, are tasked with addressing the status of 26 free agents this offseason, including 10 starters.
Due to a lack of significant cap space — currently hovering just over $3 million, per Over the Cap — it won't be easy, if even possible, for the Bucs to bring all 26 players back, or even all of their first-teamers who are set to hit the market.
AllBucs is creating profiles for each of Tampa Bay's imminent free agents for the 2022 offseason. After examining wide receiver Chris Godwin, cornerback Carlton Davis III, running back Leonard Fournette, outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, tight end Rob Gronkowski, safety Jordan Whitehead and quarterback Blaine Gabbert, it's time to take a look at veteran defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.
We'll discuss the value each player provides the team and try our best to predict whether or not Tampa Bay will prioritize bringing them back.
DL Ndamukong Suh
2021 stats (playoffs included): 19 games, 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery
Previous contract: One year, $9 million
Spotrac market value and projected contract: N/A
The Bucs leaned heavily upon an ever-evolving defense during their quest for a Super Bowl in 2020.
While the second and third levels rallied together when it counted to perform at a high level, the unexpected dominance defensively in the playoffs was facilitated by the havoc Kacy Rodgers' defensive line was able to cause in the backfield of the opposition.
While edge rushers often draw the praise and glory in the modern NFL, the impact of interior defensive linemen – unless exhibiting the dominance of someone like Rams All-World defensive tackle Aaron Donald – fly slightly below the radar for their contributions because their numbers on the stat sheet don't indicate how vital they are.
Bucs defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh's impact on the team's success is a perfect example of that.
Starting in all 20 games during the Super Bowl season, Suh totaled 54 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits to supplement the increasingly strong pass-rushing trio of Pierre-Paul, Shaquil Barrett and Devin White.
His contributions creating pressure from the interior, while comparingly spectacular, were precisely what general manager Jason Licht and the Bucs expected due to the precedent Suh set for his game throughout his career.
Selected second overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2010 NFL Draft, Suh burst onto the professional scene with four Pro Bowl and three First-Team AP All-Pro selections in his first five seasons. He presided over NFL offensive linemen as one of the most physically imposing, standing at 6-foot-4, 313 pounds, and explosive defensive tackles the league offered at the time.
Those attributes would earn the former Nebraska standout the highest-paid contract for a defensive player in NFL history at the time, signing a six-year $114.4 million contract according to Sportrac with Miami in 2015.
The Dolphins released Suh as a cap casualty due to underperformance after three seasons despite earning his fifth Pro Bowl berth in 2016. He recently acknowledged how his emotional quotient (poor attitude) contributed to his decline in South Beach via a Twitter thread.
Expelled to free agency once again, Suh joined the Los Angeles Rams for one season, finishing as a Super Bowl runner-up while finding his niche after the luster of his star power burned out.
Signing a two-year contract with the Buccaneers, Suh fulfilled his mission to provide a stout presence in the defensive trenches, earning an extension in 2021. While he failed to realize his mega-star potential in Miami, Suh's consistency and longevity have served well for the quartet of squads he has suited up for thus far.
Suh, who adapted to the 3-4 base scheme when introduced to it by Wade Phillips in Los Angeles after operating as a three-technique for the Lions and Dolphins, presents a scheme-versatile, veteran piece for a team in a position to make a run for a championship after a few additions.
Those attributes will overshadow his slight production decline in 2021 for those shopping the market this offseason as he enters year 13.
He even gained two years of experience as a five-technique defensive end in Todd Bowles' 3-4, widening his scope for possible fits to nearly all 32 teams.
Entering – if not already being entrenched in – the closing years of the 35-year-old's career, Suh is likely to provide a valuable addition to a contender this offseason, earning a pretty penny as someone who has earned his keep as an elite-level defensive lineman through his career.
The desire to ring chase and the cost of a new contract signals an inevitable end of his stint in Tampa Bay.
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