Tampa Bay Buccaneers Legend discusses Ndamukong Suh's future
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed the majority of their key free agents this offseason but there are still a few notable names who aren't yet under contract for the 2022 season. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski has remained coy on his future, as he deliberates between continuing to play football and retiring. Earlier this week, Gronkowski and Brady were spotted together a short distance away from Raymond James Stadium.
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Then there is the curious case of veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Over the last few years, Suh has been a pivotal piece on the defense but injuries piled up in 2021 and limited his impact. The Buccaneers invested in the defensive line in the recent NFL Draft, selecting defensive tackle Logan Hall in the Second Round. That means Suh's future with the franchise is pretty uncertain at this point.
Speaking on the Beckles and Recher Show earlier this week, legendary Buccaneers defensive lineman Warren Sapp weighed in on the situation. The Hall of Famer believes that Tampa Bay won't be bringing back Suh, pointing towards their moves in the draft.
"Nah, we won't be bringing Suh back. You can skip that," Sapp said. "You don't draft a defensive tackle and bring one back that can't rush and that's what you're looking for, is one who can. That's the opposite message. We've got Vita Vea, he's big enough to hold two A gaps."
Sapp was asked if he thinks Vita Vea should be shifted on the line to fill in Suh's role. Instead, he wants Vita to keep what he's doing with an eye on the incoming rookie, Logan Hall. If those two can hold it down in the middle, the defense will do its job.
"Nah, fish out of water. Leave the big fella [Vea] where he's comfortable. Let him wheel and deal and understand where he's got to go," Sapp said. "But this new guy [Logan Hall], we've got to get a motor in him and teach him how to get to the quarterback. If you've got two up the middle doing good, everything else will get fit."
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To say the least, Sapp was not pleased with what he saw from the defensive line last season. He singled out 2021 First-Round pick, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, in particular. Hopefully, things will be back up to his standards this fall.
"Man, I wasn't a fan of any of them. It was just 'who are these guys?' A man got drafted No. 1 [Joe Tryon-Shoyinka] that had what, five sacks [Tryon-Shoyinka had four sacks in 2021]? Not one straight rush to be found. A lot of these twists and stunts were done from the inside too. So I'm wondering, you've got this guy getting money from the inside and you're fixing to put him outside? You're fixing to face the left tackles of the National Football League? Ok. You didn't even beat one in college? Ok."
Tampa Bay has made it a point to reinvigorate a defensive line that was old and beat up by the end of last season's loss in the playoffs. It's all but certain that Jason Pierre-Paul is parting ways with the Buccaneers and Suh could very well join him. The addition of Hall gives the franchise a high-potential rookie to work with on the interior alongside Vea and Rakeem Nunes-Roches. The hope is that Tryon-Shoyinka will take the next step off the edge opposite of William Gholston.
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