Buccaneers 2021 Positional Outlook: Edge Rusher
Over the next month until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the field for training camp, AllBucs plans to break down the team's roster, position by position, in order to prepare onlookers for what to watch for during the 2021 season.
This series isn't meant to turn into a projection of the depth chart, although starters at some positions will appear rather obvious. Instead, this exercise should provide insight as to which players should make meaningful contributions to a run at another Super Bowl and what the Bucs' depth looks like.
We've broken down each position on the offensive side of the ball for Tampa Bay thus far - today, we'll look at the team's edge-rushing position, fulfilled by the Buccaneers' outside linebackers.
Buccaneers current edge rushers
- Shaq Barrett
- Jason Pierre-Paul
- Joe Tryon
- Anthony Nelson
- Ladarius Hamilton
- Cam Gill
- Quinton Bell
Starters: Barrett and Pierre-Paul
After combining for 17.5 sacks throughout the 2020 regular season and adding another six in the playoffs, Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul enter 2021 resting comfortably in their starting spots.
The duo is considered one of the best edge rush combos in the entire NFL, and Barrett was rewarded as such when his contract expired this offseason with a four-year extension worth up to $72 million. Pierre-Paul may not stick around for the long-term in Tampa Bay, now entering the final year of his deal, as he turned 32 this offseason and considering the Bucs may have selected his heir in the first round this year.
Still, so long as those two are Tampa Bay's starting outside linebackers, expectations will always be high for their performances. Pierre-Paul improved his production during his second year with the Buccaneers compared to his first, and although Barrett didn't replicate his league-leading sack count from the 2019 season, he continued to produce elite-caliber pressure off of the opposite edge.
Depth
In the short term, Joe Tryon is expected to serve as reinforcement behind Barrett and Pierre-Paul, appearing in sub-packages and developing into a high-quality NFL player. When the time comes - most likely after the 2021 season when Pierre-Paul becomes a free agent - Tryon is likely to start opposite of Barrett.
Despite opting out of the 2020 season to prepare for the draft, Tampa Bay saw enough from Tryon to select him in the first round this past April. A long-limbed and well-built outside linebacker, Tryon is explosive off of the line of scrimmage and productive in getting after the quarterback, seen by his eight sacks as a sophomore.
Anthony Nelson, Cam Gill, Quinton Bell, and Ladarius Hamilton are set to compete for Tampa Bay's No. 4 edge rusher role. In addition to pass rush prowess, special teams expertise will be critical in who earns the spot. Nelson, Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in 2019, may have a leg up on the competition due to his experience in both departments.
Final thoughts
The rich got richer this offseason as Tampa Bay not only returned half of their dominant duo at outside linebacker in free agency, but also used precious draft capital to secure a rotational edge rusher who should one day develop a starter.
In defensive coordinator Todd Bowles' defense, edge rushers play a crucial role to disrupt drives and even create turnovers. The defensive line does a lot of the dirty work to provide Barrett, Pierre-Paul and others a path to the quarterback and ball carrier, and the combination of speed and power that the starters provide does the rest.
The Buccaneers can rest assured, as they aim for a second consecutive Super Bowl berth and look into the future, that the position lays in good hands.
