2024 was not the best year for Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers. While Yaya Diaby emerged as one of the better edge defenders in the NFL, the rest of the group proved to be a weakness for one of Todd Bowles’ worst defenses since he started calling the Buccaneers defense.
After leading the Bucs in sacks as a rookie last year, Yaya Diaby was the Bucs’ best outside linebacker and arguably their most consistent defender in 2024. Though he recorded fewer sacks than in 2023, Diaby improved as a pass rusher. According to Pro Football Focus, Diaby won 18.1% of his pass rushes, which is the eighth-best in the NFL among full-time edge rushers. He also accounted for 70 pressures, nearly one out of every five pressures the Bucs defense generated all season. Diaby also led the team with 13 tackles for a loss and missed just 4.4% of his tackles in run support.
The dropoff in production from Diaby to the rest of the Bucs’ outside linebackers was steep. 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka did little to make the Bucs regret forgoing his fifth-year option. He recorded just two sacks and 24 total pressures. He was so invisible that he was relegated to a part-time role after the Bucs’ Week 11 bye.
He was replaced in the starting lineup by veteran Anthony Nelson, who continued to be solid depth if a less than ideal starting option. Nelson notched four sacks and 33 total pressures as well as six tackles for a loss.
Rookie Chris Braswell flashed some potential in a rotational role. He only had modest pass-rush production, collecting 1.5 sacks and 20 total pressures, but he had a 13.6% pass-rush win rate per PFF, second only to Diaby.
Pass rush specialist Markees Watts spent most of the season on injured reserve, and 2023 sixth-round pick Jose Ramirez barely saw the field. Shaq Barrett returned to Tampa Bay in the season’s final week but played only 17 snaps between Week 18 and the Wild Card round.
The outside linebackers accounted for just 12 of the Bucs’ 46 sacks and 23 of their 81 tackles for a loss. The edge rush, or lack thereof, was a big piece of the Bucs’ struggles in pass defense.
Diaby and Braswell are the only outside linebackers that are assured to be on the roster in 2025. Diaby is a legitimate starter and Braswell proved he can fit into an edge rotation.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is not likely to play in a Bucs uniform next season. The upside that got him drafted in the first round did not manifest into a high-end NFL player.
Anthony Nelson’s…
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