The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be the “ideal landing spot” for one of the top pass-rushing specialists on the market.
According to Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network, the Buccaneers would be an ideal destination for defensive end Trey Flowers. Kaye notes that the Buccaneers are likely to move on from Jason Pierre-Paul, which leaves a void on the defensive front.
The 28-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots prior to his tenure in Detroit.
“The Buccaneers are seemingly moving on from Jason Pierre-Paul, so adding another veteran pass rusher could help them in their quest to sustain a strong front,” says Kaye. “Trey Flowers could be used as a rotation player in the Bucs’ front seven, and he probably won’t command much money on a short-term pact.
If the Bucs are gearing up for another run, Flowers makes sense as a short-term addition.”
Flowers Could Excel as a Pass-Rushing Specialist for Bucs
Flowers has dealt with nagging injuries over the past two seasons, being limited to just 14 appearances in that span. His production has suffered as a result as Flowers has posted just 3.5 sacks over the past two years.
When Flowers was at his best, he could be leaned on for decent production as a pass rusher. Flowers produced 6.5-to-7.5 sacks every season from 2016 until 2019. He also missed just four games during that four-year span.
According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers produced a 63.2 defensive grade last season. However, he produced an 83.3 grade as recently as 2020, an 82.8 grade in 2019 and a 90.4 grade during the 2018 season with the Patriots.
For perspective, Flowers ranked 10th among all edge rushers with at least 100 snaps in defensive grade in 2020, 21st in defensive grade in 2019 and third in defensive grade in 2018.
After signing a five-year, $90 million deal with the Lions in 2019 and fizzling out after just three seasons, Flowers could be signed to a bargain deal. At the present moment, there isn’t major interest from other teams in signing Flowers.
Across his seven seasons in the league, Flowers has started 64 of his 75 appearances and has racked up 31.5 sacks.
Considering Flowers is just 28 years of age and only a year removed from top-10 production at a premium position, the Buccaneers would be wise to take a chance on the veteran defensive end.
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Rookie RB White Puts Fournette on Notice
While rookie running back Rachaad White will enter camp as a backup to starter Leonard Fournette, he’s aiming for more.
The third-round draft selection is aiming to unseat Fournette as the starting back. White stated the following during an interview on “The Jim Rome Show” on Wednesday, May 4.
“What I’m looking forward to for the Buccaneers, I know they’re going to put me into a great situations, great spot,” White explained. “My expectation, my goal is I’m going in there competing. I want to be the starting running back. That’s how it go. I know I got Lenny in front of me. I’m going to soak up a lot of knowledge from Lenny and that running back room, Giovani Bernard. That’s just the type of guy I am, but I’m always a competitor first.
Fournette has served as the Buccaneers’ starting back since the team’s 2020 postseason run. However, this kind of moxie from White is exactly what Tampa Bay is looking for as they look to replace the recently-departed Ronald Jones.
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Buccaneers Considered ‘Ideal’ Landing Spot for 2-Time Super Bowl Champion