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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done a lot of work in the offseason to make sure they not only have a shot at a fourth consecutive NFC South Division title, but possibly another playoff run.
They re-signed or extended all of their best players, including record-breaking contracts for offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. They hit home runs with draft picks like Graham Barton, Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving. They made a deft trade in shipping cornerback Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions to make way for young players at the position like Zyon McCollum, who could have a breakout season in 2024.
At edge rusher, Tampa bay has been beset by one calamity after another, although there might be a free-agent solution available with veteran defensive end and former Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue, a 9-year veteran, is looking for a job after spending 2023 with the Chicago Bears and has 69 career sacks, including 23.5 in the last 3 seasons.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine identified edge rusher as one of Tampa Bay’s biggest concerns headed into 2024, and Ngakoue represents a discernible upgrade at the position.
“While (the Buccaneers) drafted edge rusher Chris Braswell in the second round, he’s not slated to start — the unproven Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is,” Laine wrote.
Ngaouke Has Dominated at Different Times
Ngaouke has been dominant at times throughout the last 8 seasons, including 6 seasons with at least 8.0 sacks including a career-high 12.0 sacks and NFL-leading 6 forced fumbles in 2017, his lone Pro Bowl season.
Ngaouke was a third-round pick (No. 69 overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars and made the PFWAA All-Rookie Team with 8.0 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 1 interception in 2016. He played his first 4 seasons in Jacksonville before things devolved into an ugly Twitter feud with owner Shahid Kahn’s son, Tony Kahn, after Ngaouke asked for a trade and the Jaguars put the franchise tag on him.
The second half of Ngaouke’s career has been lucrative but transient.
He was traded from the Jaguars to the Minnesota Vikings and played on a 1-year, $12 million contract in 2020. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens halfway through the 2020 season and signed a 2-year, $26 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ngaouke was traded to the Indianapolis Colts before the 2022 season and signed a 1-year, $10.5 million contract with the Bears in 2023.
Bucs Tried to Solve Pass Rush Problems in Offseason
The Buccaneers have done their best to find an elite edge rusher — or even depth at the position — but have run into one problem after another.
Tryon-Shoyinka, their 2021 first-round pick, has underperformed and the Buccaneers declined the fifth-year option on his contract. YaYa Diaby led the team with 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 2023 but missed a month of practice after suffering a high ankle sprain on Aug. 1.
The biggest hiccup came with the signing of veteran edge rusher Randy Gregory. Gregory signed a 1-year, $5 million contract with Tampa Bay on April 4 but never showed up for minicamp or training camp and was ultimately released by the Buccaneers on Aug. 22.
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