There was news of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing at edge rusher ahead of the Week 11 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Tampa Bay Times beat reporter Rick Stroud reported on the defensive flyer, informing: “Bucs add LB Benton Whitley to the practice squad.”
This roster move was also confirmed by the Buccaneers’ Communications department on X.
Benton Whitley Signing Adds New Rotational Option for Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles
The Buccaneers currently rank 10th in the NFL in sacks, but it’s not really due to any one player having a career year. More than anything else, credit goes to head coach Todd Bowles and his ability to create pressure utilizing different positions and players.
Whitley adds another potential rotational cog to the mix, although he’ll start out on the practice squad, as Stroud mentioned.
The 6-foot-4 Whitley has bounced around the league a bit after playing his college ball at Holy Cross. He accumulated 15.5 sacks in 43 appearances at Holy Cross.
Despite this, Whitley’s first career NFL sack has eluded him to this point.
Whitley started out his professional career with the Los Angeles Rams, but has also spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.
The edge rusher registered 2.5 preseason sacks with the Giants in 2024. In 6 regular season appearances with Minnesota and New York, Whitley logged 74 combined special teams snaps and 16 defensive snaps. His only recorded statistics are 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass breakup.
Now, Bowles and the Buccaneers will give Whitley a look ahead of the Week 11 matchup with the Bills.
YaYa Diaby Is Still the Bucs’ Sack Leader Heading Into Week 11 vs. the Bills
As mentioned above, Bowles’ scheme has generated sacks, but no one player has specifically stood out in this regard.
The current sack leader is still YaYa Diaby with 4.0 sacks. That’s been the case since the bye week, and sack production hasn’t really moved much since then.
After Diaby, fellow edge defender Anthony Nelson has 3.0 sacks, while both linebacker Lavonte David and defensive tackle Vita Vea have 2.5 sacks. A collection of players then has 2.0 sacks after that, including linebacker SirVocea Dennis, safety Tykee Smith, defensive lineman Elijah Roberts, and cornerback Jacob Parrish.
Big-name veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick has missed time with injury and has only contributed 1.5 sacks. And there are also six Bucs players who have either been credited with 1.0 sack or a half-sack.
Needless to say, Tampa Bay needs to get some more production from its edge rushers against the Bills and beyond. Whether that’s from Diaby, Nelson, or a newcomer like Whitley getting an opportunity.
During the Week 10 loss against the New England Patriots, the Buccaneers only managed 1.0 sack, and that cost them as second-year quarterback Drake Maye threw for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns.
They’ll face a similar quarterback against the Bills. In many ways, Josh Allen is the original Maye — an athletic, big-bodied QB with a strong arm who is also difficult for pass rushers to bring down.
So, if the Buccaneers had trouble getting to Maye, they could easily struggle against Allen, too.
Week 11 is a big outing for both franchises. Allen and Buffalo have underperformed at 6-3, trailing the Patriots for the division crown. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay leads its division at 6-3, but is coming off a loss and would like to get back on track.
Buccaneers Sign 6-Foot-4 Pass Rusher Before Week 11