The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be hard-pressed to defend their NFC South division title for a third straight season. Losing Tom Brady to retirement was a huge blow for a team that struggled offensively in 2022, which was a big reason that they went 8-9.
Tampa Bay finished 25th in points scored and 15th in yardage last season. It is hard to imagine those numbers improving with Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield replacing Brady, so it will once again be up to the defense to get the job done.
Despite having multiple players entering free agency, the Buccaneers didn’t lose many key contributors from their defense this offseason. Cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Lavonte Davis both re-signed with the team, ensuring Todd Bowles has two of his best players back in the fold for 2023.
It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Buccaneers to continue bolstering that side of the ball to put the team in the best position possible to succeed. Tampa Bay doesn’t have one premier pass rusher that gets after the opposing quarterback as they take a team approach to it.
Last season, the Buccaneers had 45 sacks and their leader was Vita Vea with 6.5. 10 different players had multiple sacks on the season and eight of them had at least 3.0. If they want to add another quality pass rusher to the mix, Jadeveon Clowney makes for an intriguing fit late in free agency.
Clowney struggled in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns as he and defensive coordinator Joe Woods didn’t see eye-to-eye. He registered only 2.0 sacks after having a 9.0 sack season in 2021.
While Clowney hasn’t been the consistently dominant pass rusher many thought he would be when the Houston Texans selected him No. 1 overall in 2014, he has the skill set to create some chaos in the opponent’s backfield. If he isn’t getting after the quarterback for sacks, you at least know he will set the edge in the run game and make some plays in the backfield.
At this stage in free agency, teams are looking for players that will provide some upside on a team-friendly deal. Clowney could certainly provide that for the Buccaneers as a rotational pass-rushing piece capable of being a three-down player with his prowess as a run defender.
