One of the most disappointing aspects of the Bucs 29-19 loss to Washington was the play of Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. The Bucs highly-paid edge rusher duo really struggled in Week 10, finishing the game with a combined one tackle. Barrett was held at bay by Washington left tackle Charles Leno, barely sniffing Taylor Heinicke. On the other side, Pierre-Paul couldn’t generate any pressure against Cornelius Lucas.

“Probably their poorest performance of the year,” head coach Bruce Arians said on Bucs Total Access this week. “Together, it just wasn’t what I expect from them. We gotta have better from them.”

Arians is often blunt and pointed in his postgame assessments of players. That part doesn’t come as a surprise, especially seeing how Barrett and Pierre-Paul played. On the season, Barrett’s 5.5 sacks lead the team. Pierre-Paul is playing through a torn rotator cuff and fractured finger, managing just 2.5 sacks in seven games. Barrett has switched sides to accommodate Pierre-Paul’s injury, playing more at right outside linebacker.

Bucs Backups Stepped Up

Meanwhile, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson picked up the slack. The duo combined for two sacks against Washington. But Tryon-Shoyinka’s third tally of the season came when Heinicke slid down behind the line of scrimmage. Earlier in the game, Nelson was left unblocked off the edge for his first sack of the season.

Tryon-Shoyinka’s usage remains disturbing. He played just 19 snaps on Sunday, dropping into coverage five times and pass rushing six. Against the Saints in Week 8, the rookie saw the field for just eight reps.

If the Bucs pass rush is to return to their elite ways, Barrett and Pierre-Paul need to be better. And if Pierre-Paul can’t be better, Tryon-Shoyinka needs to play more snaps. The first round pick is an incredible pass rush talent, but is being used as a glorified off-ball linebacker. OLB coach Larry Foote’s comments about playing players according to paychecks only adds to the concern.

You can listen to the spectacular entirety of Bucs Total Access with team reporter Casey Phillips right here.