Haason Reddick and the Bucs were supposed to be a perfect fit for one another this season.

Reddick was looking for a new home last offseason to rebuild his reputation as one of the better pass rushers in the NFL. Tampa Bay desperately needed a No. 1 outside linebacker and bet on his ability to return to his previous form. Unfortunately, neither side has gotten what they sought, with Reddick having just 2.5 sacks and the defense not getting the help they needed.

Earlier this week, both outside linebackers coach Larry Foote and head coach Todd Bowles reflected on the move and his overall performance.

Larry Foote Expected Higher Sack Numbers From Haason Reddick

Haason Reddick was supposed to be a splash signing who would fortify the Bucs outside linebacker room. Signing a one-year, $14 million contract, it was an agreement with plenty of upside and had all the makings of a bargain deal. It also made sense, considering the connection Reddick had with Larry Foote. Foote moved back to coaching outside linebackers this season, and he had worked with the 31-year-old in Arizona at the start of his NFL career.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: USA Today

For all of the talk before the season about Reddick bringing a missing element to the Bucs’ defense, it just has not worked out. The two-time Pro Bowler has battled and played through injuries, which has caused him to miss four games. Despite playing 72% of defensive snaps, which is at a similar level to his previous stops with the Cardinals, Panthers, and Eagles, he has just 2.5 sacks on the year. Even outside of the sack total, 25 tackles, six quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss is not that inspiring of a stat line.

None of it adds up to making a No. 1 pass rusher kind of impact, with Reddick looking a lot more like the one-sack player he was with the Jets in 2024 than the one who had 50.5 sacks across four seasons from 2020-2023. Foote acknowledged that the big-name signing has not been what they expected, but he did note one positive.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Coming into the season, I thought his sack numbers would be higher,” Foote said. “He did a lot of good things for us early on; the injury set him back. There’s a lot of pressures, if you guys [are] looking at PFF, he has a lot of pressures and stuff like that. Sacks can be up and down. I know it sucks for him — it’s frustrating for him, being a free agent and we got him, but there’s two games left and let’s make a run in these playoffs. But yes, I thought his sack numbers would be higher, but he has a lot of pressures.”

Still, two of Reddick’s 2.5 sacks came against the Falcons, who have been rolling with a backup right tackle all year. Foote’s argument of looking at Pro Football Focus does not even hold much merit, as they credit Reddick with 33 quarterback pressures, tied for 51st-most in the league. There is something to be said about how the missed time has affected his play, but it is not an excuse for the lack of production or turning his pressures into more takedowns.

“He’s gotten back there, we just [have] to close the deal on the ones he gets back there on,” Bowles added.

Could Jason Pierre-Paul Eat Into More Of Haason Reddick’s Snaps?

With just two games left this season, the Bucs need all they can get from their defense, especially at outside linebacker. While Haason Reddick will still get plenty of snaps and attempt to make the most of them, Larry Foote also added that veteran Jason Pierre-Paul is going to play more this week. By the sounds of it, the depth chart appears to be Yaya Diaby/Reddick/Pierre-Paul/Chris Braswell.

“He is going to get more snaps this week,” Foote said. “Last week, I thought he had a great week of practice. I’ve been getting on him because he fell down a couple times throughout those 12 snaps, so [we] had him on the sled today, make sure he gets those football legs back. I’ve been having a little fun with him in the meeting room, he did trip over the one guy’s foot, but he [has] to get into football shape.”

Reddick and Pierre-Paul have a lot of playing experience under their belts, but the latter has had to work that much harder to get into football shape. If he has improved enough on the sleds, he could begin to eat into the former’s snap share.

Bucs OLB Jason Pierre-Paul and OLBs Larry Foote – Photo by: Kat Buetel/PR

Desperate times do call for desperate measures, right?

Coincidentally, before returning to Tampa Bay, JPP’s last regular-season game was with the Dolphins back in Week 14 of the 2023 season. Todd Bowles is hoping that he has caught up enough to make an impact against his former team.

“You can’t get back into football shape unless you play football, so he’s been playing and getting used to everything the past couple of weeks,” Bowles said. “Back then, he was playing every day. He was retired here now that he’s coming back, so that’s a little different. We like where he is right now, it is just getting the mental part caught up with the physical [part].”

Whether Haason Reddick can turn it on or Jason Pierre-Paul can provide a spark, someone needs to step up and provide a pass rush presence in Miami. Reddick’s time in Tampa Bay is running out, and if he fails to bring it, do not be surprised to see Pierre-Paul out there more on Sunday.