Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

INTRO: The Bucs just finished their joint practices with the Jaguars and all eyes are on Tampa Bay’s pass rush, which had its moments in Jacksonville – even without starters like outside linebackers Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Tampa Bay is counting on Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick, to emerge as a starter this year and pair with Diaby to get after quarterbacks this year. Here is the latest from Jacksonville – enjoy!

FAB 1. Bucs Are Banking On Chris Braswell’s Pass Rush Ability

The Bucs had seen enough.

During Wednesday’s joint practice session with the Jaguars in Jacksonville, outside linebacker Chris Braswell exploded for four would-be sacks when the Bucs brass watched the practice film.

Braswell, who has been elevated to the starting unit due to the absence of injured outside linebackers Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, had a very good week of practice the week prior. He had multiple sacks in practice against the starting and backup offensive tackles while getting extra reps. Braswell even capped off the week with an interception off Baker Mayfield on Thursday before his NFL preseason debut in Cincinnati on Saturday.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Corey Perrine/USA Today

“That was great,” Braswell said about his practice interception. “You’ve just got to be versatile. Everybody loves sacks, and I love sacks, too. But it’s about affecting the quarterback and affecting his game, whether it’s getting pressures, getting hits, interceptions or just being in his face. I know the fans like the sacks a lot, but there are a lot of other elements to the game.”

While head coach Todd Bowles and the team’s personnel and scouting department were smiling about Braswell’s performance in practice on Wednesday, the Atlanta Falcons were trading a third-round pick to the New England Patriots for 32-year old edge rusher Matt Judon.

Doing their due diligence, the Bucs watched his tape and discussed trading for Judon, but didn’t pull the trigger on a deal. More on that later in SR’s Fab 5.

The reason? Tampa Bay had just spent a second-round pick on the Alabama edge rusher and have liked what they’ve seen so far. Trading for Judon would have stunted Braswell’s growth during his rookie season.

What Braswell needs is more reps – not less – to reach his full potential faster. A bit of a one-year wonder for the Crimson Tide, Braswell had to sit and wait his turn behind two first-round edge rushers in Will Anderson Jr. and Dallas Turner – both of whom were SEC Defensive Players of the Year in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Braswell had 20 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble as a junior before erupting for 42 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and a pick-six as a senior when he replaced Anderson in the lineup. At 6-foot-3 and close to 260 pounds, he’s a sturdy, physical pass edge rusher with violent hands and a relentless approach to the game.

Tampa Bay saw that firsthand in the way he bullied the Bengals tight ends and set the edge nearly perfectly in the run game in the preseason opener. Braswell didn’t record a tackle in Cincinnati, but did his job and graded out well.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: USA Today

“It was definitely an amazing experience,” Braswell said. “I almost cried before the game I was so happy. I had a little butterflies and I was a little bit nervous. But after the first drive, I realized that I could play in this league and then I locked in.”

The Bucs didn’t record a single sack in the team’s 17-14 win over the Bengals on Saturday night, and that has sent off some alarm bells in the Bucs fan community. Granted, the team didn’t have Diaby or Tryon-Shoyinka available, but the lack of pressure and sacks has made some worry about Tampa Bay’s ability to rush the passer.

But with as much hype as there is surrounding Diaby in his second season after leading the team in sacks last year with 7.5, it’s important to note that he didn’t get a sack in the preseason and his first NFL sack didn’t occur until Week 8 at Buffalo. Diaby didn’t emerge as a starter in Tampa Bay until Week 12 and all of his sacks didn’t happen until halfway through his rookie year.

Like Braswell, Diaby was a bit of a one-year wonder in college, too. Diaby had 39 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as a junior at Louisville before coming on strong in 2022 with 37 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two fumble recoveries as a senior.

It took Diaby half a season to really come on and emerge as a weapon on defense as he gained the necessary experience, and Braswell could be on a similar path. It may require some patience with their second-round pick, but the payoff could be huge for the franchise.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Imagine if Diaby becomes a double-digit sacker this season with 10 and Braswell finishes with 7.5 sacks, which is the number Diaby produced last year as a rookie. The last time the Bucs had 17.5 sacks from its two starting edge rushers was in 2020 when the team won Super Bowl LV with Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul (9.5 sacks) and Shaq Barrett (8 sacks).

Bowles and general manager Jason Licht are taking a calculated gamble by letting their second-round pick grow and develop into a starter this year instead of looking for help elsewhere in free agency or via a trade.

The Bucs also have a pair of experienced pass rushers in Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson in their contract seasons. Both are highly motivated to have a big year. And Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez are battling in camp for the final outside linebacker roster spot. Plus, Bowles can always manufacture pressure and sacks by blitzing his inside linebackers, safeties and slot cornerbacks while he waits for Braswell to emerge as a consistent pass rusher.

If Braswell could become a player of Diaby’s caliber by the end of the year, Tampa Bay will have a set of bookend edge rushers for years to come – on their rookie deals. And remember, Diaby was drafted a round later than Braswell in the third round.

FAB 2. What’s Holding Chris Braswell Back?

We live in an instant, on-demand world where we no longer have to wait for Amazon to deliver something the next day. In some cases, same-day delivery is available and has spoiled us. Patience may be a virtue, but impatience has become far too common in today’s society.

So in an effort to speed things up regarding Chris Braswell’s development as a pass rusher, the Bucs are looking for him to take a step forward – not backward. Literally.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

False steps are the most common – and correctable – issue with pass rushers making the jump from college to the NFL. Braswell has noticed some false steps in his practice tape and from Saturday’s preseason opener that he’s working on eliminating.

“The ball definitely comes out a lot faster in the NFL than it does in college,” Braswell said. “I wasn’t frustrated by not having a sack [in Cincinnati] because I know you can affect a quarterback in different ways other than sacks with pressures and getting your hands up and things like that. There was a lot of quick [passing] game [in Cincinnati] and they’re getting the ball out in a second or two. There’s really not much you can do but just keep rushing and trying to get there faster.

“I just need to keep going forward and not have any false steps. You need every step to be correct and you need every second in this league. Every second counts. Every step counts. I just want to be able to lock in to those details and keep moving forward.”

Since Yaya Diaby is out of action since suffering a sprained ankle after the first week of training camp, he has been helping Braswell from the sidelines and in the film room, offering up some tips and coaching points. He’s noticed Braswell’s occasional hesitation and false steps and noted that he went through a similar thing last year as a rookie.

“With Braswell I just tell him to be himself and get off the ball,” Diaby said. “That’s what he’s really good at. He’s good at getting off the ball. He’s very violent at the top of his rush. He’s just like me when I got here last year. I was thinking a lot, trying to figure out the scheme. I’m trying to get him to just go. It opens everything up for him.

“On one of the rushes he had [on Wednesday at Jacksonville] he just went and he got there. It’s just little things like that. For me it was the same way, I was trying to come in and make plays. That’s what he’s trying to do – make plays. But at the end of the day, you’ve still got to do your part first and then the plays will come.”

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Diaby spent the offseason working on his game and watching film from last year. He was frustrated with the times he had a false step off the snap that would cause him to be a half a second late getting to the quarterback. The result would be a late pressure rather than a hit – or better yet, a sack.

“That’s the difference,” Diaby said. “That’s a big difference and that’s what I worked on this offseason. I was watching film and by the time I got off the ball, I got off the ball and I took a false step back and then I went forward. That’s a lost step and then by the time you get there the ball is already out.

“I told Braswell, ‘Just line up and go. Get heavy on that front foot and just go – just go.”

Braswell appreciates the help from Diaby, and saw firsthand how dominant No. 0 was in the first week of camp as he was piling up sacks against starting offensive tackles Luke Goedeke and Tristan Wirfs.

“He’s been telling me to do what got me here,” Braswell said. “Just lock in on the details and the sacks and the production will come. It might not come every game, but if you go out there and work hard, if you know the game plan, know your plays and know your opponent the sacks and the stats will come.

“Overall there are a lot of good things I’m doing. I’m playing the run well. I’m generating pass rush and everything. I just need to work a little bit more on technique. There are other things I need to get down as well, such as my coverage drops, so I’m not really where I want to be yet. But I’m going to keep stacking days and get to that point.”

Braswell has drawn praise for how quickly he’s grasped Todd Bowles’ complex scheme.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: USA Today

“Braswell has been excellent since he’s come on with Joe and Yaya having been down,” Bowles said. “The experience and the leaps and bounds in which he gets better by the day, he’s been one of the more pleasant surprises here since we’ve been up here in Jacksonville. He keeps getting better and better. I love the things he’s doing and love where he’s at.”

Braswell loves his fit in Bowles’ scheme.

“It’s a very versatile defense and I have to play a lot of positions from 4i to stack to the end of the line,” Braswell said. “I’m very versatile and there are a lot of moving parts in this defense. Overall, it’s a great defense. It’s very similar to Bama’s, but I think this is a little more complex.”

Braswell is still hesitating a bit at times as a pass rusher as he gets his feet wet in the NFL against other competition, such as the Bengals in the preseason opener, and the Jaguars in the joint practices this week. That’s leading to the occasional false steps that he needs to eliminate.

The Bucs are expecting him to “just go” and take a big step forward in his development sooner rather than later. Perhaps in Saturday night’s game at Jacksonville.

FAB 3. Yaya Diaby Is Making Great Progress In Rehab

Yaya Diaby is a fast healer. That’s evident in the fact that after he sprained his ankle on August 1 and when he returned to practice as an observer on August 6 without a boot or a brace. Tampa Bay’s top edge rusher has been all smiles and has been in jubilant mood because he knows he’s going to be ready for the season opener against Washington on September 8.

“I will be ready,” Diaby said. “I can’t wait.”

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

While Diaby is bummed that he isn’t out on the practice field getting better and refining his technique, he is confident in what he was able to show during a dominant first week of training camp where he was clearly the best defensive player on the field nearly every practice.

On a defense loaded with talented players like All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., legendary linebacker Lavonte David and a pair of first-round defensive tackles in Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, that’s really saying something.

“Of course I have a lot of confidence,” Diaby said about his fantastic first week of camp before he got hurt, “This is the best I’ve felt since I started playing football at a high level in college. It was kind of sad what happened, but all I can do is try to help the guys that are out there and give them some words of wisdom.”

The silver lining surrounding Diaby’s sprained ankle – and an upper body injury to Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – is that rookie Chris Braswell and Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez, a pair of second-year edge rushers, have gotten extra reps as a result to help accelerate their learning curve. For Diaby, it’s more film study because that’s the only way he can get better as he rehabs his ankle.

“Rehab, rehab, rehab,” Diaby said. “That’s what I’m doing. I’m staying on top of it so I will be ready. I’m watching more film and better understand my opponents as well. It is what it is, but I’m going to come back way stronger.”

Diaby has really saddled up next to Braswell and helped him in training camp. While not quite as big and as fast as the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Diaby, Braswell is a similar edge rusher who’s game is built around power rather than speed.

“For guys like he and I and our body type, using power just sets up a lot for us,” Diaby said. “If a tackle thinks you are a power guy then you bring out the speed. If the tackle is focusing on your speed then it opens things up for counters inside. That’s what I’ve been doing this offseason – trying to get tackles thinking. I don’t want them thinking that I’m just one-dimensional.”

FAB 4. Why The Bucs Didn’t Trade For Matt Judon

Bucs fans groaned when they saw the Falcons, a hated division rival, trade for Patriots edge rusher Matt Judon on Thursday. Nervous about the absence of sacks in last week’s preseason opener without starters Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, many Tampa Bay fans have been upset or flabbergasted over the fact that general manager Jason Licht didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for a more experienced pass rusher like Judon.

Falcons OLB Matthew Judon – Photo by: USA Today

After recording 34.5 sacks in five years in Baltimore, including 9.5 in 2019, which was his first Pro Bowl season, Judon notched 12.5 sacks in 2021, his first season in New England and then produced 15.5 sacks in 2022 – both were Pro Bowl campaigns. Judon tore his lower bicep last year in the fourth game of the season after notching four sacks.

This offseason, he’s become disgruntled over his contract. Judon is in the final year of his deal, which pays him $6.5 million in base salary with another $1 million in per game roster bonuses.

Atlanta acquired him in a trade and the Falcons are expected to sign him to a long-term extension – and for more money. That’s a dangerous proposition for a 32-year old pass rusher who is coming off an injury. Licht has seen the rapid decline of a pair of pass rushers that helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV firsthand in Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett.

Pierre-Paul had a Pro Bowl season in Tampa Bay in 2020 at age 31, helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl. But his production quickly fell off as he suffered a shoulder injury early in 2021 and finished with just 2.5 sacks in 12 games.

The Bucs parted ways with JPP the next year and he recorded just three sacks in 14 games. Pierre-Paul, who is now 35, split time between New Orleans and Miami and didn’t record a sack in the three games he played in during the 2023 season.

Tampa Bay also saw a steep decline in production even more recently with Barrett. After using the franchise tag on Barrett during the 2020 season, the Bucs signed him to a four-year $68 million deal in 2021. He rewarded the team with a 10-sack Pro Bowl season that year before a slow start and an Achilles injury limited him to just three sacks in eight games at age 30.

Barrett returned to play in 16 regular season games last year at age 31, but was not the same player he was before his injury. Tampa Bay released him this offseason and he signed a one-year deal with Miami before abruptly retiring prior to training camp.

Falcons OLB Matthew Judon – Photo by: USA Today

Going back even further before Licht’s arrival in Tampa Bay, the great Simeon Rice had a 14-sack season at age 31 in 2005 before a shoulder injury in 2006 limited him to just two sacks in eight games at age 32. Rice would notch just one sack the next season while splitting eight games between Denver and Indianapolis before retiring.

Licht traded for Pierre-Paul when he was 29. He signed Barrett when he was 27. Those few years make a huge difference for pass rushers, who generally don’t have much success at age 32 and older.

Even great pass rushers like Aaron Donald and  J.J. Watt and retired at age 32 and 33, respectively, because injuries and wear and tear had taken their toll.

Considering the fact that Licht and the Bucs have drafted starters like running back Rachaad White and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby and potential starters like receiver Jalen McMillan and defensive backs Tykee Smith in the third round in recent years, giving up a third-round pick for an aging pass rusher like Judon, who is disgruntled over his contract, is such a short-term risk.

Besides, Judon is a power rusher in the mold of Cam Jordan – not a speed rusher the way Barrett or Pierre-Paul were in Tampa Bay. The Bucs just drafted a similar power player to Judon in Chris Braswell in the second round. The Bucs decided that they would rather bet on their draft process and the longer-term investment they have in Braswell than to make a trade for a 32-year old pass rusher who wants to be paid more than he’s worth at this stage of his career.

We’ll see if Tampa Bay’s calculated gamble pays off in the long run.

FAB 5. SR’s Practice Observations From The Joint Practices In Jacksonville

Here are a couple of insights from the Bucs vs. Jaguars joint practices in Jacksonville this week that might not have gotten mentioned in our Bucs Camp Insider reports.

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photo by: USA Today

• I know that Bucs rookie defensive back Tykee Smith got beat for a touchdown by Jaguars first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. on a sluggo route in Thursday’s practice. But it was the only bad play I saw from the Georgia product in Jacksonville, and I mostly watched Tampa Bay’s defense during practice.

There was one play where the Jaguars lined up in a trips formation and Smith was in the slot guarding Thomas. Smith read the route combination perfectly and diagnosed the play at the snap of the ball. Instead of following Thomas out into the flat, Smith stayed home and then tackled the inner most slot receiver as soon as he catched the ball for no gain. Smith didn’t panic and was full of poise on that play. It was an impressive move from such a young rookie.

Smith, who also had a pair of pass breakups in the end zone in 7-on-7 drills in Jacksonville, is going to have a bright future in Todd Bowles’ defense.

• Keep an eye on outside linebacker Jay Person. The undrafted rookie pass rusher is the most recent Buccaneer to join the team after Tampa Bay lost Yaya Diaby for the rest of the preseason due to an ankle injury. Person made the game-ending tackle on fourth down to help the Bucs win their preseason opener at Cincinnati by showing hustle to track down the Bengals quarterback about five yards shy of the first down marker.

Bucs WR Kameron Johnson – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Person has also made some plays in the joint practices and even had a sack on Wednesday. He’s inserting himself into the battle for OLB5 with Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez.

• The Buccaneers are thrilled that rookie receiver Kameron Johnson is back in action. Johnson missed the preseason opener with a rib injury, but could play on Saturday night in Jacksonville. He returned to practice this week sporting a red non-contact jersey and shined in the joint practices with the Jaguars.

Johnson, who had a dynamic, leaping touchdown catch on Thursday is the most sudden, electric receiver in Tampa Bay. He brings an element that the Bucs just don’t have on offense and stands a good chance of making the 53-man roster.

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