Jason Licht: Chris Braswell “Has All The Traits” To Take Next Step

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Jason Licht admitted at the NFL Combine that it is not exactly a revelation that the Bucs need defensive help.

“I don’t think it’s a secret we need to get some help in a lot of areas, particularly defense,” Licht said. “It’s not as easy as some people might think. The answer isn’t always just throwing a lot of money at positions.

“You’ve got to be smart about it because, as happy as we are with the offense, you also want to continue to enhance there, too. We need some help in a lot of areas, which in some ways, is exciting for me because we could go any which way in the draft and it would help our team.”

While Tampa Bay will make moves to add talent this offseason through free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, Licht hopes to get production out of the players already within the building. Chris Braswell is one of them.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: USA Today

A 2024 second-round pick, Braswell played sparingly as a rookie in just 30% of the team’s defensive snaps, amassing 18 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Some moments suggested he could play a bigger role in the outside linebacker rotation, and he might need to out of necessity.

“Just seeing him at the end of the season playing faster, we knew he was physical,” head coach Todd Bowles said about Braswell on Tuesday afternoon. “It took him a while mentally to get everything down. Knowing he’s got a year under his belt, that he can come in without thinking and play faster, excites me.”

With Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, and Shaq Barrett entering free agency, Braswell and Yaya Diaby are the only outside linebacker locks to make the 53-man roster next season. The Bucs could trade and/or draft another premium pass rusher, but one player who could make a jump is only beginning to realize his potential.

“I think he has all the traits both as a person and a player to make a big jump,” Licht said about Braswell. “We did a little study on edge rushers in their first year. Some of them have a good first year, a lot of them, no. The team that won the Super Bowl took a first-rounder and in his rookie year, he had one sack and played very little. This year, he had 10 or 11 sacks and played a huge part in their Super Bowl run.”

Licht was alluding to Eagles outside linebacker Nolan Smith. After Smith played just 16% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps in his rookie season in 2023, his playing time drastically increased in 2024. The athletic pass rusher responded with 6.5 sacks in the regular season and four more sacks in the postseason. Sometimes, pass rushers need time to develop before hitting their stride, and Braswell could be next to follow that type of path.