FAB 2. The Bucs’ Super-Sized Nacho

There is a good chance that Bucs’ super sub, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, will be the team’s starting nose tackle when training camp opens at the end of July.

Vita Vea, the team’s starting nose tackle when healthy, underwent minor hand surgery this offseason and likely will miss the start of camp.

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There’s also a chance that Nunez-Roches, whose nickname is “Nacho,” will be the starter for the season opener at New Orleans – even if Vea’s hand is completely healed by then and he plays in the preseason. All it takes is one positive test for COVID-19 for Vea – or any Bucs player – to be sidelined for two weeks in quarantine, even if Vea or another player is asymptomatic. But that’s not how Nunez-Roches wants more playing time – at the expense of Vea or any other teammate testing positive for COVID-19.

“It would drive me nuts if that happened,” Nunez-Roches said. “I think that’s why nobody has really reported back to the facility yet. You can get it and be sick as a dog, or you can be asymptomatic, but possibly spread it to someone else and they might get sick as a dog. That’s one of the things we have to deal with right now and it sucks.

“But that’s one thing that everybody needs to deal with – their role and that they really are the next man up. This season is going to be all about ‘the next man up.’ You never know – the guy ahead of you might contract it and you have to be ready to go.”

That’s why the 26-year old Nunez-Roches, who signed another one-year deal with the Bucs this offseason, is working out harder than ever to be ready for a sudden, expanded role in Tampa Bay’s defense at a moment’s notice in 2020.

“It’s not just automatically becoming the starter for two weeks,” Nunez-Roches said. “Instead of playing 30 percent of the snaps you might be playing 80 percent of the snaps. You have to be ready for anything on any given Sunday – this year more than ever.”

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Nunez-Roches, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 307 pounds, is Tampa Bay’s super sub along the defensive line because he is capable of playing the three-technique defensive tackle position that Ndamukong Suh plays and the five-technique defensive end spot that Will Gholston plays, as well as nose tackle. That versatility, and a cheaper price tag at $1.5 million, is the reason why the Bucs opted to re-sign Nunez-Roches instead of Beau Allen, who mainly played nose tackle behind Vea last year.

While not as massive as the 347-pound Vea, Allen’s listed weight was 327 pounds – 20 pounds heavier than Nunez-Roches. So with more playing time coming at nose tackle this year due to Allen’s departure, Nunez-Roches has hit the weight room hard, working out with coach Taylor Scott at D1 Fitness’ Trench Academy.

“Going into this year I have high expectations but I didn’t know I was going to end up working with Taylor at Trench Academy,” Nunez-Roches said. “The guy works hard and pushes us to excel more than we did the previous week. Before I knew it I was cranking out PRs (personal records) that I haven’t done in years. Even when I do break a personal record I can honestly do more. It’s crazy. I feel ultimately stronger, more in shape and my endurance is ridiculous. Big kudos to Trench Academy.”

Nunez-Roches has posted several of his personal records on his Instagram page this offseason.

“I was pretty amazed at that 705 pound squat – it felt pretty good, too,” Nunez-Roches said. “I could have put a little more on there, but to be in the 700s – I’ve never done that in my life. We did a one- or two-rep max on the bench at like 440 pounds. I haven’t done over 300-something in years, so to crank out 440 twice – oh my God. I’m definitely getting stronger.”

The hard work has caused him to gain more muscle this offseason and put on the necessary weight to help anchor against double teams in 2020 from the nose tackle position.

Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I weigh 312 now,” Nunez-Roches said. “I was close to that last year, but it’s a little different. There is more muscle this year. I’m trying to put on an additional six to eight pounds before we report.”

Even at 320 pounds, Nunez-Roches believes he won’t lose any of his first-step quickness or agility.

“That’s my goal, I want to put on more weight to sustain myself throughout the year at nose,” Nunez-Roches said. “I’ve always played three-tech and I sometimes get in there at five-tech backing up Will Gholston. For the most part I want to be more stout at the nose position.”

Nunez-Roches has always been stout against the run – even when he was smaller coming out of Southern Miss in 2015, but he’s spent the past two offseasons working on his pass rush. After recording 1.5 sacks in his first three years in Kansas City, Nunez-Roches has yet to record a sack in his two seasons with Tampa Bay, but did record two quarterback captures in the preseason which helped him make the Bucs’ 53-man roster last year.

“I’ve always prided myself on stopping the run,” Nunez-Roches said. “I’ve got ‘Little Man Syndrome.’ I’m the smallest guy in the D-line room and I always feel like teams try to run my way, so I take pride in that. But I do feel like I’ve lacked in the area of pass rush, and that part of my game stalled so much. So I really took the time last year to work on it and keying in on it. I feel like I did a great job of re-establishing myself as a pass rusher. It just came to life.

“I take big pride in stopping the run, and I tell that to my guys in practice all the time. We’ve got to take care of the run and then we can start rushing the passer. Stopping the run is a mentality. Everyone wants to rush the passer, but not a lot of people want to play the run. Once we take the run away it just changes the whole ball game. Then you can have a little more fun.”

Nunez-Roches said it was no surprise that the Bucs racked up 47 sacks last year, which was the second-most in franchise history, because Tampa Bay had the top-ranked rushing defense. Shutting down the run on first and second down set up more third-and-long pass-rushing situations in 2019, and that’s the goal again in 2020.

Bucs OLB Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Fifty sacks is not out of the question,” Nunez-Roches said. “It’s actually one of our goals. We’re going to get it. Our front seven is so dominant that you just can’t slide the front one way or double team one person. Each person up front can pass rush. Each person up front can get home in any game. Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles did a great job of keeping us together this offseason and we can feed off each other. I love it.”

A super-sized Nacho is looking forward to stopping the run again, in addition to recording his first career sack as a Buccaneer this year. That sack – along with his first career start in Tampa Bay – could come sooner than expected this year depending on what happens with COVID-19.

“What is our protocol going to be?” Nunez-Roches said. “What if someone is exposed to it? I don’t want to contract it and then give it to someone in my family. I understand the health risks, but it’s the trickle effect you have to be worried about. We’re already exposing ourselves once we report back. We understand what we’re getting ourselves into, but to bring it home – that’s my only concern. There are a lot of other kinds of diseases that can be contracted the same way, but this is so new that there aren’t any types of treatments that can really fight it or contain it yet. I’m sure people are working on some kind of answers. Hopefully they come soon.”