Larry Foote's return to coach the Bucs outside linebackers has already paid dividends to the room. Foote is bringing a more direct, "hands-on" approach to a position group that struggled to finish plays in 2024. And his message to outside linebacker Yaya Diaby has been crystal clear.

With a full offseason to improve and become a student of the game, it is now time for Diaby to help take Tampa Bay's pass rush to the next level.

Larry Foote Is Pushing Yaya Diaby To Turn Talent Into Production

At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds and blessed with 4.5 speed, Yaya Diaby looks like a prototype edge defender. And while the former third-round pick made strides in 2024, Larry Foote believes his ceiling is far higher. Before Foote appeared on the Pewter Report Podcast last Thursday, he told Diaby that he is more talented than some of the most elite pass rushers in the NFL.

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

"The talent is definitely there," Foote said about Diaby. "Make no mistake about that. I shared with Yaya today, I said, 'Look, T.J. Watt and some of the top guys in this league, you're more talented than them as far as you're bigger, faster, and you've got power. You got some quicks.' I said, ' That's just part of it. You've got to have instincts, passion, a motor.' I've been challenging him since I got in that room this year."

Entering this season, Diaby not only focused on being in the best shape possible, but also to hone his pass-rushing moves. He consistently pressured quarterbacks yet only converted that into 4.5 sacks. That sack total was down from his rookie year, even though the 2023 third-round pick showed significant growth in his overall game.

He recorded 65 pressures in 2024, which was tied for the ninth-best mark in the league and substantially higher than his 26 pressures the year prior. That led to his Pro Football Focus grade also taking a substantial jump from 64.2 to 76.7. With Diaby on a quest for more sacks and to jump into a leadership role, Foote expects his talent to translate even more.

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

"You've got to be in the best shape of your life," Foote has told Diaby. "You've got to be a student, you've got to study, and you've got to work on your craft. You've got to do that, and if you do that, you're going to be right up there with those guys. If I had to choose – give me a very talented guy or a guy who understands rush angles and how he's getting blocked – give me that guy over the talented guy.

"That's what he has to incorporate into his game because there's no reason with that talent to be under 10 sacks. I know that can fluctuate – the quarterback threw the ball – but you've got to be winning the majority of the time because he has that type of talent. I've really been challenging him to be a student, and his God-given ability is going to show."

Similarities Between JPP And Shaq Barrett In Haason Reddick And Yaya Diaby

When asked about how Yaya Diaby has gone about adding to his pass-rushing repertoire over the offseason, Larry Foote discussed how they are in constant communication. Foote has let Diaby know that he has to help him out for more reasons than one.

"He's just been growing," Foote said. "The awesome part with Yaya is he wants to learn. All throughout the summer we're just sending videos and tapes and moves. He's a pro at it. He's putting the work in it. He wants to be good. I remind him every day, 'You see what these pass rushers are getting.' This is year three [laughs]. I say, 'Look, this is a partnership. I'm going to get some crumbs off your work so we're in this thing together,' but that's right there in front of him.

"As an off-the-ball backer I was always jealous of those guys because they get all the money and we do all the work (laughs) … but no, I'm excited. He's had an awesome camp and he's working and growing. My main thing I've been challenging him mentally. Make the game really easy to you. In year three, that's when you start; the game slows down to you. I'm excited to see him. [Yaya and Haason Reddick] are a perfect tandem."

Bucs OLBs Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

This is a different room than the one Foote coached between 2019-2021 when he came to Tampa Bay with Todd Bowles. Gone are Pro Bowlers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett, who were vital pieces to a Super Bowl-winning defense. In other words, they were "dawgs." The Bucs have struggled to replace that edge presence since JPP's 2022 departure and Barrett's last full season in 2023.

"Now, JPP and Shaq, that's a special duo right there," Foote said. "They're kind of similar in size and stature. JPP to Yaya, and then you got Haason and Shaq. I'm excited. One thing that those guys got to know, those guys were dawgs. They loved to play against the run, and you got to earn the right to rush the passer, so you've got to play against the run. If you're not, there's going to be less chances to get after that quarterback."

While the name of the game is for pass rushers to bring down the quarterback, it is not just the sack numbers that are worth watching. With the defensive tackle duo of Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, it will not all be on Diaby and a "pissed off" Reddick. Still, Foote recognizes their talent to be disruptors, along with the rest of the outside linebacker room.

Bucs DL coach Charlie Strong, OLB Yaya Diaby, DTs Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea, and OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

"When you start talking about sacks though, you got watch the tape closely because they can be winning a lot, the ball can be thrown, the coverage, etc.," Foote added. "Like you just mentioned, you won clean, but Kancey beat his guy and got there faster. That stuff is always in play, but oh, without a doubt, the talent is there.

"Those guys can be Pro Bowlers. I'm also excited about [Chris] Braswell and his growth from year one to year two. He's having a very good camp and learning from those guys. [Anthony] Nelson, I've really been challenging him because you know I had him as a pup. I expect him to keep going and I'm excited about the whole room."

Watch Bucs Co-DC/OLBs Coach Larry Foote On The Pewter Report Podcast

Pewter Report's Scott Reynolds and Adam Slivon had an extensive chat with Bucs Co-DC/OLBs coach Larry Foote on last Thursday's Pewter Report Podcast. If you haven't yet, check out their full interview with Foote below on PewterReportTV.