The Bucs And Boye Mafe
January 26th, 2026

Surprise! The Bucs need upgrades at the edge rusher position.

If the position isn’t addressed before the 2026 draft, then it’s fair to assume the Bucs’ front office doesn’t believe it can win postseason games next season.

Does Joe think the Bucs will go all-in with a whatever-it-takes approach to upgrade at edge rusher? Absolutely not. That doesn’t mean the team can’t improve significantly.

The bar is low. Chris Braswell can’t rush the passer. Haason Reddick was a mis-evaluated money flush. Anthony Nelson is a depth piece. And Markees Watts couldn’t get snaps in front of the aforementioned threesome.

So what kind of player will the Bucs seek to play opposite YaYa Diaby and essentially replace Reddick?

Joe thinks Seattle’s Boye Mafe could be that guy. He’s been buried in the Seahawks’ very deep edge rusher rotation. He turns 28 in November and was an early second-round pick out of Minnesota in 2022.

Mafe’s best year was 2023, his only as a true full-time player. He recorded 9 sacks and 6 passes defensed on what was a bad Seattle defense.

In addition to watching Mafe, Joe’s read various Seahawks fan takes on him. The consensus says he’s a quality player whose 2026 salary will be far greater than what he’s worth to Seattle.

Mafe played 20 snaps against the Rams yesterday in the NFC Championship game. He’s been durable in his NFL career and played every game this season with only 2 sacks.

The draft crowd knows Mafe is a freakish athlete at 6-4, 260 pounds, very much a YaYa Diaby clone physically.

Mafe will have a market, but he won’t break the bank if he doesn’t have a big Super Bowl finish, and he certainly should represent an upgrade in Tampa. There are other options, but Mafe is a name to keep an eye on.

READ NEXT

Raheem Morris Talks Zac Robinson In Tampa