The Chris Braswell Files
February 18th, 2026
The Bucs say positive things about edge rusher Chris Braswell yet he doesn’t play a lot.
That feels like a contradiction for a team that universally gets poor grades for talent at the position.
Braswell played less last season than he did as a rookie. The 2024 second-round pick somehow couldn’t crack the lineup.
Renowned “advanced stats” and data guru Aaron Schatz, writing for BSPN, says Braswell needs a “change of scenery.”
The Bucs selected Braswell with the No. 57 pick in 2024, and the linebacker out of Alabama was supposed to be a talented pass rusher with good burst and a variety of pass-rushing moves. However, Braswell hasn’t had much time on the field to show off those moves. He has never started a game in the NFL and has just 2.5 career sacks.
Last season, he played less than 25% of defensive snaps in 11 contests and more than 50% of defensive snaps in just one game. The likely departure of Haason Reddick in free agency might open up a starting spot for Braswell, but it is more likely that Braswell needs to go to a new team with a new coaching staff in order to get his chance to finally reach his NFL potential.
Is Braswell just a slow-deveoping edge rusher like, for example, Trey Hendrickson was for the Saints? Or is Braswell a bust? Joe’s not 100 percent sure. It’s not like the Bucs run a factory when it comes to developing edge rushers.
However, Joe is not seeing anything special from Braswell, especially on fourth down as a core special teams player. Perhaps, at 6-3, 250 pounds, Brawell could play inside linebacker?