Whenever a player is coming off a rough season due to injury, fans and analysts alike will let a player come back into the fold with a relatively decent amount of hope. If a player who had a bad season due to their own decision-making, then that same hope is nonexistent.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote about one free agent signing for each team who could be a “bust” for the upcoming season. When it came time to discuss the Bucs, of course, it had to be the signing that surprised folks by getting the money he did after the season he had, Haason Reddick.
The former All-Pro edge rusher arrives after a 2024 season he would like to forget. As Knox writes, though, it could linger over him as the new season begins.
“There’s no getting around the fact that Haason Reddick’s 2024 season with the New York Jets was a mess. Reddick held out for part of the season while angling for a new contract, appeared in only 10 games and finished with just a single sack. Despite his 2024 struggles, Reddick earned a one-year, $14 million deal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. While a bounce-back year is possible, there’s a very real chance that he never returns to peak production. Reddick will turn 31 in September and won’t be surrounded by the overall defensive talent he was during his two Pro Bowl seasons with the Eagles.”
While the argument could be made for Reddick to have a bad season in 2025, it won’t be because he has no help to do it.
Yaya Diaby, Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all more than capable of helping hands. Reddick will have some pass rush help, perhaps even more help in pass coverage, could make things even easier for him.
Time will tell with all of this.