March 3, 2026, 2:22 p.m. ET
If there is one position that the Buccaneers have the hardest time staffing, it is outside linebacker. Tampa Bay’s edge play continues to be one of the major flaws on an otherwise solid roster. Yet again, the Bucs face an offseason in which they will likely have little choice but to devote major resources to upgrading the outside linebacker position.
Tampa Bay’s issues at the position go back as far as 2021, when they drafted Joe Tryon-Shoyinka with the 32nd pick to plan for the eventual decline and departures of Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. Tryon-Shoyinka never developed into a legitimate starting NFL pass rusher and was allowed to depart in free agency last offseason.
The Bucs did manage to find a diamond in the rough in 2023 when they drafted Yaya Diaby in the 3rd round. He has been Tampa Bay’s best outside linebacker since and should have a long-term contract to sign sooner rather than later. He led the Bucs with seven sacks in 2025 and leads the team with 19 sacks since he was drafted. There is no question that he will be a starter in Tampa Bay for years to come.
However, the Bucs cannot move forward with Diaby as their best pass rusher. He lacks the technique and quickness to consistently beat NFL offensive tackles, relying on power and motor. Tampa Bay tried to address this by signing Haason Reddick last offseason, but their hopes that Reddick would rebound from a disastrous 2024 campaign with the New York Jets never materialized. Reddick recorded just 2.5 sacks and just 34 pressures to Diaby’s 62 per PFF.
Reddick will a free agent this offseason and is not expected to return to Tampa Bay. Again, the Bucs find themselves in search of a new starter at outside linebacker.
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There are no other outside linebackers in Tampa Bay that have a legitimate shot of rising up to start across from Diaby. 2024 second-round pick Chris Braswell simply is not a good enough athlete to be anything more than a rotational edge defender. Veteran Anthony Nelson is solid to start in a pinch. After all, he almost single-handedly won Tampa Bay’s Week 8 matchup against the Saints.
Still, he lacks the ability to be a full-time starter.
The Bucs drafted David Walker in the fourth round of last year’s draft, but he tore his ACL in training camp and missed the entire season. While he was a dominant pass rusher for Central Arkansas, he played against lesser competition and now must work his way back from a major injury that usually takes two years to fully return to form. Tampa Bay cannot expect Walker to save them.
Tampa Bay’s defensive struggles not only in 2025 but over the last few years stem from its inability to generate quarterback pressure with just four rushers. While head coach Todd Bowles is prolific with the blitz, a four-man rush is the foundation of nearly every successful defense, such as the Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. The Bucs’ urgent need to upgrade the position puts nearly every possible scenario on the table.
That starts with exploring a trade for Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. One of the best pass rushers in the NFL, Crosby has recorded 69.5 sacks over seven seasons despite having dubious talent playing around him. His displeasure playing for a team perennially drafting in the top-five that also chose to sit him in their season finale appears to have made him a trade target for half of the NFL.
The problem will be the price tag. To execute the trade, the Raiders may be looking for two first-round picks and a star player in the vein of the Micah Parsons trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That would be on top of playing Crosby’s hefty salary. He is entering the second year of a five-year contract that averages $35 million per year and would add nearly $31 million to Tampa Bay’s 2026 salary cap.
The comparison to the Parsons deal may not be in Las Vegas’ best interests, as it did not yield greater postseason success for Green Bay while stripping them of premium future resources. Crosby’s cap hit alone could make such a deal unfeasible for Tampa Bay, as they have just $23 million in cap space. Even with restructures to players like Tristan Wirfs, Bucs ownership may balk at spending on Crosby in addition to bringing pending free agents like Mike Evans back in 2026.
A trade is about the only way the Bucs are going to be able to acquire a top-tier veteran pass rusher this offseason. The free agent class is rather weak. Eagles EDGE Jaelan Phillips is arguably the best pass rusher available, but it is doubtful any team is going to hinge their plans on a player who medically retired at one point in college and suffered ACL and Achilles tears since he was drafted in 2021.
Another free agent option would be Odafe Oweh, who was traded to the Chargers by the Ravens in 2025. Oweh was taken only a few picks before Tryon-Shoyinka, and though they appeared to be on similar paths to mediocrity, Oweh has actually started to come into his own as a pass rusher, recording 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons. If he makes it to the open market, the Bucs may have to shell out considerable cash to secure Oweh’s services.
Even if the Bucs cannot find a true starter in free agency, they could certainly try to upgrade their rotation. New England OLB K’Lavon Chaisson appeared to finally find his footing in 2025 after appearing to be a first-round bust up that point. With the Patriots, Chaisson finally demonstrated consistent pass rush, even if his tackling still leaves a lot to be desired.
Fortunately for the Bucs, they do not need to rely solely on free agency or trades to upgrade their outside linebacker corps. This year’s draft class is particularly well stocked at edge rusher. One of the more popular mock draft selections for the Bucs this year is Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell, and there is some legitimate credence to this pairing.
Howell has been a consistent performer over the last three seasons, posting no worse than a 19% pass rush win rate along with 25 total sacks and 33 tackles for a loss. He doesn’t have the size or general stoutness that Todd Bowles prefers in his outside linebackers, but he is one of the best pass rushers in this year’s class.
Another option is Clemson’s T.J. Parker. After a strong 2024, Parker appeared to take a step back in 2025 along with the rest of the Clemson roster. His impressive performance in the Senior Bowl would indicate that Parker has more to offer an NFL team than his mediocre 2025 might otherwise indicate.
A sleeper to monitor is Auburn linebacker Keyron Crawford. A former basketball player who only started playing football his senior year in high school, Crawford is a little raw, but his athleticism is undeniable. He would be better as a supplemental addition to Tampa Bay’s edge rotation, but he has the potential to be a solid contributor in the NFL.