The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a couple of moves this week in NFL free agency. The team reached agreements with former Detroit Lions LB Alex Anzalone and former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell. They also reached a deal to bring back tight end Cade Otton.
While all those moves addressed urgent roster needs, perhaps no position has more of a pressing need for help than at edge rusher. With Trey Hendrickson off to Baltimore (in a rather controversial move after the Ravens backed out of the Maxx Crosby trade) and others like Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh, and Boye Mafe finding new football homes, the options have thinned for general manager Jason Licht.
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However, there are still a couple of particularly notable names available, and for different reasons.
Former Detroit EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad is coming off a breakout year in 2025
Edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad is coming off a breakout season for the Lions in 2025, notching 11 sacks for Detroit across 17 games. And he did it as a situational edge rusher, with no starts on the season.
Muhammad just wrapped up his eighth NFL season. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints out of the University of Miami. After one year with the Saints, he spent the next four in Indianapolis, where he appeared in 64 games. His best year there came in 2021, where he started all 17 games and had 6 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 48 tackles.
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But last year was a huge step forward for Muhammad. He totaled 11 sacks and nine tackles for loss and also generated 53 QB pressures in 353 pass rushing snaps for a strong pressure rate of 15%.
Muhammad is likely (and understandably) trying to turn his success into an opportunity for a payday. While its risky given his career history, the cost for a player like Muhammad would be economical compared to the cost for a player like Hendrickson, Phillips, or Crosby.
Former Miami EDGE Bradley Chubb has double-digit sack upside, but comes with a significant injury history
The ceiling for Bradley Chubb, who earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020 and 2022, is substantial, as we’ve seen in Denver and Miami. As recently as 2023, Chubb was playing at an very high level. He posted a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 88.8 and a pass rushing grade of 84.9 that season, posting 11 sacks in 16 games.
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Unfortunately, that 16th game cost Chubb and Miami dearly. At the end of a lopsided blowout loss to the Ravens, Chubb suffered a torn ACL that ultimately cost him his 2024 season as well. A rough break to a player who was flying high. He returned last season for the Dolphins and posted 8.5 sacks last year with a solid 12.2% pressure rate (48 pressures in 393 pass rushing snaps).
Chubb’s injury history is hard to ignore — he missed the 2024 season and appeared in just 4 and 7 games in 2019 and 2021, respectively — but the upside for an impact season is there. The question about risk is, of course, what you’re willing to pay for it. As the possible alternatives become less and less, Chubb’s leverage becomes stronger.
The Bucs got burned a bit last year by the Haason Reddick signing, but Licht once again might have to take a risk on a talented edge rusher with question marks. Because what they have in the building now beyond Yaya Diaby isn’t going to cut it.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.