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Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles knows that the team could be looking for pass rushers and defensive linemen this offseason, as well as inside linebackers. Bowles felt the team got their best pass rushing from LB Yaya Diaby, and was still willing to take accountability for the defensive woes.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Diaby] was clearly our best pass rusher up front,\u201d Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN<\/a>. \u201cI thought he had a heck of a season, especially in the second half of the season. He was one of our best players. He plays hard, he plays with a lot of energy, and we just have to help him out with the other guys up front.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was a tough year, defensively,\u201d Bowles added. \u201cIt starts with me, because I\u2019m the [defensive] coordinator as well, and the coaching staff, but we\u2019ve got to rush better, and we\u2019ve got to cover better. It works together. Sometimes the rush got there and the coverage wasn\u2019t there. Sometimes the coverage was there and the rush didn\u2019t get there. It\u2019s not about the sacks \u2014 it\u2019s more, for us, about the pressure and making the quarterback get rid of the ball and be incomplete. I don\u2019t think we did that consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n Per Greg Auman<\/a>, Buccaneers head strength and conditioning coach Anthony Piroli has been removed from the team website after serving in that role for the past seven seasons. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts<\/a> is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Josh Kendall of The Athletic<\/a> writes that Pitts seems \u201clikely\u201d to be on next year\u2019s roster.\u00a0 Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?<\/p>\n Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors<\/a> on X.com<\/a>\u00a0and FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!<\/p>\n
\nAuman adds that pass game coordinator Kefense Hynson and OL coach Brian Picucci have also been removed from the team website.<\/p>\n
\nKendall wonders if Atlanta will sign Pitts to a long-term extension or place the franchise tag on him, worth $16.3 million. In the end, Kendall feels the tag makes the most sense.\u00a0
\nAfter Pitts, Kendall writes that the Falcons\u2019 most important roster decisions are LB Kaden Elliss<\/a> and DT David Onyemata<\/a>.\u00a0
\nKendall could see Elliss commanding a contract between $12 million and $17 million. As for Onyemata, Kendall expects him to be much more affordable, but has value because Atlanta still needs to shore up its run defense.\u00a0
\nKendall writes that OT Elijah Wilkinson<\/a> is expected to return to a reserve role.
\nKendall also thinks one of Leonard Floyd<\/a> or Arnold Ebiketie<\/a> could be back following James Pearce<\/a>\u2018s arrest.\u00a0
\nKendall calls Atlanta\u2019s five biggest needs going into the offseason: defensive tackle, wide receiver, offensive line, running back, and safety.
\nCBS Sports\u2019 Matt Zenitz<\/a> reports the Falcons are expected to hire UConn DL coach LaTroy Lewis<\/a> as an assistant DL coach under new HC Kevin Stefanski.
\nStefanski finished second in The Athletic<\/a>\u2018s list of top offseason head coaching hires, with one anonymous executive saying, \u201cHe\u2019s a really good coach. He\u2019s a really good person. I like their staff. There\u2019s something (different) about that organization, about the upper management, and the way it all mixes. There might be too many cooks in the kitchen to enact their process.\u201d
\nOne former coach also weighed in on the situation: \u201cStefanski and Matt Ryan<\/a>\u2019s relationship will have stability for an organization that has lacked it. He has already shown he can win with less. Just needs to fix the QB situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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