The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had 4 long years to look at what they had in edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, their 2021 first round pick.
At the end of that stretch, the prevailing sentiment was something along the lines of: “Nah, we’re good.”
That’s how Tryon-Shoyinka ended up with the Cleveland Browns this offseason on a 1-year, $4.755 free agent contract.
It’s also how Tryon-Shoyinka ended up with the Chicago Bears just hours ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 4, sent away along with a 2026 seventh round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth round pick.
“New Bears EDGE Joe Tryon–Shoyinka hasn’t played much for the Browns this year, but he has a 73.5 PFF grade and has 29.2% pass-rush win rate,” NFL draft analyst Jacob Infante wrote on his official X account. “It’s off a small sample size, but that win rate is the 4th-best in the NFL. Not a splash but depth for a cheap cost.”
The Buccaneers selected Tryon-Shoyinka with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
“Browns are sending DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a sixth-round pick, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “Chicago lost DE Dayo Odeyingbo to a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday, and now trade for a potential replacement two days later.”
Buccaneers Didn’t Try to Bring Back Tryon-Shoyinka
It spoke to exactly how the Buccaneers viewed Tryon-Shoyinka at the end of his 4 seasons when they didn’t lift a finger to sign him despite being in quite desperate need of help at edge rusher.
“Sources: The #Browns are signing OLB Joe Tryon–Shoyinka to a 1-year, $4.75M deal. The former 1st-round pick recorded 15 sacks in four seasons with the #Bucs,” FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on March 11.
The Buccaneers declined the fifth-year option on Tryon-Shoyinka in May 2024 and let him play out the final season of his 4-year, $11.1 million rookie contract.
“As expected, Bucs will not be exercising the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round pick OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman posted on X. “Would have been $13.2 million for 2025. He has totaled 13 sacks in three seasons.”
Tryon-Shoyinka was bad in his final year with the Buccaneers with a career low 2.0 sacks, and he’s been just as bad with the Browns.
“Joe Tryon–Shoyinka in eight games with Browns: zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, one QB hit, nine tackles,” Auman wrote on November 4.
One of the problems with Tryon-Shoyinka throughout his career has been his lack of versatility. If he wasn’t rushing the passer, he wasn’t much good to the defense. And most of the time, he wasn’t very good at that, even.
NFL Draft Hasn’t Been Kind to Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have tried desperately to fill out their defensive front in the NFL draft in recent years, and with varied results.
Tampa Bay used their first pick in three consecutive drafts to add edge rushers or interior defensive linemen with busts in Tryon-Shoyinka in 2021 and defensive end Logan Hall in 2022 followed by interior defensive lineman Calijah Kancey at No. 19 overall in 2023.
Out of that bunch, only Kancey looks like he’ll eventually pay off after he led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks in 2024. but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2025 regular season.
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