It didn’t take a defensive genius to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the Detroit Lions in Week 7 to realize something is missing on the defensive side of the ball — and that thing is an elite edge rusher.
The Buccaneers tried to bring Haason Reddick in as the solution this offseason, signing him to a 1-year, $14 million contract. It hasn’t been the solution to this point. Reddick only has 1.5 sacks through the first 7 games and hasn’t been a game changer by any means.
Third year edge rusher YaYa Diaby, on the other hand, has seemed to round back into the form that saw him lead the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 2023 and leads the Buccaneers with 4.0 sacks.
Getting another edger rusher who can impact games might be the key to the Buccaneers cementing themselves as legitimate NFC contenders, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks they might be able to get one via a trade.
Knox’s trade pitch would see the Buccaneers land New York Jets edge rusher, former first round pick and Pro Bowler Jermaine Johnson II in exchange for a conditional 2026 third round pick — although that price might be a bit high.
“Teams are circling the winless Jets, hoping to pry a starting-caliber player from a team that is going nowhere fast,” Knox wrote on October 22. “While Johnson has just one sack this season, he’s also making his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in 2024. He had 7.5 sacks and 25 QB pressures back in 2023. At 26 years old and with a contract that runs through 2026, he should interest teams looking for short- or long-term help.”
While Johnson is in the final season of the 4-year, $13 million contract he signed after the Jets drafted him in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft, he’s due another $13.411 million in 2026 after the Jets picked up the fifth year option on his contract.
Johnson Went From Netflix Series to NFL Stardom
Johnson, 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds, first popped onto the radars of football fans on the groundbreaking Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U” at Independence (Kansas) Community College, then played 2 seasons at Georgia before transferring to Florida State for his final season.
In 2021 at Florida State, Johnson was dominant with 70 tackles, 18 TFL and 12.0 sacks on the way to being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as All-American.
Johnson solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and drew a comparison to 2-time NFL All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
“Johnson has NFL traits and the potential to keep getting bigger and better as a pro,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. “Johnson’s blend of strength and athleticism should make him a firm edge-setter and playmaker near the line of scrimmage for odd or even fronts.”
Bucs Rushing Passer ‘By Committee’ Right Now
While the Buccaneers might be able to use an elite edge rusher, saying they are missing a pass rush altogether would be a fallacy — they’re currently sixth in the NFL with 20.0 sacks through 7 games and a 5-2 start to the season.
What’s even more incredible about that is the Buccaneers are doing so without last year’s sacks leader, Calijah Kancey, who suffered a season ending injury when he tore his triceps tendon in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
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