In a move that Pewter Report has been forecasting for quite some time, the Bucs are releasing outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, whose production has been on the decline over the past two seasons, for salary cap reasons.

Barrett, who turns 32 this fall, finished his five-year career in Tampa Bay as the team’s fifth all-time leading sacker with 45 sacks. He also set a franchise record with an NFL-leading 19.5 sacks in 2019, and helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV the next season.

Replacing the two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher won’t be easy, and it may lead to Tampa Bay using its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on another outside linebacker. Or the Bucs could pursue another value edge rusher in free agency similar to when the team signed Barrett to a one-year, prove-it deal in 2019.

Yet the Bucs also feel like they have some in-house options who could step in and perhaps eclipse Barrett’s 4.5 sack total from a year ago.

Tampa Bay has already found one starting outside linebacker in YaYa Diaby, last year’s third-round pick. Diaby wound up replacing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in the starting lineup by midseason and led the Bucs with 7.5 sacks last year. But the 6-foot-3, 263-pounder can’t be responsible for all of the team’s pressure off the edge.

The in-house competition for the position vacated by Barrett will come from veterans Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson and Cam Gill, and a couple of other promising young players in Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez, who were rookies in 2023. That’s in addition to the possibility of the team using a premium pick an edge rusher in the draft or signing a veteran in free agency.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles both talked about several young pass rushers the team has on the existing roster while speaking to the media at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Bucs Are Very High On Young Edge Rushers Markees Watts, Jose Ramirez
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, the Bucs’ first-round pick in 2021, is currently penciled in as a starter on the current offseason depth chart with Shaq Barrett’s departure. But Tryon-Shoyinka, who is coming off a five-sack season, has been a disappointment and is entering a critical contract year. The Bucs are showing signs they are ready to move on from Tryon-Shoyinka by not picking up his fifth-year option for 2025.

That should put some of the Bucs’ young edge rushers on an even playing field with veterans like Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson and Cam Gill.

“We have some young guys, Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “[Ramirez] was awesome for us in practice all year. You can talk to the tackles about how good he was, how good of a team player he was. But he was actually giving them trouble most of the year, which was a good thing. That’s not speaking poorly [on the tackles], but that’s as good as what Jose was doing. So I’m very excited about that.”

Ramirez, a sixth-round pick last year, spent the entire season on the practice squad and could make a big leap in 2023 with a big offseason. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound Ramirez has a similar build to Barrett, as well as similar feel for getting to the quarterback.

Ramirez finished his Eastern Michigan career with 20.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, including 12 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles as a senior in 2022.

“He gave us great looks, he just hasn’t played yet,” Bowles said of Ramirez. “So I didn’t mention him, but he came on during the year. He was one of our most improved scout team players. I look forward to what he can do – not just on defense, but on special teams.”

Watts was seldom-used, but finished with six QB pressures and a sack. Watts’ 22.2% pass rush win rate was the best in Tampa Bay last year and he could be a real sleeper to emerge as a possible replacement for Barrett in 2024.

At 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, Watts resembles Barrett in the fact that he took over his old number. Watts, who became Charlotte’s all-time leading sacker with 21.5, wears the No. 58 jersey that Barrett wore from 2019-2022.

“The good thing is that all of them played,” Bowles said. “We don’t have anybody that’s going to play for the first time. Even Watts played some snaps. YaYa [Diaby] played a ton of snaps. Joe played a ton of snaps. Nelson played a ton of snaps. Cam played a ton of snaps. So we’ve got guys that have played.

“You’re always looking for pass rushers. You never turn them down, but we’re confident in the guys we have.”