Tampa Bay Buccaneers

How are the Bucs going to get to the quarterback in 2024?

When asked, the average Tampa Bay Bucs’ fan would tell you the Bucs need to leave the 2024 NFL Draft with an edge rusher. Most would say the Bucs should address the need early rather than late.

The Tampa Bay Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2020. The team’s pass rush was a decisive determinant in Tampa being crowned champions. To this day, Todd Bowles’ defense has never quite fallen off but simultaneously has failed to recapture the apex it achieved that day.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Tampa Bay’s defense, as a group, has lacked a true dominant edge presence since Shaq Barrett circa 2021 where Barrett made it to double digit sacks (10).

Though he has always had a tendency of relentlessly blitzing, the lack of consistent pressure from his front has led Todd Bowles to lean even more heavily into his own tendency. Last season, Tampa Bay’s defense sent extra defenders at the quarterback more than 40 percent of the time— third most in the league. The blitz percentage stat alone doesn’t raise eyebrows— Todd Bowles doing what Todd Bowles does. What must be gut-wrenching for Bowles is while his defense was third in the league in frequency of called blitzes his group still cannot generate pressure. The Bucs were bottom-half of the league in hurry and quarterback knock down percentage.

Tampa’s team leader in sacks didn’t reach eight last season. Behind a rookie standout in Yaya Diaby, the Buccaneer with the second-most sacks last year was their safety, Antoine Winfield Jr. Projections would be for Yaya Diaby to take a step forward, with more playing time in year two and Antoine Winfield Jr. is as elite as elite can be but, Todd Bowles’ job as a defensive play caller is infinitely more difficult when he has to come into games knowing he must manufacture pressure. With the team as it is presently constructed, if Bowles can’t create a pass rush, his defense won’t have one.

Who is Dallas Turner?

Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Dallas Turner, out of the University of Alabama, has been a stud since high school— A five-star prospect that immediately was Freshman All-SEC. Across his first two years at Alabama, Turner put up 12.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.

In 2023, Turner’s play took another step forward. With 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, Turner put an SEC Defensive Player of the Year award on his résumé.

On BleacherReport.com Turner has been described as—

“A smooth-mover with… Speed, which allows him to close on quarterbacks and make hustle plays down the field with chase-down tackles.”

And as possibly, “The best pure athlete in this year’s edge class.”

NFL Scouting Combine.

At the NFL Combine weigh in Turner checked in at 6’3” and 247 lb. with 34 ⅜” arms. Dallas Turner’s Combine workout was a show about how to jump high and how to run fast. Turner recorded a 40.5” vertical jump and registered a 10’7” in the broad jump, though his outing wasn’t complete until he ran a blistering 4.46 40-yard dash.

How does Turner fit with the Bucs?

Perfectly. If the Bucs were able to find a way to add Dallas Turner to their roster their team would be instantly improved. Over the course of Todd Bowles’ time with the Bucs, the team’s defense has never been bad. Tampa has had a good, reliable defense that at times has been great. Adding an impact player of Turner’s caliber would be a big step towards returning the unit to what it was at its peak.

The issue is finding a way to make that possible. The Bucs are set to draft late in the first round, Dallas Turner will not be available late in the first round. Tampa will need to find a creative way to move up the draft board if they want to secure one of this year’s best rushers. The discussions, at the point, will be how much is too much?

Turner may be a great prospect who turns out to be a great pro and the idea of pairing him up with a promising young player in Yaya Diaby will be tantalizing but, the Bucs have multiple needs that require addressing in this year’s draft, selling out for one need has an inherit risk attached to it.

On the clock…

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