The Bucs pass rush had its moments in 2024, but it lacked consistency. Against the Washington Commanders, it was exposed as the team could not contain the mobility that Jayden Daniels brought to the quarterback position.
Matt Bowen of ESPN wrote an NFL free agency primer, and he has the Bucs on a list of suitors for one of the league’s best pass rushers.
Bowen ranks Josh Sweat as his 9th best free agent available during the 2025 cycle. He writes of the Super Bowl pass rusher’s free agency that, “ Sweat will enter free agency with the flexibility to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. He has ties to Arizona, where his former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is running the show. Washington, New England, Tampa Bay and Tennessee could be on the radar, too.”
If the Bucs could add Sweat to their pass-rushing rotation alongside Yaya Diaby opposite him and then Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea in the middle, that could be the solution. They need that one reliable, consistent pass rusher who can get 10-15 sacks a season.
The defense will struggle until they do that or fix the secondary to improve coverage sacks. General manager Jason Licht has some tough decisions ahead of him in the coming months.