The Bucs are thinking about star move rusher and pending free agent Khalil Mack. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Tampa Bay has curiosity in bringing in Mack to assist increase their move rush.
Fowler notes, “Groups agree edge rusher Khalil Mack performed lights out final season, and the one actual concern along with his free company is age (he’s 34). A couple of folks I’ve talked to have made potential connections to the Buccaneers and Bears. Tampa Bay usually doesn’t spend large on exterior free brokers however is searching for pass-rush assist.”
Bucs Need To Enhance 4-Man Move Rush
Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack – Photograph by: USA As we speak
Head coach Todd Bowles is on report this previous week on the NFL Scouting Mix as saying the group has to enhance its four-man move rush.
“We’ve got to do a greater job speeding 4,” Bowles mentioned. “We are able to get move rush with strain, however you don’t need to strain on a regular basis. I feel we have now to do a greater job with 4.”
Second-year outdoors linebacker Yaya Diaby noticed a rise in quarterback pressures and general move rush effectivity in 2024 however failed to extend on his 7.5-sack rookie efficiency, registering simply 4.5 quarterback takedowns final 12 months. Fellow outdoors linebackers Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson are each pending free brokers and it seems just like the group might transfer on from each.
Chris Braswell, final 12 months’s second-round decide, had a stable near the season, however remains to be very uncooked and unproven. All-in-all the Bucs solely generated solely 12 sacks mixed from their high 4 outdoors linebackers final 12 months.
Khalil Mack Nonetheless Productive In His Mid-Thirties
Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack – Photograph by: USA As we speak
Khalil Mack has had a prolific profession, with 107.5 sacks and 736 pressures in his 11-year profession. He’s a nine-time Professional Bowler, a three-time first-team All-Professional and the 2016 Defensive Participant of the Yr. And whereas his greatest years are behind him, he nonetheless produced 52 pressures and 6 sacks final 12 months in Los Angeles with the Chargers.
One of many issues Bowles cited as necessary to the group as they retool for 2025 is the significance of getting ballhawks at each stage of the sphere. As that pertains to move rushers he cited attending to the quarterback as a precedence.
“Proper now for me, I would like ballhawks,” Todd Bowles mentioned. “Whether or not that’s a down man, a defensive lineman, whether or not he bats balls down or will get strip-sacks. Whether or not that’s an out of doors linebacker, whether or not that’s a backer that may punch the ball out and get turnovers. Whether or not that’s a security that may hit and jar the ball unfastened and get turnovers.
“Whether or not that’s a nook that has a nostril for the ball. We want ballhawks, we want turnovers, we want guys which might be very astute within the sport that may see issues and make performs and go get them. That’s what I’m searching for.”
It was the one unfavorable he famous in retroactively scouting Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
“I feel Joe did every thing proper for us besides get to the quarterback on a constant foundation,” Bowles mentioned. “I believed from a run standpoint he was tremendous, from a drop standpoint he was tremendous, from a toughness standpoint, he was tremendous. He did every thing [we asked of him]. Clearly, whenever you assume edge rushers, you need to assume get to the quarterback first. And that didn’t present up from a double-digit standpoint and a few of it – we drop in a different way than regular groups and a few of it’s it’s important to flip the nook sooner or later however simply speeding the passer just a little bit extra would be the solely factor. All the things else, he did okay.”
Mack continues to be a powerful finisher even on the twilight of his profession. Final 12 months he transformed 17% of his pressures into sacks and over the previous three seasons that quantity is simply over 18%. He additionally has 12 passes defensed and eight compelled fumbles prior to now two years. Mack would additionally present the Bucs outdoors linebacker room with a veteran presence from a high-level participant not in contrast to Ndamokung Suh’s position within the defensive deal with room from 2019 to 2022.
If Mack, whose sack manufacturing fell from 17 in 2023 to 6 final 12 months, had been to enter free company, myself and different analysts have his market worth north of $20 million per 12 months over a short-term contract, probably simply one-to-two years. The Bucs may simply afford this from a wage cap perspective by restructuring any of their star veteran contracts akin to security Antoine Winfield Jr., Professional Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield or All-Professional left deal with Tristan Wirfs.
And the group ought to have loads of money to make the deal occur as properly.
