Buccaneers Encouraged to Trade Former First-Round Pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t have to do much to let 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka know they aren’t happy with his production levels at this point in his career.

All they had to do was decline the fifth-year option on his contract, effectively making him an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season.

If the Buccaneers want to get some value out of Tryon-Shoyinka before he eventually heads to another team, the real power move might be to trade the 6-foot-5, 259-pound outside linebacker before he has the chance to pick his own destination.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put Tryon-Shoyinka on his list of “1 Player Each NFL Team Should Consider Trading Before the 2024 Season” released on June 3.

“With Shaquil Barrett now in Miami, the Buccaneers aren’t exactly loaded on the edge behind Tryon-Shoyinka and (YaYa) Diaby,” Davenport wrote. “But the team did add veteran Randy Gregory in free agency, who is essentially (production-wise) an older version of Tryon-Shoyinka. The team has already declined Tryon-Shoyinka’s fifth-year option, so 2024 is a contract year. There’s at least a chance that there’s a team out there who believes their defense is a better fit — that they can ‘fix’ Tryon-Shoyinka. If the offer is appealing enough, perhaps the Buccaneers should let them.”

Middling Results for Former First-Round Pick

Tryon-Shoyinka was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and his fifth-year option would have paid him $13.2 million in 2025. He’s played in all 17 games each of his three seasons and started a career-high 16 games in 2022, but saw that number drop to 12 games in 2023.

The bigger number for Tryon-Shoyinka is 13.0 sacks through his first three seasons. Those numbers were put in stark contrast after Diaby, a 2023 third-round pick who also plays outside linebacker, led the team with 7.5 sacks as a rookie.

In just financial terms, the investment in Diaby and younger players moving forward makes either trading Tryon-Shoyinka or letting him become a free agent after this season become a much better decision financially.

Tryon-Shoyinka is scheduled to make $2.1 million in 2024 while Diaby is set to make just under $1 million.

Bucs Added Alabama Edge Rusher in 2024 NFL Draft

The Buccaneers selected Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft. It’s just another clear sign they’re moving on from Tryon-Shoyinka.

Braswell, 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, led Alabama with 3 forced fumbles to go with 42 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 8.0 sacks, returned an interception for a touchdown and blocked a kick in 2023. Braswell, who played behind several other NFL draft picks during his time at Alabama, left school with one year of eligibility remaining.

“Braswell chose to stick it out at Alabama rather than transferring and was rewarded with a productive final campaign,” wrote NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. “He doesn’t play with great technique or anchor as an edge-setter and is average in taking on in-line tight ends at the point of attack. As a pass rusher, he gets off the ball with good burst and uses a variety of moves, speeds and angles to create opportunities but needs to add counters to his approach.”