The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to greatly improve their team this offseason by utilizing free agency and April's NFL Draft.
While the Tampa Bay defense struggled in 2024, reinforcement will be available to shore up pass coverage and quarterback pressure.
With the No. 19 overall pick in the first round, the Buccaneers have been linked to a stout pass rusher that could improve the team's overall defense in Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart. While his numbers weren't singularly impressive last season on a defense that spread out the pass rush, his traits and drive should lead him to success in the NFL.
Stewart finished his collegiate career with 4.5 sacks in 37 games across three seasons. He added 65 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four passes defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Stewart would like to turn some of those pressures into sacks, and he's been working on it.
“That’s something that I’ve been working on,” Stewart told PewterReport.com at the Senior Bowl. “Whether that’s fixing my bend or fixing my footwork on a specific angle. At the end of the day, I want to be great at the game of football. I want to be one of the all-time greats when it’s all said and done. The great ones find a way to get it done so that’s what I’ve been working on doing.”
And while Stewart can't control where he goes in the draft, he does have one target in mind, and it's Tampa Bay with Calijah Kancey - another Miami native.
“Calijah is a Miami native,” Stewart said. “I think it would be great to play with somebody from the same hometown as me.”