Buccaneers’ New Look Pass Rush Has Golden Opportunity

The Buccaneers went out of their way to revamp the attitude of the defense following one of the worst defenses in Todd Bowles’ career. They brought in playmakers, sure – but they also brought in a level of nastiness that the team hasn’t seen since the days of Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Shaq Barrett. A’Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Rueben Bain Jr. bring attitude, swagger, and sheer violence to a defense that has seemed lost the last couple of seasons.

Change Is Coming 

Last year’s 37 sacks was the first time in over half a decade – and the only time since the arrival of Todd Bowles – that the team failed to reach 40. It was the third lowest team total since 2015. For Bowles’ defense, that’s not just unacceptable, it’s a severe problem. Bowles’ entire scheme is predicated on their ability to get after the quarterback and force turnovers on bad passes or bad decisions. 2025 signaled a time for a major shift in personnel. When you’re trying to rebuild a pass rush, you have to take advantage of any and all opportunities put in front of you. For this defense in particular, they have the advantage of having to face one of the best offensive lines in the NFL on a daily basis in practice. By comparison, all their Sunday opponents should feel like light work. I mean, if Rueben Bain Jr. is figuring out how to beat Tristan Wirfs every day in practice, then he’s going to feel like he’s on vacation going against any other tackles in the league – because none of them are Wirfs.

Hidden Advantage 

For the pass rush as a whole, they have an advantage built into the schedule. According to Sharp Football Analysis, who went through and ranked all 32 offensive lines in the league, the Bucs are not going to face a difficult task until almost the midway point of the season. Based on their rankings, here is where all of Tampa’s opponents stack up throughout the year;

• Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals (28)
• Week 2: Cleveland Browns (32)
• Week 3: Minnesota Vikings (13)
• Week 4: Green Bay Packers (27)
• Week 5: Dallas Cowboys (18)
• Week 6: Pittsburgh Steelers (21)
• Week 7: Carolina Panthers (12)
• Week 8: Atlanta Falcons (10)
• Week 9: Chicago Bears (6)
• Week 10: BYE
• Week 11: Detroit Lions (14)
• Week 12: Carolina Panthers (12)
• Week 13: Los Angeles Chargers (8)
• Week 14: Baltimore Ravens (24)
• Week 15: New Orleans Saints (16)
• Week 16: Atlanta Falcons (10)
• Week 17: Los Angeles Rams (5)
• Week 18: New Orleans Saints (16)

The Buccaneers don’t face any team in the top 10 until Week 8 and open the season with three of the six worst offensive lines in the league within the first month of the season. Now, while the second half of the season will be a little tougher, the Bucs face just seven of the teams in the top half of the league and they never face a team with an offensive line ranked higher than their own.

Fast Start Advantage 

That means, Todd Bowles has the opportunity to get this team – more specifically, this pass rush – off to a very fast start and begin building their confidence early in the season. That kind of confidence can spill over to the rest of the season. What you don’t want is the team going up against Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Green Bay and coming away with only one or two sacks in those games. That creates the doubt, the “here-we-go-again” mentality that can derail any confidence this pass rush, or defense, may have. That opening stretch can also be a big confidence boost for the secondary. You’re going up against Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and D.K. Metcalf all in the first six weeks. If the pass rush is getting home, the corners are going to have a better day against those top tier talents. If the pass rush is not taking advantage against those weaker offensive lines and those corners are being left on an island with opposing quarterbacks having all the time in the world to throw the ball, it’s going to be a long day. The two parts of the defense can help one another and if they’re getting through those first six weeks and not allowing some of the top receivers in the league to have big games, that is going to carry into the rest of the year.

A Great Starting Point 

For a young and new pass rush like the Bucs have, with Bain and David Walker both playing their first seasons in the NFL, getting to go against lower tiered offensive lines is going to provide a great starting point to start hot and continue to build on that week by week – but if you’re the Buccaneers and Todd Bowles, you couldn’t ask for a better start to the season when you’re desperate to completely revamp an entire aspect of your defense. The pieces are in place, the path is smooth – it’s all about capitalizing and starting off hot.

For more on the Buccaneers from James click here, check him out on the Locked on Bucs Podcast, then make sure you follow him on Twitter.