Don’t Panic About Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s Sack Numbers – Yet

“We like what he was doing last year,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said of Tryon-Shoyinka. “He was kind of missing at the top of the pass rush – he probably missed more [sacks] than he made. If he can wrap up and tackle those, he’ll be right where we want him to be. It’s not leaving your feet so early and it’s going through – pushing through – with your shoulder and understanding when you can go for the ball and when you can’t go for the ball.”

Is year three going to be a breakout for JTS? The Bucs sure hope so.

Actually, the Bucs need him to.

The outside linebacker room is in flux at the moment. Shaq Barrett turns 31 in November and is coming back from a torn Achilles and is suffering through the tragic death of his daughter this offseason. Nelson had a great season that earned him a new contract, but is his ceiling around six sacks?

Tampa Bay also beefed up the outside linebacker position this offseason by drafting YaYa Diaby in the third round and Jose Ramirez in the sixth round. There’s a lot of promise for Diaby in particular, but to rely on a third-round rookie to create the majority of sack production is far-fetched.

The reality is that with so much uncertainty about how Barrett will fare upon his return, much of the pass rush weight falls on Tryon-Shoyinka and Nelson. And as a former first-round pick, the spotlight is on JTS – and it’s glaring.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka Has One Last Obstacle To Overcome

Joe Tyron-Shoyinka spoke after Tuesday’s OTA practice and admitted that it’s all mental at this point when it comes to finishing the play and going from a missed sack to a quarterback capture. At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds and oozing athletic ability, he has all the physical tools one could ask for, but there’s just one more hurdle to pass to seal the deal and turn pressures into sacks.

“It’s just mental at that point,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “You’ve got to have that willpower to finish, and being in position isn’t enough. You want to make those plays – you’re going to rewind those plays that you missed every time and be sick, thinking about what could have been. At the end of the day, you’ve got to move on and try to improve and that’s all I’m going to do.”

Don’t Panic About JTS – Yet

One benefit that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has going for him this year is a new outside linebackers coach with George Edwards. For the past three seasons Edwards was coaching up pass-rushing superstar Micah Parsons on the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons is a two-time first-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler who had 13 sacks as a rookie and 13.5 sacks last year. That’s a good person to have in your corner as JTS enters the most pivotal year of his career.

It’s been a short amount of time that they’ve worked together, but Edwards has really enjoyed what he’s gotten out of JTS. In an exclusive interview with Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, he revealed what Tryon-Shoyinka has looked like in practice each day.

“I think it’s just making the most of the opportunity he’s got,” Edwards said. “Schematically, he’s very sharp. He’s into it. He’s a pro. He comes to work every day. I think that confidence will just keep building as we go through the rest of mini-camp, training camp and as we get into the season. I’ve been very pleased with what we’ve seen from him so far and excited about going into the season.” And don’t you worry about the sacks because they’re coming. Just as importantly, he’ll continue to put his stamp on the game in more ways that makes the Bucs’ defense better as a group. “Everybody wants to talk about sacks and that’s where everybody recognition recognizes the star players,” Edwards said. “But affecting the quarterback, who you are rushing with, and how we’re doing it – all those things work together. It’s a combination of all of those things. “That’s why there’s no reason to panic. Just go and keep executing. That’s going to be the whole key. We’re going to do a lot of things schematically that will be able to take advantage of his skillset. I look for him to attack it head-on and have success.” And if Joe Tryon-Shoyinka can’t get past the four-sack plateau this season with a new, proven outside linebackers coach, then maybe it’s time to panic.