When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent last year’s first-round draft pick on outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, they saw an athletic pass rusher with limitless potential who could excel in their defensive scheme.
After a promising rookie season as a rotational player behind two experienced veterans, the Washington product now finds himself in the starting lineup opposite Shaq Barrett, replacing Jason Pierre-Paul.
Tryon-Shoyinka has big shoes to fill, and while new head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t expect him to be the second coming of JPP, expectations for the second-year pro are still through the roof.
“Well, they’re high,” Bowles said Wednesday when asked about his expectations for last year’s No. 32 overall pick. “He’s very athletic. Obviously, we took him in the first round. Going into year two, we expect him to have the nuances down with a lot of the things he did last year and expect him to come into his own. I don’t expect him to be [Jason Pierre-Paul], I expect him to be Joe. He has a skill set all on his own that he could be a good player.”
Barrett thinks his new running mate off the edge is capable of putting up the same kind of big numbers he’s been posting himself over the last few years in Tampa Bay.
“I think Joe could be a double-digit sack guy every year,” Barrett said Wednesday. “I’m excited for him. In practice, I’m seeing him put the work in so it’s just a matter of time for him to just get out there and get comfortable with it on a play-in, play-out basis, and then he’s going to take off. It could be the first game or the second game, but I have faith in him that he’s going to be making plays – not just sacks, but forced fumbles, tackles for loss, passing game – he’s going to really affect the game. It’s going to be fun to play with him.”
Tryon-Shoyinka appeared in every game for the Bucs last year, making six starts in the regular season, posting four sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
Now that he’ll be a full-time starter, the former Husky will have even more opportunities to show off his explosive pass-rushing ability, as the Bucs hope to make another Super Bowl run in 2022.
[listicle id=68315]