Buccaneer linebacker Shaquil Barrett came out of nowhere last season to lead the league in sacks with 19.5, a huge feat considering he had only 14.0 sacks over the previous four years.
Barrett also broke Warren Sapp’s single-season franchise record for sacks set in 2000 (16.5), but if he really wants to make his mark further in the Bucs’ record books, Barrett will need to get 11.5 sacks this upcoming season to eclipse the two-year sack total set by former defensive end Simeon Rice, who collected 15.5 in 2002 and 15.0 in 2003 for a total of 30.5. (Sapp had only 6.0 sacks the year after setting the franchise mark.)
The good news for Barrett is that both Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh will be back with the Bucs defense this season, meaning teams will have to account for more than just Barrett.
It was a historic year for the former undrafted player in 2019, and Barrett is hoping to prove to himself, and the league, that he’s anything but a one-hit wonder. Breaking Rice’s two-year sack mark would go a long way in cementing his legacy with the Bucs franchise.
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