Tag: Shaq Barrett

Bucs has unusual spot in Bleacher Report’s Power Rankings

Despite that, some remain bullish on their chances to make a big impact in 2024, thus placing them in the middle of the pack. 

Many in the media and fans alike recognize the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a formidable football team. Despite that, some remain bullish on their chances to make a big impact in 2024, thus placing them in the middle of the pack.

Bleacher Report seems to be one of those places being bullish on the 2024 Bucs. In their first power rankings of the football season, they had the Buccaneers placed 17th overall in the league. They cited some inconsistencies and key free-agent losses for the placement.

“No team in the NFL was worse running the ball in 2023 than the Buccaneers. With the departure of Shaquil Barrett, the edge-rushers in Tampa are unproven youngsters. The offensive line is average, although young additions inside could bolster that unit.”

The rushing attack was addressed when they drafted Bucky Irving out of Oregon in April. The pass-rushing unit will see some young faces step up in Yaya Diaby and Calijah Kancey. Questions around the offensive line remain valid, though.

Time will tell how it all affects things but for now, let’s agree that this could prove to be a bit too low of a ranking.

Broncos Super Bowl 50 champ Shaq Barrett retires after 10-year career

Shaq Barrett, who won Super Bowls with the Broncos and Bucs, has retired after 10 seasons to focus on his family.

Following a 10-year career in the NFL, former Denver Broncos pass rusher Shaq Barrett has announced his retirement from football at age 31.

“It’s time for me to hang it up,” Barrett wrote on his Instagram page on Saturday. “It’s been a great ride and I appreciate everything that came with it over the years. I’m ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them realize [their] dreams and catch em.”

Barrett’s retirement comes following a difficult 2023 season. Six months after he tore his Achilles, Barrett lost two-year-old daughter Arrayah in a drowning accident last year.

Barrett entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State with the Broncos in 2014. After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, Barrett played four years as a rotational pass rusher in Denver, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

Barrett signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in 2016 and had a career year with 19.5 sacks in his first season as a Buc. The following season, Barrett helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV.

Barrett signed with the Miami Dolphins this spring before later deciding to retire. The pass rusher hangs up his cleats with two Super Bowls, two Pro Bowl nods, 125 quarterback hits and 59 career sacks on his resume.

Barrett and his wife, Jordanna, now have four children: Shaquil Jr., Braylon, Aaliyah and Allanah, who was born earlier this year.

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Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Key Miami defender retires before Week 1 matchup

Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Key Miami defender retires before Week 1 matchup

Dolphins edge rusher Shaquil Barrett announced his retirement Saturday, a surprise move fewer than two months before Miami’s Week 1 matchup with Jacksonville to kick off the 2024 season.

Barrett, the NFL’s sack leader in 2019 and a nine-year pro, signed a one-year contract with Miami in March, following five seasons with Tampa Bay and four with Denver.

Barrett cited a desire to shift his full focus to his family and acknowledged that he had considered retiring for some time.

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A post shared by Shaquil Barrett (@moochman6)

Barrett logged 400 total tackles with 73 for loss, 59 sacks, three interceptions, 18 defended passes and 22 forced fumbles in his NFL career, in 131 games including 85 starts.

Undrafted out of Colorado State, Barrett signed with the Broncos and produced 5.5 sacks as a rookie following a promotion from the practice squad. He recorded 14 sacks in four seasons with Denver before signing with Tampa Bay in 2019.

It was with the Buccaneers where Barrett shined his brightest. He earned second-team All-Pro recognition and his first of two Pro Bowl nods after tallying 19.5 sacks in his first season with the team, and combined for 18 sacks between 2020-21.

An Achilles tear brought Barrett’s 2022 campaign to an end in Week 8, and his production declined last season when he returned to health. He posted 7.5 sacks over his last 24 games.

Still, Miami brought Barrett in to fill a critical role in the Dolphins’ edge-rushing depth, with starters Bradley Chubb (torn ACL) and Jaelan Phillips (torn Achilles) continuing to nurse season-ending injuries from last year.

Miami placed Chubb and Phillips on its active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list Thursday. Both players can be activated at any time, but at a minimum, they’re on track to miss some practice time as training camp gets underway this week.

In addition to signing Barrett, the Dolphins took Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson at No. 21 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor shared in June that Jacksonville’s offensive coaching staff began scouting Miami’s defense  — as well as Cleveland’s, the Jags’ Week 2 opponent — “as quick as possible” after the 2024 schedule came out in May.

With Barrett no longer expected to line up against Jacksonville offensive tackles Cam Robinson and Anton Harrison, it’s fair to wonder if Taylor and Co. have already returned to the drawing board in preparation for Week 1.

BREAKING: Former Bucs LB Shaq Barrett retires

Former Bucs sack artist Shaq Barrett announces his retirement from the NFL.

Former Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett announced his retirement from the NFL on his Instagram account today:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9qDK7Pys7_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Barrett’s retirement come after the Bucs released him in March. He then signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, but the pass rusher’s snaps in Tampa Bay appear to be his last in the NFL.

The Bucs signed Barrett in 2019, desperate for pass rush off the edge. The former Denver Bronco delivered and then some. Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, the most sacks ever recorded by a Buccaneer.

Over his five seasons in Tampa Bay, Barrett was the Bucs’ premiere pass rusher. He recorded 45 sacks, 22 more than the next closest player. A torn Achilles in 2022 slowed his production and may have contributed to his retirement.

Barrett was an instrumental piece of the Bucs’ 2020 Super Bowl team, leading the team in sacks (4) during the playoffs. His legendary 2019 season set a record that future Bucs players will aspire to reach but few will attain.

Could Mohamed Kamara be the Dolphins’ next fifth-round steal?

The Dolphins found linebackers Bryan Cox, Zach Thomas, and Andrew Van Ginkel in the fifth round. Will Mohamed Kamara be their next steal?

The fifth-round of the NFL draft has historically proven to be a good spot for the Miami Dolphins to find linebackers.

There was Bryan Cox, a three-time Pro Bowler who was selected No. 113 overall in 1991. Five years later, the Dolphins one-upped themselves by finding Hall of Famer Zach Thomas at No. 154 overall. More recently, Miami found Andrew Van Ginkel at No. 151 overall in 2019.

The Dolphins will hope Mohamed Kamara can follow in those footsteps.

Miami used the No. 21 overall pick in the first-round to take Penn State’s Chop Robinson, but double-downed at the position by adding the Colorado State alum in Day 3.

Kamara, who enters the NFL following a 13-sack season for Colorado State, has the chance to learn from free agent addition Shaq Barrett, another CSU alum with a lot of pass rushing experience.

Kamara totaled 30.5 sacks in his five collegiate seasons and 21.5 over the last two, as well as 45.5 career tackles for loss. All those plays in the backfield earned him Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors in his last season.

While a tad undersized by NFL standards at 6’1, 248 pounds, he makes up for it with strength, speed, and ferocity. All those elements make for fan-favorite potential. He’s a project to refine, but Kamara has a solid foundation for new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to build on.

Kamara’s 4.57 40-yard dash time was third among edge rushers at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, behind only Robinson (4.48) and another first-rounder, Dallas Turner (4.46).

All that’s left for Kamara is the production to justify his selection and solidify his spot on the next rung of fifth-round linebackers to succeed for the Dolphins. That’s easier said than done.

Miami already has a terrific duo of edge rushers in Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. However, both are rehabbing injuries and will be returning for the Dolphins in 2024, but are beginning training camp on the PUP list. The newly added rookie duo of Robinson and Kamara adds to the depth.

When Phillips and Chubb both fully return, the Dolphins stand to have Robinson, Barrett, and Kamara in rotational roles. That means the rookies have a chance to make an early impact.

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WATCH: Best highlights from Shaq Barrett’s career with the Bucs

Relive all of the top plays from Shaq Barrett’s impressive run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

During the 2019 offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a low-cost signing late in free agency, bringing in outside linebacker Shaq Barrett on a one-year deal.

Barrett had been a rotational player for his entire career so far with the Denver Broncos, but finally got a chance to shine as a full-time starter in Tampa Bay, and made the most of it.

Lightning in a bottle from the moment he joined the team, Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks that season, breaking the Bucs’ single-season franchise record, which was previously held by Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

Barrett was also a critical part of Tampa Bay’s dominant performance in Super Bowl LV in a 31-9 victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Let’s take a look back at all of the best plays from Barrett’s time with the Bucs:

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Shaq Barrett was the best player to wear No. 48 for the Broncos

Shaq Barrett recorded 14 sacks and forced seven fumbles in four seasons with the Broncos, and he helped the team win Super Bowl 50 in 2015.

Shaq Barrett was the best player to ever wear No. 48 for the Denver Broncos.

After playing college football at CSU, Barrett signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He spent his rookie season on Denver’s practice squad before emerging as a rotational pass rusher in his second season.

Barrett played in all 16 games in 2015 and started six contests as an injury fill-in. He recorded 5.5 sacks that year and helped the Broncos reach Super Bowl 50. Barrett recorded one tackle in Denver’s 24-10 win over the Panthers in the Super Bowl that season.

Barrett went on to spend three more years with the Broncos, recording 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles while playing primarily as a rotational pass rusher. He left the team in free agency in 2019 and recorded 19.5 sacks in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett then won a second Super Bowl in 2020, that time with the Bucs.

George Coghill also deserves a shout-out as an honorable mention. He played safety for the Broncos from 1997-2001 and while he was on the practice squad for Super Bowl XXXII, Coghill did play in Super Bowl XXXIII. The safety spent four seasons in Denver, playing in 54 games with four starts. Coghill totaled 93 tackles and three interceptions with the Broncos.

Barrett has 59 career sacks on his resume and he now plays for the Miami Dolphins. Even as a rotational player, he had a key role in the team’s run to Super Bowl 50 in 2015, and he was the best to ever wear No. 48.

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Dolphins’ Chop Robinson says hand technique caused lack of production

How does a pass rusher as athletic as Chop Robinson only record nine sacks in two seasons? He explained Thursday night.

The Miami Dolphins’ newly drafted edge rusher Chop Robinson has been a top prospect for the past year, and ended up getting selected at No. 21 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

The former Nittany Lions lineman was an elite athlete, but the production didn’t always match his athletic profile. While at Penn State, Robinson totaled 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in two seasons.

His in-game stats may not have popped off the stat sheet, but he says he knows why he wasn’t a sack machine.

“It was just being inconsistent with my hands,” Robinson told reporters after he was drafted Thursday night. “I know I had the speed and the bend, but sometimes I forget to use my hands. But that’s something I’ve been working on this whole offseason, and I feel very confident because I’ve been working on this so much repeatedly, and I know it’s going to be natural when it comes time to put my hands to use.”

Despite his lack of production, Robinson tested at the top of his position at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He finished top two in the 40-yard dash (4.48 seconds), 10-yard split (1.54 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (4.25 seconds), and broad jump (128 inches).

With elite athleticism and room to improve technically, Robinson is happy with the situation he’s entering in Miami. He’ll soon join a group of edge rushers that includes Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Shaquil Barrett.

“I feel like that’s going to be a great situation for me – come in there, learn from those guys, compete every day, being able to take things from them and take it to my game and vice versa,” Robinson said. “It’ll be a great thing for me.”

The Dolphins hope it’ll be a great thing for them too and that his NFL production will match his athleticism.

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Breaking down the terms of new Dolphins LB Shaq Barrett’s contract

Here’s what new Dolphins LB Shaq Barrett’s contract looks like.

The Miami Dolphins needed some help on the edge this offseason with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb recovering from season-ending injuries and Andrew Van Ginkel joining the Minnesota Vikings.

Miami added some veteran talent to the position early in free agency by bringing in Shaq Barrett.

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Barrett’s deal is for one year (with four voidable years on the end) and is worth up to $9 million. He’ll receive a $7 million base salary ($1.46 million guaranteed), a $5.54 million signing bonus (prorated to $1.11 million per season due to void years) and $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

Considering the financial commitment, Barrett’s a lock to make the roster in 2024, but when the year is over the remainder of the prorated signing bonus ($4.43 million) will be left as a dead-cap hit in 2025 unless he’s extended.

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New Dolphins DE Shaq Barrett thought he was landing with Jets

It was New York all the way for Shaq Barrett…until it wasn’t.

The Jets have a hole to fill in the defensive end rotation after losing 2023 sack leader Bryce Huff to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. The team thought they had found a potential replacement later in free agency before a division rival scooped him up from under their nose.

Shaq Barrett, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio he felt very sure he was landing with the Jets in free agency before the Miami Dolphins swooped in and snatched him up.

“My agent was talking to me about potentially going to New York and it was New York all the way up until…the day I ended up agreeing to terms with the Dolphins and they came out of left field,” Barrett said.

“I loved the prospect of going to New York but the Dolphins, they’re just more established as a team, they’re more proven at this point and they got some good guys in my pass-rush room, so I was looking forward to partnering up with those guys.”

Barrett also mentioned the lack of state tax in Florida as a reason he quickly shifted to the Dolphins.

While Barrett’s sack numbers are down in comparison to other years — Barrett has sack totals of 8, 10, 3 and 4.5 in the four seasons since his 19.5-sack season in 2019 — he will still provide a good rotational piece for Miami and would have done the same for New York had he joined the Jets. Barrett also recorded at least 50 tackles in four of his five seasons with the Buccaneers.

The Jets are currently rolling with a rotation of Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons and Will McDonald among others at the position but are still in the mix to sign Jadeveon Clowney, who had 9.5 in 2023 for the Baltimore Ravens.