Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 potential Jason Pierre-Paul replacements
By Cory Kinnan
After the devastating news that Jason Pierre-Paul may have suffered a neck fracture, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are left scrambling for help off the edge.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received bad news yesterday as their defensive end and sack leader from a year ago Jason Pierre-Paul may miss the entire 2019 season after his involvement in a car accident last week. This would be a huge blow to the Buccaneers after waiting until the fourth round to draft a pass rusher in the 2019 NFL Draft.
In 2019, Pierre-Paul tallied 12.5 sacks, 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and twenty quarterback hits. If the two-time Pro Bowler cannot play in 2019, the Buccaneers will be hurting up front defensively; not an ideal situation for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Any talk of trading Gerald McCoy must now be on hold as the depth along the defensive front went from thin to non-existent with the potential loss of Pierre-Paul. Carl Nassib, Noah Spence, and rookie Anthony Nelson will have a heavy burden to carry opposite Shaquil Barrett in 2019 if no other depth is added to the roster.
The Buccaneers were able to add Barrett in free agency, but now the bulk of free agent edge rushers have signed elsewhere to play with their new teams. With limited resources left in free agency, here are three potential Pierre-Paul replacements still on the market for the Buccaneers to consider.