Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ndamukong Suh is not an upgrade
By Cory Kinnan
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have cut defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and now are rumored to be in pursuit of Ndamukong Suh as his replacement.
The inevitable finally happened, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with nine-year veteran and former third overall pick Gerald McCoy last night. Shortly after McCoy was released by the team, many outlets began linking the Buccaneers to defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as the potential replacement for McCoy.
To be frank, in no element of his game is Suh an upgrade to McCoy. While Suh’s attitude and mentality is pegged as a selling point, it has often cost his teams 15 yard penalties, suspensions, and money out of his own wallet. Even if his nasty style of play was funneled into the correct channel, does it really make that much of a difference on the field?
On the field, McCoy has been better than Suh in every facet of the game over the last two years. In 2017, Suh finished with four and a half sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 12 hits on the quarterback; McCoy tallied six sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 24 hits on the quarterback. Last year, McCoy was again better in all three statistical categories than Suh.
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Adding insult to Suh’s injury of being bested by McCoy, the former Bucs defensive tackle has also missed three games over the last two years and still put up better numbers. Suh did have a better grade according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), however.
On film, McCoy is still a disruptive technician, who, if he has lost a step, still is a force to opposing offensive lineman in the trenches. Suh’s film on the other hand shows a player who often coasts and takes plays off, a trait which could never be attached to McCoy.
The bottom line is this move would come down to the bottom line of the Buccaneers organization. While McCoy would have cost the Buccaneers $13 million in 2019, they will be able to sign Suh for less. However, anywhere at or above the $10 million mark for Suh would be a failure made by the Buccaneers front office.
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Suh is not an upgrade from McCoy, and he really would not even a lateral move made by the Buccaneers. If McCoy’s attitude and price tag was the downfall to his time in Tampa Bay, then his attitude must have been truly horrendous to bring in a guy like Suh.