Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 15 greatest pass rushers in franchise history

Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
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Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

It’s time to take a look at the 15 greatest pass rushers in franchise history for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with plenty of candidates to choose from.

Throughout their franchise history, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been fortunate enough to work with plenty of great defensive players, including an amazing group that played a key role in helping the team win Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders.

Even though this happens to be the team’s only Super Bowl title in franchise history, nothing can take away from the fact that Tampa Bay’s defense was loaded with numerous great pass rushers, some of whom are considered the best in franchise history.

When it comes to defense, the top goal for every team always seems to be doing whatever it takes to put the necessary pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Whether it happens to be recording an actual sack, or making them feel as uncomfortable as possible in the pocket, it’s all about disrupting the passer’s timing.

Right away, when football fans think of the best pass rushers to ever suit up for the Buccaneers, players like Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice immediately come to mind. There’s a reason the two stars currently sit in the top-two spots for Tampa Bay’s all-time sack leaders.

What’s even more terrifying to consider is how Sapp and Rice happened to be on that epic defensive roster during the 2002 NFL season. They helped lead the Buccaneers to their first and only Super Bowl title, making it easy to see why the Raiders had so much trouble in the big game.

While Sapp and Rice make an easy case to be in the conversation of greatest pass rusher of all-time for Tampa Bay, who are some of the other candidates that deserve to be on the list?

Kicking things off with a familiar face currently on the roster, and the mindset of how a pass rusher could be defined through multiple positions, here are the top 15 of all-time at the moment when it comes to the Buccaneers in getting after the quarterback.

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