Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 15 greatest pass rushers in franchise history

As much credit as some of the defenders from the epic 2002 team that helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl get, when it comes to one of the all-time great defenders for the Buccaneers, Lee Roy Selmon certainly deserves to be near the top of the list.

Before, it was discussed how the NFL didn’t actually begin to record official sacks until the 1982 season. So to put Selmon this high on the list says a lot about his skills as a pass rusher from his time with the Buccaneers from 1976 to 1984.

One can only imagine how great Tampa Bay felt to watch Selmon spend his entire career with the Buccaneers, especially since the final six seasons all consisted of earning Pro Bowl honors.

With the Buccaneers being an expansion team in 1976, the team could have gone in numerous directions with the top overall pick, but they clearly felt confident enough in Selmon being their best option out of Oklahoma.

Before Tampa Bay knew it, Selmon’s first Pro Bowl campaign during his fourth NFL season also consisted of his first and only NFL Defensive Player of the Year honor after helping the Buccaneers finish with a 10-6 record.

During his final two seasons in the NFL, the 19 sacks shows Selmon was still playing at a high level before a back injury forced him into early retirement.

Looking back, just imagine how many more sacks Selmon would have been able to pile up if it wasn’t for that injury since chances are, there would have been plenty of great football still left in him at defensive end.