After an offseason car accident and a six game absence, pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is set to make his debut for the Buccaneers.
The news was first broken by PewterReport, then later confirmed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is officially active for tomorrow’s game versus the Tennessee Titans. Pierre-Paul returned to practice for the pewter and red for the first time over the bye week after breaking vertebrae in his neck in a car accident this Spring.
Leading the Bucs in sacks a year ago with 12.5, Jason Pierre-Paul will now join the co-league leader in sacks Shaquil Barrett, tied with Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns with nine. Expect Pierre-Paul to serve in a rotational role in his first game back on the season, sharing reps with team captain Carl Nassib.
Pierre-Paul will be looking to remind NFL teams, including the Bucs, of the elite pass rusher that he is now that he is set to become a free agent this offseason. Earlier this season, both the Bucs and JPP agreed to a contract restructuring that lowered the Pro Bowler’s base salary with the ability to earn it back in incentives; another part of the restructure was axing off the last year of his deal.
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The Bucs will also be looking forward to getting Pierre-Paul back, as outside of Barrett’s nine sacks, they have gotten just three additional sacks. As the secondary continues to flounder, giving the quarterback less time to throw is an absolute necessity for Todd Bowles and his defense.
While the Bucs will be without two starters in Alex Cappa and O.J. Howard, getting JPP back will be a big boost for the pewter and red. Bowles is smiling, Barrett is smiling, as the Buccaneers should be able to get even more pressure on Titans’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill tomorrow.
It is miraculous that a player has suffered a severe hand injury and a broken neck and is still out on the field playing professional football. Welcome back, Jason Pierre-Paul, look forward to seeing you out there tomorrow.