5 NFL players who would be a perfect fit for the Buccaneers
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneers have a very good thing going with their pass rush now if they can keep Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul on the roster. Barrett is assuredly going to remain on the team with either a long-term contract or the franchise tag but JPP is a less-certain prospect.
Pierre-Paul has been great in both seasons for the Buccaneers when healthy and doesn’t appear to be slowing down with age.
JPP had 8.5 sacks in 10 starts in 2019 coming off of a brutal injury and is a player that the Buccaneers would like to retain. While 2020 seems like a good year to keep Pierre-Paul, 2021 may be a different story due to price or age.
If the Buccaneers move on from JPP they will need to find a younger replacement and Yannick Ngakoue would be a great fit in the Buccaneer 3-4 defense at outside linebacker.
Ngakoue is only 24 years old and while his NFL career has been short it has been defined by consistent play with eight sacks, four forced fumbles, and 15 hits on the quarterback in 2019.
It appears as though there is trouble in paradise between Ngakou and the Jaguars though, as recently Ngakoue tweeted out that he no longer wants to remain with the team.
The Jaguars are aware I no longer have interest in signing a long term contract in Jacksonville. Duval, I love you and gave you guys everything I got. I’m thankful for the journey and look forward to continuing my career elsewhere. -91
— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) March 2, 2020
If this is truly how Ngakoue feels about the situation, then it is likely that he will only be on the Jags for at least one more season if the team decides to use the franchise tag on him. This would probably worsen the situation but it could offer the Buccaneers the opportunity to pursue him in free agency in 2021-the same time that they will be re-evaluating Jason Pierre-Paul.