Vital trades that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to make
By Rob Leeds
Trade for edge Josh Sweat
This trade would be the hardest to pull off but would likely help the Buccaneers out in the most significant way. The Bucs already have Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul to utilize in 2020, but finding a third option as well as a player to replace JPP down the road is critical.
Sweat was drafted in the fourth round of the draft in 2018 by the Philadelphia Eagles. After his first season was mostly derailed by injury, Sweat improved in 2019 with four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and ten quarterback hits. All of this was done with a mere 35% of the defensive snaps and zero starts.
This level of production mixed with his athleticism shows that Sweat has the talent to be a starting edge player for the Eagles very soon, if not now, yet Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett seem firmly in control of the starting spots in Philly for the time being.
Tampa Bay would likely have to overpay by sending a pick or combination of picks that could include a second-round option, but a player like Sweat could be the difference-maker for the Buccaneers in their 2020 playoff push.
Sweat is still on his rookie deal and would be extremely cheap, and trading picks for an established player always outweighs the element of chance present in the draft. The Bucs could overpay with volatile draft picks for a cheap player with a great opportunity to be a future star rather than overvaluing picks that may never pan out or fit with the team.