The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a decision to make with Shaquil Barrett. Could J.J Watt be a solution?
J.J. Watt hit the open market about two weeks ago, and he’s made it sound like he doesn’t have any plans to make a quick decision. There hasn’t been much noise or speculation on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being a potential destination and it’s puzzling. Watt has stated he wants to go to a winner with a great quarterback and solid defensive players around him. If that doesn’t describe the Buccaneers then what does?. The Buccaneers are in a cap bind with Shaquil Barrett, and his future with the team is still very much up in the air. So the question becomes: What do they do if they can’t keep him? Enter Watt.
Another question is he even good anymore?
The answer is yes. Oh God yes. If you watch Houston Texans games (no judgment for not and only doing so for fantasy football purposes) he still has mega juice in the tank. He has a bull rush that would make Vita Vea blush. He’s an absolute pocket smasher, and even more importantly he’s a heads-up player. The most dangerous thing you can do is stonewall Watt. The man has freakishly long arms and baseball mitts for hands. In 2020 Watt had seven passes defended (which is a pretty low number for him historically). That’s a pretty average year for most four-man fronts COMBINED.
The most underrated part of Watt’s game is his hands in the run game. Most guys that strong don’t bother with technique and rely on being able to manhandle linemen even at a disadvantage. Watt gets the leverage he wants and with the power he has, he makes some of the most stunning run stuffs you’ll ever see. He shoots through the line so fast you’d think there was a miscommunication and he went unblocked. If you’re still skeptical Pro Football Focus had him ranked 7th among edge rushers (Barrett was 22nd).