Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon already turning heads

Training camp is barely two days old for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and rookie first-round pick Joe Tryon out of the University of Washington is already standing out among this talented Buccaneers team with his pass-rushing skills.

It’s honestly kind of funny. All of the brouhaha and ballyhoo and whatever other funny words that start with the letter “B” you can think of to describe the excitement of the Buccaneers being able to bring back all 22 starters and some change from their Super Bowl championship team almost overshadowed the rest of the offseason in a way. The Bucs did work offseason magic with their re-signings, but they also had what is being perceived (as of now) as a very good Draft. That Draft was headlined by first-round pick Joe Tryon.

Tryon brings excitement as he is a bit of a raw pass rusher, but possesses the physical skills needed to succeed at the NFL level. The point that he was a bit of a raw prospect was exacerbated due to the fact that he decided to forgo the 2020 college football season due to COVID and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. The fact that he was still a first-round pick despite all of this speaks to his talent and potential.

Luckily for Tryon, and the Buccaneers, he has a plethora of talent on the defensive side of the ball to learn from. He also has the cream of the crop to choose from as far as mentors go for pass-rushers as well. The best of those is Shaquil Barrett.

Since joining the Bucs, Shaq Barrett has been the best pass-rusher in the NFL, and the stats back up that claim. When asked about Tryon thus far in camp, the edge-rushing extraordinaire had nothing but glowing reviews for the rookie.

Saying that’s high praise coming from a player like Barrett would be just a bit of an understatement. Now look, obviously, it’s early. After all, it’s not even August. However, if a rookie like Tryon is stepping into a crowded and talented locker room like the one in Tampa Bay, it’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.

The Buccaneers’ defense already proved to the world in Super Bowl LV what Bucs fans already knew, which is that they are a ferocious bunch. The prospect of them adding another pass-rusher to this group, and to their future, that is already getting Shaq Barrett to take notice is just silly. The rest of the NFL should have already been VERY worried about the Bucs for multiple reasons, and it looks like Joe Tryon just gave them another one.