It was a brutal Week 7 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in more than one way. Not only did they take a loss on Monday Night Football to another NFC rival, the Detroit Lions, but they saw the Carolina Panthers pick up a game in the standings as well.
And on top of all that, the Bucs also endured some rough injuries against Detroit. For starters, wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a broken collarbone and will miss a large portion of time at this point. But, beyond Evans, the Bucs also saw pass rusher Haason Reddick go down with a knee injury.
With Reddick hurt, and the NFL trade deadline coming up on November 4, the Bucs are now staring down the perfect match. Just a few miles away, the Miami Dolphins are treading water -- and that's putting it generously. At 1-6, the Dolphins are facing a possible fire sale in addition to the inevitable firing of head coach Mike McDaniel.
Enter: veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
Buccaneers have the perfect opportunity to land Bradley Chubb and bolster their pass rush
We know the Dolphins aren't going anywhere. We know they will be smart to be sellers at the deadline with the way that franchise is trending, and Chubb is the ideal sell for Miami.
With two years left on his deal, Chubb could land somewhere and help a contender through the 2027 season. But, more importantly for Miami, he doesn't have a dollar of guaranteed money left on his deal after this season.
That said, if the Bucs took on his contract, Chubb's cap hit in 2026 still comes in over $31 million. That's a hefty price to pay, but Tampa Bay could also save roughly $7 million by cutting him before June 1, 2026.
That's a conversation for later, of course, but Chubb might just be exactly what this defense needs while Reddick is out. And, regardless of how long Reddick is out, Chubb still makes a ton of sense as another edge rusher. As we've seen teams like the Philadelphia Eagles prove in recent years, you can never have or develop enough talent at a position like that.
If the Bucs want to make a run, adding a player like Chubb feels like a must at this point. The 29-year-old has 4.0 sacks in seven games this year, but playing on a much better unit like Tampa Bay, his production is bound to go up.