Buccaneers top trade candidate likely isn't going anywhere in 2024

It's been four years since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Joe Troyon-Shoyinka in the first round, and we're still waiting for him to make a meaingful impact.

Tryon-Shoyinka has hardly lived up to the hype he brought with him coming out of Washington, even if things took a slight step in the right direction last season. He finished the year with career-highs in sacks and tackles, but that's a generous reading of those stats. With only 13 sacks to his name in three seasons, it's safe to say Tryon-Shoyinka has underwhelmed.

All of that can change his season, though. He's still a key piece of the edge rushing rotation and the Buccaneers coaching staff hasn't yet cut bait on him. Still, he's a former first-round pick who has underperformed and might need a fresh start which is why it seems he's found himself at the center of trade rumors -- even if they don't make a lot of sense.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka probably isn't getting traded anytime soon

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed a top trade candidate from each team this offseason and the choice for Tampa Bay is starting to become a popular one. Once again Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was named the Bucs top trade candidate, but the more we hear his name the less likely it seems he'll actually get dealt.

"There's at least a chance that there's a team out there who believes their defense is a better fit—that they can "fix" Tryon-Shoyinka," Davenport wrote. "If the offer is appealing enough, perhaps the Buccaneers should let them."

There might be a team that wants to take a flier on JTS, but the Bucs have almost no incentive to make a deal that doesn't absolutely blow them out of the water. Tryon-Shoyinka hasn't been great for Tampa Bay but he also hasn't been an unplayable disaster. He's in line to be the starting outside linebacker in Week 1 and the Bucs have every reason to give him as many opportunities in the final year of his contract to prove that he's worth keeping around.

Beyond that, the Bucs have almost no depth behind Tryon-Shoyinka on the left side, so they almost can't get rid of him unless they find an upgrade. Tampa Bay signed Randy Gregory and drafted Chris Braswell but both are projected to rotate with Yaya Diaby on the right side of the defense.

That's a fluid situation, though, and the arrival of Gregory and the upside he's provides could be enough for the Bucs to slde him over and replace Tryon-Shoyinka. All of that seems a little more complicated than simply hanging onto the former first round pick and seeing if he can figure things out this season.

It's in his best interest to ball out, as Tryon-Shoyinka is playing for a new contract whether it be in Tampa Bay or elsewhere. If he doesn't breakout, the best thing he can do is prove he can contribute as part of a rotation and earn a role in 2025, but that would require an adjustment of expectations and potentially undersell his value.

In a perfect world, Tryon-Shoyinka has the season we've all been waiting since 2021 for him to have and makes goos on his first-round talent. Given the depth concerns and the general lack of return the Bucs are likely to get, a trade doesn't make a ton of sense for how this journey wraps up in Tampa Bay.