Don’t panic about Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s Sack Numbers just yet

The Bucs invested a lot of stock in outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka heading into this season. To the untrained eye, you’d see Tampa Bay tied for sixth in sacks below the NFL with 45, but that doesn’t paint the whole picture. The Bucs could very well have catapulted into the Top 3 if it weren’t for a number of missed sacks, and Tryon-Shoyinka was one of the main culprits.

Over two seasons, JTS has eight career sacks with four apiece. He has been the poster child for the saying “close, but no cigar” when it comes to going after the quarterback. His pressure percentages indicate he can reach the backfield, but while he does 90% percent of the work, it’s the last 10% that determines the outcome. Tryon-Shoyinka had 14 quarterback hits last season — second on the team behind inside linebacker Devin White (16) and the most among his fellow outside linebackers. But it was Vita Vea who led the Bucs with 6.5 sacks and Anthony Nelson beat all edge rushers with 5.5.

“We love what he did last year,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said of Tryon-Shoyinka. “He missed a little bit at the top of the pass rush – he probably missed more [sacks] than he made. If he can finish that one and tackle it, he’ll be right where we want him. It’s not leaving your feet so early and it’s going through – pushing through – with your shoulder and understanding when you can go for the ball and when you can’t go for the ball.”

Will year three be a breakthrough for JTS? The Bucs certainly hope so.

Actually, the Bucs need him.

The outdoor linebacker space is in flux right now. Shaq Barrett turns 31 in November coming back from a torn Achilles tendon and suffering the tragic death of his daughter this offseason. Nelson had a great season that earned him a new contract, but is his ceiling set around six sacks?

Tampa Bay too strengthened the outside linebacker position this offseason by drafting YaYa Diaby in the third round and Jose Ramirez in the sixth round. There’s a lot of promise for Diaby in particular, but to rely on a third-round rookie to create the bulk of the sack production is far-fetched.

The reality is that with so much uncertainty about how Barrett will fare upon his return, much of the pass striker weight falls on Tryon-Shoyinka and Nelson. And as a former first-round pick, the spotlight is on JTS – and it’s eye-catching.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has one last obstacle to overcome

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Panthers RB D’Onta Foreman – Photo by: USA Today

Speaking after Tuesday’s OTA practice, Joe Tyron-Shoyinka admitted that it’s all mental right now when it comes to finishing the game and transitioning from a missed sack to a quarterback catch. Standing at six feet tall, weighing 265 pounds and with tremendous athleticism, he has all the physical resources one could wish for, but there’s one more hurdle that needs to be cleared to seal the deal and take the pressure off. change.

“It’s just mental at the time,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “You have to have that willpower to finish, and being in position is not enough. You want to make those plays – you’re going to rewind those plays that you missed every time and you get sick of thinking about what could have been. At the end of the day you have to move on and try to improve and that’s all I’m going to do.”

Don’t panic about JTS just yet

One advantage Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has for him this year is a new outside linebackers coach with George Edwards. For the past three seasons, Edwards has coached pass-rushing superstar Micah Parsons on the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons is a two-time first-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler who had 13 sacks as a rookie and 13.5 sacks last year. That’s a good person to have in your corner as JTS enters the most pivotal year of his career.

It’s been a short time that they’ve worked together, but Edwards has really enjoyed what he’s gotten out of JTS. In an exclusive interview with Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, he revealed what Tryon-Shoyinka looked like every day in practice.

Bucs OLBs George Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I think he’s just making the most of the opportunity he has,” said Edwards. “Schematically, he’s very sharp. He feels like it. He’s a pro. He comes to work every day. I think the confidence will only continue to grow as we go through the rest of mini camp, training camp and the start of the season. I’m really pleased with what we’ve seen from him so far and I’m looking forward to going into the season.”

“Everyone wants to talk about pockets and that’s where everyone recognizes the star players,” said Edwards. “But influencing the quarterback, who you’re rushing with and how we’re doing — all those things work together. It’s a combination of all those things.

“Therefore there is no need to panic. Just go ahead and keep executing. That becomes the whole key. We are going to schematically do a lot of things that can take advantage of his skills. I look for him to attack it head-on and succeed.

And if Joe Tryon-Shoyinka can’t get past the four-sack plateau this season with a new, proven outside linebackers coach, then it may be time to panic.