PFF ranks Buccaneers pass rush 26th in the league heading into 2019

It’s been a problem for the last decade. Every season, a main concern heading into week one, always seems to be whether or not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have enough of a pass rush.

Lately, the pass rush has been average to below average at best. Of course, the soft schemes of Mike Smith and Lovie Smith haven’t helped, but there also has been a lack of talent and depth at the defensive end positions.

This year, you can make an argument, that the overall talent along the defensive line is the weakest it has been in years, especially with the departure of Gerald McCoy and the potential loss of Jason Pierre-Paul.

The team did add Ndamukong Suh and Shaquil Barrett in free agency, but they are not names that jump off the page in terms of getting pressure on the quarterback.

As mentioned above, the talent along the defensive line in terms of pure pass rush ability simply isn’t there and according to Pro Football Focus, the Buccaneers defensive line ranks 26th in the NFL.

One thing that the new scheme of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles brings is pressure. Players will be blitzing and probably blitzing a lot, something that Tampa Bay fans have not seen in recent years.

I expect the sack number to increase a bit this year based on design, but overall, I agree with the ranking of the defensive line. They are indeed a bottom seven unit in the league.