Will Chris Braswell finally deliver on his pass rushing potential?

TAMPA, Fla. — When you’re drafted in the second round out of a powerhouse like Alabama, expectations aren’t just high, they’re immediate.

But for Chris Braswell, Year 1 in the NFL was more humbling than headline-making. Swallowed up in a limited role, Braswell managed just 1.5 sacks and faded into the background of a defense looking for impact off the edge.

But with a full offseason to reset, Braswell is determined to prove that the Buccaneers didn’t miss on another high pick.

“I definitely feel a lot more comfortable,” Braswell said during training camp. “I was able to really digest the whole playbook and see what I need to improve on. It definitely feels a lot easier this year. Obviously, it is a hefty playbook, and it is still hard … last year, at the end of the season, I started to really feel comfortable with the playbook. I feel like my game changed a lot from the beginning of the season to the last couple of weeks heading into the playoff game.”

The Bucs’ lack of pressure, especially off the edge, was among the biggest failures of a defense that still ranked seventh in sacks with 46. But most of the quarterback takedowns came from defensive tackles Calijah Kancey (7.5 sacks), Vita Vea (7), linebacker Lavonte David (5.5) or defensive end Logan Hall (5.5). Yaya Diaby led all Bucs outside linebackers with 4.5 sacks.

Meanwhile, Joe-Tryon Shoyinka, the Bucs’ final pick out of Washington in 2021, produced only 15 sacks in four seasons (including two in 2024), and the Bucs declined to pick up his fifth-year option.

Drafting and developing players for that position has proven tougher for the Bucs than simply plucking them off the free-agent list. Shaquil Barrett set a club record with 19.5 sacks after signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Bucs in 2019. Jason Pierre-Paul, who was traded from the Giants to the Bucs in 2018, had 33 sacks in 54 games over four seasons with Tampa Bay.

In fact, Barrett and Pierre-Paul were the driving force on the Bucs’ Super Bowl 55 championship team.

Perhaps that’s why the Bucs utilized free agency to sign Haason Reddick to a one-year, $14 million deal. The Bucs are hoping to recapture the player who had 50.5 sacks in four seasons with the Eagles, Panthers and Cardinals from 2020-23.

Reddick, 30, has embraced his role as a mentor to the younger pass rushers such as Braswell and Diaby.

“Speaking of (Braswell), a tremendous young guy, asks a lot of questions,” Reddick said. “All the young guys, they’re constantly trying to pick my brain and learn the game. I would say that the advantage that we have is that we have a guy like (run game coordinator/outside Linebackers coach Larry) Foote in our room as well.

“We’re giving them all types of knowledge, not even just pass rush, formational awareness, situational awareness. Things that are going to make them great players in the next few years as long as they continue to soak up and retain the information that we’re giving them. But everybody is asking questions and that’s good to see.”

Braswell said he has worked hard in the offseason, improving his diet and shedding some weight to be quicker.

While the sack numbers weren’t there as a rookie, he felt he played better the last month of the season and finished with 19 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked 93rd out of 211 edge rushers.

“He’s just understanding the scheme a little more and he leaned up a little bit, allowing him to play faster,” head coach Todd Bowles said of Braswell. “He’s coming off the ball a lot faster than he was last year because he knows what to do and he knows how to do it. Now he’s just letting his ability take over. He’s worked all year with (Diaby). They’ve become very tight. His work ethic is outstanding and he’s putting it to use.”

Braswell’s workload may have been given a boost with the season-ending knee injury sustained by rookie David Walker, a fourth-round pick from Central Arkansas who showed promise as a pass rusher. However, Bowles said Braswell didn’t need more competition to improve.

“Walker had no part in him leveling up anyway — he was going to level up whether we took Walker or not," Bowles said. “Second year, he’s supposed to be better and he is better. We’re expecting him to play better. He’s off to a good start.”

Braswell said he’s already benefited from watching Reddick.

“I used to watch him while I was in college, when I was young,” Braswell said. “Everybody looked up to him, and I am glad to have him here on this team. He has definitely been giving me a lot of pointers — also been giving a lot of other guys in our position group pointers as well. It is definitely great to have a guy like that who (almost) led the league in sacks, had (16)."

Expectations follow you to the NFL from places like Alabama, where Braswell had eight sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles and 42 tackles(12 for a loss) his final year with the Crimson Tide.

Diaby and Reddick will be the starters at outside linebacker while Anthony Nelson is well-established. Now they just have to hope Braswell’s production can match the pedigree.

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