The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Joe Tryon-Shoyinka 32nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft because they felt he could be a reliable replacement for Jason Pierre-Paul and believed he had the highest ceiling of any player available.
“Well, it’s because he may have the highest ceiling of any player they could have picked at that spot last night. Tryon is long, lean, quick, and explosive. At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Tryon ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash even without having played football since 2019. His hand skills are among the best in the class, his two-step burst is eye popping, and he can cover when asked to. These are things that are only going to get better with time and proper coaching.”
Unfortunately, it has not worked out.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1st-round pick has not worked out
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has struggled to be a viable replacement for Pierre-Paul, recording 85 tackles, 13 TFLs, and nine sacks in the last two seasons and 114 tackles, 18 TFLs, and 13 sacks in 51 games and 34 starts.
Since Tryon-Shoyinka was a 1st-round pick and finished his third season, his contract includes a 5th-year option worth $13.251 million, fully guaranteed for the 2025 season with a May 2 deadline.
The Buccaneers have made their decision.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made their decision
According to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, the Buccaneers have declined his 5th-year option.
“As expected, Bucs will not be exercising the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round pick OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Would have been $13.2 million for 2025. He has totaled 13 sacks in three seasons.”
Why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the right decision
The Buccaneers made the right decision because he hasn’t been productive.
Finally, the Buccaneers made the right decision because they have good depth at outside linebacker. Their depth outside Tryon-Shoyinka includes YaYa Diaby, Randy Gregory, Anthony Nelson, and Chris Braswell. Since they have good depth, his snap counts could drop in 2024 at the position.
What’s next for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka?
Tryon-Shoyinka might see his snap counts drop as an outside linebacker, but Todd Bowles could have a unique plan for him in 2024.
“Joe is a very unique player,” Bowles said. “He’s not going to be a go-around-the-corner, Shaq-type guy. Joe can move all across the line of scrimmage and help us in a lot of things. He’s our linebacker, he’s our defensive end, he’s our three-tech, he’s our part-time nickel, he’s our part-time inside ‘backer. He can come from a lot of areas, so he has a lot of jobs. He’s one of those chess pieces that I talk about.”
Despite acquiring talent at the position, he could still be in the mix for their starting job and will likely line up on the opposite side of Diaby.
How will he respond to getting his 5th-year option declined, and will he break out in 2024?
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