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Scott Reynolds of the Pewter Report answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucs questions we wanted to answer for this week’s edition.
QUESTION: I haven’t been that impressed with Chris Braswell so far. I heard you talk about him on your podcast after the Dolphins game. I was wondering if Pewter Report could compare Chris Braswell’s training camp to Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s first training camp of 2021.
Bucs OLB Joe Tryon – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
ANSWER: That’s a good question. To be honest, I don’t remember Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s training camp in 2021 very well. That was four years ago. My first impression was that he was a big, agile athlete who was rusty after sitting out Washington’s COVID-related 2020 season. The PAC-12 had originally canceled the 2020 season but then played four games this year, but Tryon-Shoyinka simply opted out and decided to train for the 2021 NFL Draft instead.
Tryon-Shoyinka wasn’t expected to start right away, as the team had experienced Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker. But a shoulder injury to Pierre-Paul early in the season forced Tryon-Shoyinka to start and play a lot of football in 2021. He certainly showed some athletic ability, but couldn’t really put it all together as a pass rusher in his four years in Tampa Bay. Tryon-Shoyinka’s biggest flaw is his lack of physicality. He’s a finesse player who prefers to try to win with speed rather than power.
When a team wants to replace a player, they usually let the pendulum swing in the opposite direction. While Tryon-Shoyinka’s game is based more on speed than physicality, the Bucs loved Chris Braswell’s Physicality at Alabama. Braswell, whose bull rush and long arm rush are cornerstones of his pass rush arsenal, is listed at 6’4″ and 250 pounds but looks much bigger. Tryon-Shoyinka is listed at 6’5″ and 250 pounds but looks slimmer.
Bucs RT Luke Goedeke and OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
We’ve already seen how physical Braswell is against tight ends and right tackles and how he gets the upper hand in the run game. JTS has gotten better at that over time, but I think Braswell is better in that area than Tryon-Shoyinka was as a rookie. And as we saw on Friday night, Braswell turned it around, getting his first preseason sack on a quick run from the outside.
Braswell is not the exceptional athlete that Yaya Diaby is, at 1.93 m and 122 kg, and one must not forget that Diaby is a ridiculous 4.51 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. But Braswell, a good athlete in his own right, ran a respectable 4.6 by comparison. Braswell’s combination of physicality and speed will make him the starter ahead of Tryon-Shoyinka at some point in his rookie season.
I’ve said many times that I envision Braswell having a similar rookie season to Diaby last year, since he didn’t start until midseason and got all of his sacks in the home stretch. That’s not to say Braswell can’t – or won’t – have a sack in the first half of the year. Braswell benefited greatly from the extra workouts when Tryon-Shoyinka and Diaby were out with neck and ankle injuries, respectively. Tryon-Shoyinka has the trust of Todd Bowles and will start the season, but don’t be surprised if Braswell eventually dethrones him.
QUESTION: SR, how do you rate the Bucs’ depth? Todd Bowles said a week ago that he doesn’t think they’re as good as they’ve been in previous years. Could we see them more active on the waiver list or in free agency than they have been in years past?
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
ANSWER: Maybe. Todd Bowles was asked if this was his strongest team since he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2019, and he said no. The Bucs were stronger in 2020 and 2021 and had more proven talent, and it was no surprise that the team won the Super Bowl in 2020 and had franchise-high 13 wins the following year. I believe Bowles equates talent with proven talent and experienced players. The Bucs’ outside linebackers are talented, and I believe that keeps the team six edge rushers with both Jose Ramirez and Markees Watts coming into the team. But from an experience perspective, it’s very young — and inexperienced.
The oldest player is reserve Anthony Nelson, who is entering his sixth season with Tampa Bay. And outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who is in his second year, was the most successful pass rusher with 7.5 sacks in his rookie season. None of the Bucs’ edge rushers were as experienced and productive as Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul, for example.
Potential is the most dangerous word in the minds of scouts in the NFL. It’s a seductive word and can get some teams in trouble if the potential players show isn’t translated into performance, which is really the best “P” word in the league. I like the team’s depth at running back, wide receiver, outside linebacker, and maybe safety and guard. Tampa Bay is shaky in my eyes when it comes to depth at quarterback, offensive tackle, inside linebacker, cornerback, and defensive tackle (from a pass rush perspective).
The Bucs were incredibly healthy last year and that contributed significantly to the team’s 9-8 record, third straight NFC South title and playoff win over the Eagles. We’ll see if they can stay healthy this season as well.
STATEMENT: Sign Adrian Martinez as QB3 on Wednesday.
Bucs QB John Wolford – Photo by: USA Today
ANSWER: I have heard from a reliable source that the Bucs have no interest in signing a quarterback Adrian Martinez should he be available after roster cuts. They didn’t like him coming out of college, where he played at Nebraska and Kansas State, and he didn’t come to Detroit as an undrafted free agent last year, and he’ll likely end up on the New York Jets’ practice squad this year after playing with them in the preseason.
Martinez is a dual-threat quarterback who lacks the presence needed to truly shine in Liam Coen’s offense. In the Jets’ last preseason game, which ended 10-6, he completed 12 of 20 passes for 99 yards and ran for 23 yards on three carries. Martinez did not throw a single touchdown pass in his three preseason games in New York.
His running and tackling skills are intriguing and helped him win the UFL Most Valuable Player Award and UFL Championship Game MVP with the Birmingham Stallions, but Martinez struggled with turnover-worthy throws in college and the pros. If he were really that good, he’d be vying for a backup job in the NFL – not a third-string quarterback job.
Tampa Bay has Kyle Trask, who is having his best preseason in his four years with the team, filling the backup spot behind Baker Mayfield. Behind him will be the experienced John Wolford, who will likely be re-signed to the practice squad. Wolford had a disappointing training camp and preseason in my view considering he played three years in Los Angeles with Coen in that Rams-based offense. But the coaches and staff are happy with him and he has some experience as an NFL starter.
OPINION: Hey Scott, I got the impression while watching Antonio Grier Jr. on Friday night that the Bucs should consider him as a linebacker and RB4 for two positions with Chase Edmonds going on the injured list. He’s listed at 6’1″ and 230 pounds, but he looked awkward on that fumble return. He would be good for goal line situations as well.
Bucs ILB Antonio Grier Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
ANSWER: Well, Antonio Grier Jr. has no experience as a running back, so I don’t think the team will consider him there. He was not a dual role player in college in his five years at USF or his final season at Arkansas.
But he certainly made a good case as an inside linebacker in the final preseason game, didn’t he? Grier intercepted a potential fumble and ran halfway across the field for what appeared to be a touchdown before the referees ruled that Mike White’s pass was actually incomplete, nullifying the score.
After recording two tackles in the preseason opener at Cincinnati, Grier led the Bucs with eight stops in Jacksonville and a pass defense. In Friday night’s game against Miami, he recorded six tackles, a pass defense and an interception after his scoop and touchdown were denied. But even though his touchdown didn’t count, Tampa Bay’s coaches and staff were able to see his athleticism on that play as he powered his way through potential tacklers and reached the end zone.
Grier’s 16 tackles led the Bucs in the preseason and put him in position to compete with JJ Russell and Vi Jones for a 53-man roster spot at ILB4 on the depth chart. The final linebacker spot behind Lavonte David, KJ Britt and SirVocea Dennis will likely be taken up by special teams. But Grier, who had 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions, including two pick-sixes, certainly had a very good preseason and could end up on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster.
