Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s NFL career came to an unexpected end this week when the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick announced his retirement at just 27 years old after five seasons in the league. The former 32nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft spent four seasons in Tampa before brief stops with the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and Philadelphia Eagles, who recently placed him on the reserve/retired list.
For Buccaneers fans, Tryon-Shoyinka’s retirement also reopens an old debate of what Tampa Bay’s pass rush might have looked like had the team gone in a different direction with its first-round pick in 2021.
Fresh off a Super Bowl win, the Buccaneers were in the rare position of selecting at the end of the first round with very few glaring roster needs. General manager Jason Licht elected to invest in the future, selecting the athletic edge rusher out of Washington to eventually succeed veterans Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett. The plan never worked out.
While Tryon-Shoyinka flashed intriguing athletic traits and appeared in 62 games with Tampa Bay, he never developed into the consistent pass-rushing force the organization envisioned. Across four seasons with the Buccaneers, he totaled 15 sacks, with his career high being just five in 2023. Tampa ultimately declined his fifth-year option before he departed in free agency. For years, the Buccaneers have searched for a dependable running mate opposite Yaya Diaby. The club cycled through multiple options, including Tryon-Shoyinka, Chris Braswell, and even veteran additions such as Haason Reddick, but has struggled to find sustained production off the edge.
Had Tampa selected a more polished pass rusher in 2021, the complexion of Todd Bowles’ defense could have looked dramatically different. A true impact edge defender paired with Barrett during his prime and later alongside Diaby may have eliminated one of the roster’s longest-running weaknesses. Instead, the Buccaneers spent several seasons searching for answers at outside linebacker while relying heavily on blitz packages to generate pressure. Bowles’ defenses have remained productive, but a homegrown star off the edge could have made an already aggressive unit even more dangerous.
As Tryon-Shoyinka steps away from football, his career will likely be remembered as one of the few misses from an otherwise outstanding stretch of drafting by Tampa Bay’s front office. The “what if” surrounding the Buccaneers’ pass rush will remain a topic of discussion.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What If? Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s retirement reignites questions
Reporting by Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
