Tampa Buccaneers veteran edge rusher Yaya Diaby has seen some really good defenses during his time with the team and some really bad ones. He made it clear during training camp that this Bucs defense has the chance to be really good based on what he has seen.
Diaby went out and made the claim that if they stay healthy, he projects a top ten defense.
“By the end of this season, we can make a really good jump again, top ten in defense, once everybody stays healthy,” Diaby noted.
When asked if this could be the best defense that he has seen during his time with the Bucs, he emphatically answered yes.
“Everybody is hungry; it is like a little bit of everything,” Diaby said of how good this group can be.
Diaby did not say if that would be top ten in points, yards, turnovers or any advanced metric, so the definition could be a bit loose. However, the sentiment is clear that Diaby sees this group as one of the best.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Edge Rusher Yaya Diaby Sets High Expectations for 2026 Defense
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher YaYa Diaby.
Diaby is entering his fourth season in the NFL. So, he was not around to see the Bucs group that won the Super Bowl and shut down Patrick Mahomes. However, there are some pieces from that group still with the team.
The thought is that this unit can get back to that level. The biggest thing this group has is a much deeper front than the past groups that Diaby has been a part of.
Last year, Diaby had seven sacks while Vita Vea had 4.5. A linebacker was third on the team in sacks, and no other front-four rusher had more than three sacks. That was a problem. This year, they have plenty of candidates.
The team signed A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches to beef up the interior. They are not only veteran helpers, but they can also add to the pass rush. Nunez-Roches had three sacks last year, and Robinson had eight in the past two seasons.
The Bucs also drafted Rueben Bain with the 15th overall pick. On top of that, they signed Al-Quadin Muhammad from the Detroit Lions. Muhammad is coming off of a career-high year in sacks.
Meanwhile, all expectations are for Bain to hit the ground running. With second-year speed rusher David Walker coming into his own, the pass rush should be much better.
Pressure is Mounting on Todd Bowles to Fix Buccaneers Defense
The defense is running out of excuses under Bowles. Bowles was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach because of how well he shut down Mahomes in that Super Bowl. However, the defense has not been the same since, and he has full control now.
Tampa Bay went from winning a playoff game in 2023, to losing in the first round in 2024, and last year they missed the playoffs. Bowles has to stop the downward trajectory. His defense has to be what leads the way, or his seat is going to get far too hot in Tampa Bay.
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