The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made it quite clear this offseason that their plan is to improve the roster mostly on the defensive side of the ball. This was once again the case on Thursday morning with the Bucs' surprise acquisition of former Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul from the New York Giants.
The move adds a proven pass rusher to the mix to pair alongside Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy next season. However, the Buccaneers reportedly attempted to acquire another edge rusher in defensive end/outside linebacker Robert Quinn from the Los Angeles Rams before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Buccaneers tried trading for Robert Quinn earlier this off-season before he was dealt to Miami. Tampa Bay then resumed its pass-rush search, zeroed in on Jason Pierre-Paul, and completed another trade.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 22, 2018
The Rams decided to trade Quinn to the Dolphins in exchange for fourth and sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Prior to that deal, there was much talk about the team leaning toward parting ways with the former Pro Bowler, as his name was included in trade talks with the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters.
Quin is entering the third year of his four-year, $57 million deal with just over $25 million in base salary and bonuses left on the contract, including $12.4 million for the 2018 campaign. He is also coming off a productive 2017 campaign where he recorded 8.5 sacks, marking his highest total since 2014.
That said, the addition of Pierre-Paul could quickly become a solid move for the Bucs' defensive front. The 29-year-old has proven to be a dependable asset against the pass, as he is coming off a strong year with 8.0 sacks, 68 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and five pass deflections while playing in all 16 regular season games for the first time in three years.
Pierre-Paul is also entering the second year of his four-year, $62 million deal that has a $12.5 million cap hit for next season and will have him under contract through the 2020 campaign.
More importantly, he helps address a huge area of need, as Tampa Bay ranked last in the 2017 season with 22 total sacks. No player recorded more than McCoy's 6.0 sacks on the roster.
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