The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up for a pivotal offseason, with a game-changing pass rusher topping their wish list. Last year's splash signing of Haason Reddick didn't pan out as hoped, leaving the team eager to rebound and bolster their defensive front.
Maxx Crosby's name has been floated around, but with the hefty trade demands and a $30 million salary, the Buccaneers might want to look elsewhere. Enter Trey Hendrickson. If the Cincinnati Bengals don't slap the franchise tag on him, Hendrickson could be the answer Tampa Bay needs.
Hendrickson's market value might be lower than Crosby's, especially coming off a season marred by injuries that limited him to seven games and four sacks. However, his track record speaks volumes.
Before last year, Hendrickson delivered back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks and hit at least 13 sacks in four of the last six seasons. That's the kind of production the Buccaneers have been missing.
Recent Super Bowl champions like the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles have shown the power of an elite front-four. The Eagles, for instance, didn't blitz once in their Super Bowl win against the Chiefs, yet still managed to put constant pressure on the quarterback. The Buccaneers' own 2020 Super Bowl victory was a masterclass in pressure without blitzing, with Mahomes facing a record 29 pressures.
Currently, Tampa Bay struggles to generate pressure without blitzing, a far cry from their 2020 success. But imagine a front four featuring Hendrickson alongside Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, and YaYa Diaby. That lineup could redefine the Buccaneers' defensive identity.
Some might worry about another Reddick-like scenario, but the situations differ significantly. Reddick's performance dipped with the Jets before joining Tampa Bay, while Hendrickson, despite a limited 2025 season, still ranked 13th among edge defenders. His pass-rush grade was sixth-best, showing he's still got it.
The Buccaneers have had their share of draft misses at the position, like Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Chris Braswell. Their most successful pass rushers, Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul, came via free agency and trade. Adding Hendrickson could be the blockbuster move to propel Tampa Bay back into the Super Bowl conversation.