Joe Tryon-Shoyinka: a sleeper for Defensive Rookie of the Year

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 first-round draft pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is in a position that many rookie linebackers can only dream to be. Not only is the rookie blessed with having one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, but he also has two of the best pass-rushing veterans to help guide him on his journey. Having Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett around to help him transition to the NFL is something he surely will not take for granted.

Of course, when you are selected in the first round of any NFL Draft, you are immediately placed under the microscope and viewed with a high level of scrutiny. Being added to this Tampa Bay football team already place certain expectations on a player, which has some folks adorning players with what they impose as “realistic” expectations. 

Many come to this presupposition, solely based on the Buccaneers having Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul, or use the fact that he hadn’t played in 2020, following his option to not play due to Covid-19; regardless of one’s feelings, those projections were made loosely and wildly as training camp hadn’t even begun at that time.

The rookie linebacker out of Washington missed Buccaneers Rookie Camp while healing from a knee scope he had in the offseason; however, as soon as Mini Camp came around, his praises were flying quickly out of AdventHealth Training facility.

“He’s everything we thought he would be”

Bruce Arians really liked what he saw during the first day of Mini Camp. “Yeah, he’s full-speed now, and he looked really, really good. He’s obviously everything we thought he was. Obviously, we’ll learn more in pads. But he’s slippery in shorts, and a lot of guys aren’t. He showed some really good skillset.”

And on the second day, the Buccaneers head coach stated that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is everything they thought he would be. “I thought he got around the quarterback pretty good and he’s just going to continue to get better and better as Todd [Bowles] finds roles for him in the defense. He’s everything we thought he would be.”

Fast forward to training camp, and you’ll see that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is quickly making his presence felt on the practice field.

On day one of training camp, the rookie showed the Bucs head coach that he was here to play. “Joe showed up. Both of those linebackers – most of those guys were on the other field so I’ll have to watch the tape to really grade them. But when we got together, Joe showed up and flashed.”

As camp ticked on, Joe Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s teammates began commenting on his attributes. Rob Gronkowski says that the first-year linebacker is explosive and that his physique is ideal for an edge rusher. “He looks like he can play. He’s got the ideal, typical body type for a defensive end. He has explosion coming off the line, no doubt about that. He’s big. He’s lengthy, which is what you want. He’s strong too, but we’ll really see what he has when we put the pads on.”

“I pretty much have been shadowing Shaq and JPP. In the meeting rooms, they’re dissecting film, telling us how we should do it, and just watching what they do and trying to implement it into my game. Already I see strides. It’s a blessing to be in this position. They’re two amazing pass rushers in the NFL, and I feel like I’m in a great position.”

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka shadowed his veteran teammates throughout camp, and when the pads came on for the first time since December 2019, the rookie felt good and believed he was making strides. — This is a clear sign that the rookie is beginning to transition quite well.

“The Difference-Maker”

When you have a veteran star player like JPP refer to you as being amazing and wishing he had some of the intangibles as a rookie that you have, it goes to show you that this young man is going to be much more than what people originally believed.

“Joe is going to be amazing. He’s doing stuff that I’m looking at and thinking, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve known that when I was a rookie.’ He’s doing amazing stuff out there. Me and Shaq were just talking about him on the sideline while watching him go at it with the tools. I told Shaq, ‘He’s going to be the difference-maker for us.’ He’s been moving since day one when he got here. From there to now, he’s been moving tremendously. He just has to stay on his feet. I had that problem myself.”

 Bruce Arians is digging his 32nd pick overall, who is exceeding expectations. It sure sounds like the rookie will be carving out a nice role for himself in the future. Here is the Bucs head coach’s response to the question on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had been meeting the team’s expectations. “Oh, more than [met them]. He hasn’t been in pads in, what, two years? He’s whipping a lot of guys’ asses. That says a lot about him. He’s carving out a real, real nice role for himself.”

“He’s Kicking Their Asses”

When you boast one of the better pass-rushing defenses in the league; and are able to build on it in the draft, it speaks volumes to what this team is going to be able to do this upcoming season. The Bucs certainly would like to repeat what they accomplished in 2020, and by adding to a defense that helped achieve a Super Bowl Championship, it is going to go a long way in achieving that feat. Tryon-Shoyinka is not going to be the lone man in the Buccaneers’ success this season, but knowing that you can throw him into a rotation and keep your veterans fresh is an absolute game-changer. The fact that the rookie is able to practice against this Buccaneer offensive line is unquestionably going to aid the Buccaneers in reaping wanted results during the 2021 season.

“You should probably ask Tristan [Wirfs] and Donovan [Smith] because he’s kicking their ass pretty good sometimes. I don’t think he needs any more moves, that’s for sure. Maybe a little more strength, but he’s got plenty of that, too.” – Bruce Arians

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka Still Has Work To Do

The rookie is not there just yet, but he is close, as Bruce Arians points out. He is still a rookie and will make rookie mistakes, but that is all part of the learning process. “He’s got to learn to stay in his gap on defense. He can’t freelance. He gave up a couple really big runs coming around blocks and trying to make plays instead of just doing your job. He’s got such great talent, and he’s obviously a hell of a pass-rusher, but there’s more to the game than just that. Just do your job and do it really well.”

Time Will Tell

As camp and preseason pass by, the rookie seems to be getting comfortable in his position. But once he gets his speed under control, things should go smoothly for the first-year linebacker. Everyone saw the hit on Bradon Allen in the first preseason contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Although the referee is caught on the mic saying that they may have messed up and that the play was good, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians believe otherwise.

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“He’s gotten better every single day. That’s what he needs to see is guys that play at this level. Play a little bit more under control, you know? The hit he had on the quarterback [against Cincinnati], he did hit him in the head, so whether he was a runner or a quarterback – we’ve got to lower that target. He’s good enough to do that. He’s learning on the job.”

It is more than obvious that this young man is going to be something else once he gets the over-excitement out of his system and to do so, he needs to take the game a lot more seriously. It seems that is what he is beginning to do in practice against the Tennessee Titans. “Yeah, inside; that ain’t a fair fight. A couple of the young guys inside – Khalil [Davis] showed up. Hopefully, he can continue because he’s going to have to beat out somebody on that team to make it. He’s taking it more serious now.” – Bruce Arians

Tryon-Shoyinka went on to record the first sack of his NFL career in the preseason loss to the Titans, then had one hell of a game against the Texans, recording his second sack, which was a strip-sack on starting QB Tyrod Taylor resulting in Tampa Bay recovery. The young man is going to be something special. 

“He’s Going To Be Very Hard To Stop Off The Edge”

Devin White sees a lot of himself in the first-year player and knows first-hand that as a rookie, things are so new and at such a speed that sometimes intangibles work themselves out of the equation.

“Right now, so far, he’s just a relentless effort guy. That was the kind of guy I was as a young guy before I started learning even more. I would think if I don’t know everything, I am going to go full speed and let my effort in and let itself take over. That’s basically what he’s doing right now, but he has a great coach in Coach Larry Foote. I think eventually the game will slow down, and he’ll be able to use those intangibles with his coaching. I would say that’s the number one thing. That’s what separates the boys from the men are the ones that can take great coaching. His coach played the game at a high level for a long time and won Super Bowls. So, if he can take the constructive criticism from him and apply it to his game, I think the sky is the limit for him. He has two great Pro Bowlers and All-Pros in front of him (Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul) that he can learn from as well, so his job is really easy right now.”

Bucs veteran Tight end O.J. Howard believes Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s athleticism and explosiveness will allow him to make lots of noise this season.

“I had a chance to go up against him obviously in camp. [He’s] explosive, very athletic. We saw what he can do in the game. He’s going to be very hard to stop off the edge. I think he’s going to make a lot of noise.”

William Gholston thinks Tryon can be a pass rusher and run stopper.

“I truly think he can do both to be honest. With that size, versatilely, speed, you see the wiggle, you see the bend like his knees touching the ground when he’s running, so I think he can be versatile at both. I wouldn’t label him just as a pass rusher, for sure.”

Better Than Expected

It seems that he is carving himself a perfect position on this football team for the next season. Coming in as a situational player, rotational player, or even as a starter at some point, he is going to be spectacular.

The bottom line is that if things go as planned, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka could have a shot at becoming the 2021 Defensive Rookie of The Year. You know, something that has never happened in Buccaneer history. Something Devin White was robbed of.

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