Bucs Have High Expectations For Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is heading into his second season with the team, following a fairly productive rookie season. Drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, Joe shined when he was in the game. Starting in 6 games and playing in 17, the young man out of LSU hit the quarterback 10 times and sacked the passer 4 times. While in coverage, he managed 3 pass defends. He recorded 29 total tackles and 5 for losses. In limited appearances, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka showed he has what it takes to step up to the next level, and the Bucs have high expectations that he will do just that. When Todd Bowles was asked about the level of expectation he had for the second-year linebacker, Bowles replied, “Well, they’re high.”

“Well, they’re high. He’s very athletic.” Todd Bowles said. He continued. “Obviously, we took him in the first round. Going into year two, we expect him to have the nuances down with a lot of the things he did last year and expect him to come into his own. I don’t expect him to be [Jason Pierre-Paul], I expect him to be Joe. He has a skill set all on his own that he could be a good player.”

Bowles also said that being able to go up against linemen like Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs can’t do anything but make him better. It’s clearly beneficial to have those two for Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to practice against. Considering Wirfs is one of the best in the game and Smith a seasoned veteran, practicing against them will help the young man elevate his game to the next level.

“Going up against Tristan [Wirfs] and Donovan [Smith] every day can’t do anything but make him better.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not re-signed veteran DE/OLB Jason Pierre-Paul, so they will rely heavily on the talents of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Hopefully, he can answer the call and play to the level that fans and the team believe he can. Thankfully, he has the right coaching staff and players around him to ease his transition into that level the team needs him to be.