Joe Tryon shines for Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Tennessee Titans
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to have found yet another defensive gem in Joe Tryon. The former University of Washington linebacker has been causing chaos in opposing teams’ backfields this preseason.
Tryon has not played football in over a year, after sitting out his junior year at Washington because of the coronavirus outbreak. However, that does not appear to have slowed him down at all. In his two seasons at Washington, Tryon recorded 61 total tackles, 31 were solo, 12.5 for a loss and 9 sacks. Eight of those 9 sacks came in his last season where he started in 12 of the 13 games for the Huskies. Before he announced that he would forgo the rest of his college season he was on the watchlist for the 2020 Butkus Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
A solid review for Tryon
Since training camp started the six-foot-six rookie has been gaining notoriety with the team. Veteran and all-pro tight end Rob Gronkowski said Tryon with his size “is challenging to block.” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had nothing but praise for him on a segment of SportsCenter.
“Well, Tryon’s been a revelation for the Bucs in training camp. They had the 32nd overall pick. They didn’t have any needs. They had a stacked roster so they wanted to take a player that they could develop that could have some long-term value,” Fowler said. “So, they picked Tryon who hadn’t put on pads in nearly two years. He was an opt-out at Washington in 2020, so they almost didn’t really know what to expect. But he came in, puts on the pads and he is punishing people. He was very physical. His technique was really good. He’s already made an impression for playing time. And the rich get richer because this defensive line for the Bucs was a catalyst to win that Super Bowl. Very good upfront, now they have another weapon who’s sort of working his way into snaps.”
The Buccaneers defense
The Buccaneers are already set on defense with all starters from last year returning. However, that does not mean that the Champs do not need to add another rotational piece or two. Currently, on the depth chart, Tryon is behind veteran linebacker Shaq Barrett at Sam linebacker. Barrett is coming off of a down year with the Buccaneers in comparison to his 2019 season where he had 19.5 sacks. But look for him to still be a key cog in their top 10 defense.
Tryon just appeared in his second NFL preseason game. He finished the game with three tackles, one solo and two assists, a sack, and constant quarterback pressure. And pressuring the quarterback is exactly what the Buccaneers want out of their first-round pick last season the Buccaneers were fourth in the NFL in sacks at 48 and third in pressure on opposing quarterbacks add 27.5%. With Tryon’s size and speed, he looks to be someone who could consistently find himself in the opposing teams’ backfield. Size and strength throughout Tampa Bay front seven he should fit right in.