The annual Ed Block Courage Award, a prestigious honor named in memory of Ed Block – a humanitarian and former athletic trainer for the Baltimore Colts – is presented to one player from all 32 NFL teams, as voted on by their teammates. The award recipients embody professionalism, strength, dedication, and serve as community ambassadors. Annually, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation honors players who exemplify those traits and display a commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that beloved veteran outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett was selected by teammates as the team's 2023 Ed Block Courage Award recipient. Barrett is one of 32 NFL players who will be honored at the 46th Annual Ed Block Courage Awards, hosted at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel on April 1, 2023.
Barrett tore an Achilles tendon on October 27 of last year, prematurely ending his 2022 season at the midway point. The rehabilitation work Barrett put in during the 2023 offseason became a therapeutic blessing in disguise. On April 30, Arrayah Barrett, the youngest of four children for Shaquil and his wife, Jordanna, tragically passed away at the age of two. Barrett found gratitude in the additional – yet unexpected – time he got to spend with Arrayah due to his injury in the fall of 2022. Nine months after suffering the significant injury, the Buccaneers conducted the first practice of their 2023 training camp, and he was on the field, running full speed. Barrett avoided starting camp with the active/Physically Unable to Perform designation, elevating the Bucs' defense. The routine of football and the ebbs and flows of the NFL grind helped Barrett channel and process his grief.
Across nine seasons in the NFL spanning four with the Denver Broncos and five with the Buccaneers, Barrett has accumulated 59.0 sacks, 18 passes defensed, 22 forced fumbles, 398 combined tackles, 73 tackles for loss and 125 quarterback hits in 84 game starts. Barrett ranks fifth all-time for the Bucs in sacks with 45.0. He produced the most single-season sacks in team history in 2019 with 19.5 and he ranks No. 1 in the league since 2019 in strip sacks with 15. Barrett's closing burst overwhelms offensive tackles, and he leverages speed with a vast array of counter moves in his arsenal. He has a lethal spin move and is relentless in pursuit of quarterbacks. From going undrafted and being a backup for the Broncos to becoming one of the NFL' heralded pass rushers donning a Bucs' jersey, Barrett sets the tone.
