PFF Names Yaya Diaby as Most 'Underrated' on Bucs Roster
Last season, Yaya Diaby led the Buccaneers in pressures with 57 and spearheaded the unit with 785 defensive snaps. Diaby generated 13 run stuffs and became just one of eight edge rushers to record 50-plus pressures and 10-plus run stuffs (Myles Garrett, Jared Verse, Jonathan Greenard, Brian Burns, Greg Rousseau, Will Anderson, Maxx Crosby). In addition, Diaby was one of only four players in 2024 with four-or-more tackles for loss and four-plus quarterback hits in a single game, joining Aidan Hutchinson (Week 2), Trey Hendrickson (Week 9) and Nick Bosa (Week 17). He found ways to harness his power in the trenches and prioritized hand placement. Diaby's sack tally may not have flashed; however, his impact was noticeable and Pro Football Focus agreed. In PFF’s listing of the ‘Most Underrated Player’ on each NFL roster, Jonathon Macri named Diaby as the Bucs' representative in 2025.
"Perhaps most impressive about Diaby's past season is that he delivered an 18.1% pass-rush win rate, which was a top-10 mark for the position, as were his 70 total pressures. Sacks are often what makes headlines, but Diaby is well on pace to regress positively in that regard, which will likely keep him from remaining underrated."
Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. named in FOX Sports' Top 10 Players of 2020 NFL Draft
In FOX Sports' rundown of the Top-10 Players of the 2020 NFL Draft, Buccaneers' Tristan Wirfs came in at No. 4 and Antoine Winfield Jr. landed at No. 8. Wirfs came in behind Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert, becoming the first non-quarterback on the compilation. Wirfs concluded the 2024 regular season with the second-lowest pressure rate allowed (4.7%) among left tackles with at least 200 pass block snaps, down from the 8.0% pressure rate he recorded in 2023. Wirfs did not allow a single pressure in four games this past season, the only player at his position to do so (min. 25 pass block snaps). In addition, Wirfs became the first player ever to be named first-team Associated Press All-Pro at both right and left tackle, entrenching his place in league lore with elite play on the field.
Winfield Jr. missed time in 2024 due to both foot and knee injuries. The 2023 All-Pro tallied three pass breakups, 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hits and 60 tackles in nine starts. His most prolific season came in 2023, in which Winfield accumulated 6.0 sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, six tackles for loss, 122 tackles and eight quarterback hits, becoming the highest graded player by PFF (91.2). Both have become cornerstones on the field for the Buccaneers', donning captains patches.
Charlie Strong Chats Recruiting Calijah Kancey, Todd Bowles' Complex System
For Tampa Bay, Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea set the tone up front at the line of scrimmage. In 2024, Kancey led the team with 7.5 sacks, while Vea contributed 7.0. Kancey and Vea were only one of three interior tackle duos in the NFL with 5.0-plus sacks each (Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams). Kancey missed the first five weeks of the 2024 slate but posted 6.5 sacks over the final nine games of the 2024 season. His lethal first step and short-area quickness took offensive linemen by surprise, bolstering the Bucs' defense. Via the Slice, Buccaneers' Defensive Line Coach Charlie Strong discussed his impression of Kancey.
"Calijah, I knew him because I recruited Northwestern High School and Teddy Bridgewater and he told me when he saw me, 'You're that guy that used to always come to my school.' I said, 'Yeah, I came out there a lot.' He said, 'You told me I was too short.' I just did not think he would turn out to be the player he did and I said, 'If I had known that you were going to turn out to be the player you are right now, I would have taken you.'"
Defensive-minded Head Coach Todd Bowles is known for his exotic pressures and coverage variations that keep opposing offenses off-balance. When asked about working with Bowles, Strong discussed Bowles' ability to maximize personnel.
"He is going to set the defense up for the players and whatever our strengths are with our players, that is how the defense is going to be set up," said Strong. "He is not a guy that is just going to call a defense to call it. He is going to say, 'Who are our best blitzers?' Then, you are going to see them a lot and we have seen that already. Sometimes we may have to drop a lineman out so that we can get pressure on the quarterback, but it has been fun just how he goes about it. He is someone that is always working at it."
