Bucs Say YaYa Diaby Must Mimic Elite Pass Rushers
May 19th, 2026
Is there a wall Joe can run head-first into?
The Buccaneers’ best edge rusher, until he’s dethroned, is YaYa Diaby. The 27-year-old is entering his fourth season and he’s proven to be a seven-sack guy. That’s solid but not good enough in a 17-game season and a roster with strong interior pass rushers.
Joe’s been screaming for years for the Bucs to sign a stud edge rusher. They’ve needed one to produce, but they also could use a guy around to help mentor and coach up Diaby. Trey Hendrickson would have been a special edition in that realm, and the Bucs could have still drafted Rueben Bain.
Today at One Buc Palace, edge rusher coach Larry Foote was asked about Diaby and whether he’s just about hit his ceiling as a player. No chance, Foote replied.
“There’s a lot more room for him to grow. We’ve been, just little things like technique, his hand-placement, studying the best. You gotta mimic those guys and you gotta add that to your game,” Foote said.
Joe would counter by saying it’s easier to mimic elite rushers if you have a stud on the roster to work with every day. Diaby has spent time around Shaq Barrett, Haason Reddick and Jason Pierre-Paul, and had private time with Simeon Rice. All were star edge rushers in their primes. But it seems Diaby will be on his own this season, working with Foote and bouncing ideas of Bain and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Diaby already is an elite run defender, per Foote, and Joe knows that makes a lot of folks happy at One Buc Palace.
“He’s great in the run game. He’s probably one of the best edge defenders in the run game,” Foote said of Diaby. “He’s just got to get the quarterback down, stuff like that.”
May 19th, 2026 at 4:49 pm
Yeah! He’s just got to get the QB down……. Great advice
May 19th, 2026 at 5:05 pm
Foote should try mimicking a OLB coach. YaYa has been on the team for years, and he still has to learn how do all the things Foote mentioned? Hope our new DC can unlock some of the talent on this team in 27. Lord knows Bowles, and his crew can’t.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:07 pm
Bowles and Foote have coached him into what they want, a run defender. His only chance to be a rusher is learning from AQM and Bain.
Joe says “ a roster with strong interior pass rushers.”. Kancey is AWOL and Vita barely gets any sacks. Hall had 1 or two and Roberts’ potential is unrealized. It’s sad that our standards of interior, or any kind of, pass rush are so low.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:25 pm
Yaya is great at creating pressure
It seems like he’s not capable of finishing the job
May 19th, 2026 at 5:29 pm
There’s a lot more room for him to grow? So, he is 27 years old, 4th year on the Bucs. Mentored by JPP, Suh, Shaq and went to Edge Rusher U last year. If he isn’t a double digit sack master this year, the Bucs do NOT need to resign him to an extension.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:32 pm
He’s thiisss close!
May 19th, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Yaya is a valuable player. He’s had double digit TFL every year and 7+ sacks in 2 of his 3 years.
Joe Tryon never sniffed 7 sacks and never had double digit TFL.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:50 pm
Yaya is a mediocre player.
Not great. Not bad. He’s good.
We just want him to be great. He’s not.
We shouldn’t have those expectations.
May 19th, 2026 at 5:54 pm
He’s elite ! He can self-evaluate and coach himself.
May 19th, 2026 at 6:10 pm
I was hoping his time with Rice last off season would have turned a light bulb on! Alas it didn’t factor in much at all
May 19th, 2026 at 6:17 pm
Now we can take Yaya out on passing downs for a couple of guys who probably have a much better chance of getting a sack (Muhammad and maybe Walker).
May 19th, 2026 at 6:23 pm
Bain has been coached by Jason Taylor for several years. He can teach Bain what he has learned too. Joe, are you trying to say that drafting an edge isn’t enough, that we still need *ANOTHER* one??? That’s silly. We could use another corner far more!
May 19th, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Err…Yaya, not Bain
May 19th, 2026 at 6:38 pm
[Not cool. — Joe]
May 19th, 2026 at 6:47 pm
Yes,the more the merrier, a meeting at the qb would be ideal,thats why Baltimore wanted Crosby and Hendrickson
May 19th, 2026 at 6:55 pm
Brasswell needs a fire set under his azz ,He played at alabama so ….
May 19th, 2026 at 6:59 pm
IMO this one falls on the coaches, Foote in particular
As @lakeland said, YaYa can get in the backfield and get pressure but he can’t finish…it’s been that way since a was a rookie
Foote should’ve been shown the door too…Braswell and YaYa lack development
GO BUCS
May 19th, 2026 at 7:09 pm
Nobody wants to come here just verified exactly what I thought about some of the denizens around here. Despicable. Rays jay stadium? He’s barely literate too.
May 19th, 2026 at 7:32 pm
Yaya is a good young player and will get better with Bain opposite him and better coverage.
Hard to get to the QB when the QB takes 3 steps and hits wide open WRs, RBs and TEs.
Joe, you really wanted the Bucs to sign Hendrickson to a 4 year deal worth 120 mil w 60 mil guaranteed?? A guy coming off injury and will be 36 at the end of his contract??
Brilliant
May 19th, 2026 at 7:57 pm
Dang! Who knew I have the skills to be an OLB coach in the NFL. As I drink a bud, a la bad news bears, “just do what good players do.” Real motivational, Larry
May 19th, 2026 at 8:33 pm
Yaya is a good number 2 or 3 still valuable to have on the team Bain is tactical with his rushes just like kancey cant wait to see all three out there at the same time.
May 19th, 2026 at 9:32 pm
Well, if they want to stop taking him truck into coverage instead of rushing the passer, I promise you he would at least have 11 to 12 sacks but instead they have him covering a running backs and tightends
May 19th, 2026 at 9:50 pm
Inside pressure is the best pressure, and the Bucs needed more of it last season.
First, the DBs and ILBs have to actually prevent separation for the first 2 to 2-1/2 seconds.
Then, if Vea is holds up, if Robinson and Capeheart get any push or penetration, if Kancey has a solid healthy season and penetrates, Bain and Diaby will have a reasonable chance of completing sacks, and the opposing QBs will be putting a Tom Brady airmail stamp on the ball and zipping it up into the stands, or they will be smothered in the backfield.
Diaby should have a very productive year – if the opposing QB does not see obvious separation in the first two seconds.
May 19th, 2026 at 10:55 pm
[Joe doesn’t have a “damaged” product. Unless you miss the monthly traffic updates Joe posts on Twitter from an independent third party. Joe leads all Bucs outlets by a very wide margin. That’s not “damaged” in Joe’s book. Have for years. The folks who claim they don’t come here any more, they are in the vast minority. And, you may be surprised by the following, but Joe spends significantly more time working than he does reading the comments. So Joe honestly doesn’t know what you are referencing. Yeah, you pointed something out over the weekend but Joe didn’t see anything remotely offensive. But Joe does know if something is looking for something to offend them, they will always find something. And *trust* Joe if there was something out of line, he’d hear about it from many people including folks at One Buc Place. — Joe]
May 19th, 2026 at 11:11 pm
“Nobody wants to come here “ is allowed to promote his racism , but I get censored for objecting and pointing it out . Hmmm , I’m starting to wonder .
[Took care of it. Thanks for bringing it to Joe’s attention. — Joe]
May 19th, 2026 at 11:32 pm
[Joe took care of it. Thank you and to and Thonotosassa for pointing it out — Joe has been writing stories for Wedneday the past three or so hours. — Joe]
May 19th, 2026 at 11:50 pm
I never said you had a damaged product. I think this site pretty cool . I never even thought you had a damaged product. What I said was don’t let “ Nobody wants to come here “ damage your product. Apparently, my reading comprehension is not so good . Thanks for responding.