Chris Braswell Still Not Ready For Prime Time
August 14th, 2026
Disappointing but predictable.
One thing that has borderline shocked Joe in training camp is all the times Joe has seen Chris Braswell in the backfield.
The outside linebacker, drafted in the second round in 2024, previously had been virtually invisible with the Bucs.
Almost every day at camp — and Joe hasn’t missed a practice — Joe would see Braswell getting a “sack” (remember, no hitting the quarterback in practice) or at least in the backfield putting pressure on quarterbacks.
At first Joe was shocked. Braswell is still on the roster? Then, Joe began wondering if the reason Braswell has shown up in the Bucs backfield so often is maybe the offensive line isn’t blocking that well.
(Braswell isn’t normally facing the first-team offense.)
So Joe hoped Braswell was finally starting to get the hang of thing, and Joe was sort of was looking forward to seeing Braswell tonight against the Jets to see if he could carry over his strong training camp into a fake game.
Welp! Joe saw tonight that Braswell is still not ready for prime time. not even against dudes who will work the Publix deli counter next month.
Bad enough Braswell wasn’t getting after the quarterback. Worse, he fully whiffed on a tackle of Jets running back Braelon Allen as he scored on a 31-yard run to the right side in the first half.
Had Braswell made the play, it would have been maybe a two-or three-yard gain.
This subpar play by Braswell caught the eye of Bucs great and WFLA-TV Channel 8 game analyst Ronde Barber.
“Yeah, the one guy that I’m looking at right now on defense is No. 43,” Barber said of Braswell. “He’s been here for three years now.
“[The Bucs have] got a lot of depth in that outside linebacker room. He’s playing in the second half.
“If there’s a battle at that position, it’s going to be him for a roster spot. So keep an eye on him. He’s definitely going to need to make some impact play.”
Joe is still waiting for one impact play now into Braswell’s third preseason with the Bucs. Just one!
The general manager openly crowed on national television about a guy who had yet to play a snap in any game, David Walker, and then the team goes out and drafts an outside linebacker No. 15 overall and drops a load of cash on a veteran free agent with 11 sacks. If that that isn’t enough to jump-start Braswell, then the Bucs have the wrong guy.
August 14th, 2026 at 9:52 pm
He’s useless.
Terrible draft pick.
Cut!!!
August 14th, 2026 at 9:57 pm
Bucs worst 2nd round pick competition:
Braswell vs Roberto A
August 14th, 2026 at 10:21 pm
Bad enough Braswell wasn’t getting after the quarterback. Worse, he fully whiffed on a tackle of Jets running back Braelon Allen as he scored on a 31-yard run to the right side in the first half.
——-
I’ll have to rewatch it, but that’s not what I though I saw on that play – it looked like Nick Jackson missed whiffed on the cutback. But I could be wrong as I only saw it live, and part of a bad replay angle, due to the terrible production quality of the game.
With that said, Braswell really didn’t stand out either way to me.
August 14th, 2026 at 10:41 pm
I’m a light supporter, but this was a bad pick
August 14th, 2026 at 10:49 pm
Pyburn got 2 sacks and played like an animal. Braswell just seems to play timid when he gets on the field. I know who I would keep.
August 14th, 2026 at 10:55 pm
Braswell is gone.
August 14th, 2026 at 10:55 pm
You guys seem to forget (other than the complete failure of a run stoppage) that Brazswell (the OLB/Edge Rusher) has been SOLELY TRAINED by a man and his hand picked assistance to “Cover” a good 85% of the time and Braswell HAS NOT BEEN properly trained to rush a passer!
You want “proof”? NO PROBLEM!
All you have to do is take a look at any and ALL the pass rushers that have been drafted since Todd Bowles was gifted the job. (JTS anyone). IT’S THE SAME STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. EACH OF THEM make the Same Mistakes over and over again. Same as all the rest that bowles has sadly twisted into “useless obscurity”…
Thank God himself that Bain has been extensively trained by the great “Jason Taylor”. And I’m SO THANKFUL that the deep training came before a pass rushing Baffoon, a Mustard minded germious that has it so twisted and INSIST ON the same tardedly UNSUCCESSFUL DRIBBLE that he simpletonly Can Not see IS the problem!
It’s been Embarrassing US ALL FOR A VERY LONG LONG TIME and NOW the PLAYERS THEMSELVES No longer wish to waste tbeir time trying to unravel.
It’s actually so very sad the careers that Todd Bowles has destroyed. It’s heart breaking from the outside in AND Especially from the inside out… Sad that this guy has RUINED many families once in a lifetime opportunities…
Fire him and then SUE HIM to the Moon! If only….
August 14th, 2026 at 11:30 pm
sadly i have to assess……..
bras-not-so-swell has flopped out here way worse than joe sho…
waaaaay worse
August 14th, 2026 at 11:30 pm
in his time in tampa
August 15th, 2026 at 12:00 am
Licht’s had some bad or 2nd round picks over the years that didn’t work out, but I like the way his current draft class and UDAs are playing. Daniels looks like he should be the backup especially if we get 2025 Jack Browning.
August 15th, 2026 at 3:07 am
Trask and Braswell.
Two 2nd round picks that could have been used on OG depth. Or CB depth. Or à MLB.
The 2nd round is for guaranteed starters!
August 15th, 2026 at 3:22 am
Jack PyBurn is way better.
He’s 6-4. 260. Ànd à former UF and LSU starter.
He’s great against the run and he had 2 sacks last night.
Braswell in 3 years, doesn’t have any sacks in the preseason.
It’s time to cut Braswell now.
Pyburn has already proven to be better than Braswell.
August 15th, 2026 at 4:11 am
He hasn’t been here for 3 years. He’s starting his 3rd year.
That said, he sucks. Move on.
August 15th, 2026 at 4:31 am
What’s shocking to me in now YEAR #3 is this is a guy who payed is High School Football at National POWERHOUSE St. Frances Academy, and then at Alabama for NICH SABAN. He must just have been one of those FREAKS that only got by on pure ‘athletic’ ability and overwhelming STRENGTH, because he was just bigger, stronger, and faster than everyone else. But, he has NO MOTOR and just doesn’t LOVE the game. I mean, every time you see him he looks like he’s depressed and that he really couldn’t give a sh!t less. It’s pretty sad. And, VERY disappointing. I thought he was a good pick and would be a pretty decent player. At least a slightly above average starter. I thought surely a ‘starter level’ by year 2 or 3 would at least be his floor.
August 15th, 2026 at 7:24 am
What is sad is that for all the disagreement that happens here, I think we can all agree on one thing. That is we don’t start out hating these failed pass rushers. In fact, we are desperately waiting for one to fall in love with.
Just give us 10 sacks and we will be your fans forever.
And @Obvious, yeah yeah….Bowles sucks….blah blah. Tell us the one failed pass rusher we had that left here and improved. Dear God JTS had the best in the league in Cleveland on the same line and still disappeared.
Doesn’t mean Todd is good, just the “Bowles ruins pass rushers” is way overblown.
Now if you want to make the argument that TB can’t make chicken salad when JL is drafting chicken s***……..
August 15th, 2026 at 7:41 am
SlyPirate Says:
August 15th, 2026 at 4:11 am
He hasn’t been here for 3 years. He’s starting his 3rd year.
That said, he sucks. Move on.
_______
Ronde was a great player but he’s not real smart.
August 15th, 2026 at 7:47 am
I pretty much said that they should’ve passed on him from the beginning, too! He seemed like he could be another version of Tryon. I thought they should’ve passed on Morrison also with all of those injuries & it’s looking that way, too! Hopefully he can get it together. I wouldn’t be surprised if Garnes gets used more if he keeps it up.
August 15th, 2026 at 8:57 am
This is that moment where you have to move on from a poor decision. Braswell was the third best DE on AL his senior year and his production was modest at best Somehow he drafted in the second.… Pyburn showed some juice, and you should be able to ball against inferior talent… I hope Pyburn has a solid preseason, he’s Braswell’s replacement at this point.
August 15th, 2026 at 10:20 am
Braswell is dead weight. One play every 6 or 7 games isn’t doable.
August 15th, 2026 at 10:57 am
What burns the most isn’t that Braswell won’t be a Buc for much longer – but that they were so wrong in his evaluation. That was a 2nd round pick that’s now smoldering in a pile of other wasted draft picks.
I don’t blame the player for not working out. I’m sure Braswell is doing the best he can. I blame the team for hyping up their belief that he was so certain to make it.
This is on Licht, Bowles and the scouting department.
August 15th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Cut this pretender. Today. He sucks bad!
August 15th, 2026 at 11:39 am
Maybe we can trade him back to Alabama & get our 2nd round pick back & then maybe they’ll be nice enough (somehow) to fit an extra draft pick in there for us in the draft next year. HA yeah right.
August 15th, 2026 at 12:09 pm
Keeping guys like Braswell on the roster is an example number 128 as to why JL is a fraud. He loves his high picks and when they turn out to be worthless (JTS) he keeps them anyway.
August 15th, 2026 at 7:04 pm
He plays like camp meat let him go
August 16th, 2026 at 8:00 am
He was my top pick in the second round that year. I’ve been disappointed but hoping. I think something big needs to happen for him to make the 53 man roster. I was clearly wrong about Chris. He seem to process things slowly, By the time he figures it out he has gotten roasted. At this point he does not look tradable. The NFL is a big jump even from the SEC.