Double-Digit Sackmasters Becoming Less Important?
January 12th, 2026
Edge rushers Yaya Diaby (right) and Chris Braswell.
Of the nine NFL teams remaining in the playoffs (Houston and Pittsburgh clash tonight) only four have a 2025 double-digit sack guy on their roster.
The 49ers ranked dead last in sacks this season with 20. They just beat the Eagles with a grand total of 1 quarterback hit.
And Eagles QB Jalen Hurts dropped back to pass more than 35 times.
Is that a coincidence?
Joe will never discount the value of a sack, but they are become less prevalent in the game.
The remaining 2025 playoff teams with double-digit sack artists are the Texans, Broncos, Rams and Bears.
The mighty Patriots, Bills and Bears all won playoff games over the weekend and all had less sacks this season than the Bucs.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl last year with an eight-sack guy leading their pass rush (Josh Sweat).
There were 1,287 sacks in NFL this season, down 2 percent from 2024. The league had 17 guys with double-digit sacks this season, the same as in 2024 and down from 24 in 2023 and 19 in 2022.
One also could argue the recent data has made a double-digit sack guy more valuable.
The Bucs fell from 46 sacks last season to 37 this year. Their blitzes were far less effective and edge rusher Haason Reddick played like departed Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Anthony Nelson went from 13 quarterback hits in 2024 to just 4 this season. Chris Braswell’s production and snaps actually dropped, and he was healthy. The injury to defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was a huge blow in the pass rush department.
While sacks are less of a thing around the NFL, if the Bucs had the same shaky pass rush they had in 2023, they probably would have won the NFC South easily and Josh Grizzard wouldn’t be wondering why he’s unemployed.
Sacks are drive-killers, and they can be coach-savers.
The Bucs surely know they need an edge rush, but Joe isn’t sure how much the team would be willing to invest.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:20 am
If the final 4 winds up being the Texans, Broncos, Rams, and Bears…that will tell you all you need to know about the importance of a pass rush.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:21 am
I wouldn’t look too much into this game. The eagles got a high school offense, which makes it easy to defend, the Bucs defense could probably put up a good fight.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:22 am
The difference is coaching Joe. What Shanahan has done in SF this year is extraordinary. Somehow Bucs beat them but that was when Baker was on fire. But that’s the difference. Bowles can’t scheme and coach like Saleh/Shanahan or Vrabel or McDonald or Peyton/Joseph or Tomlin or McDermott or Ryans… Even the Bears, who’s defense is a sieve, create TOs. Bucs are poorly coached with a bad roster on defense with a bad scheme. Bucs ONLY create pressure with blitzes which puts more pressure on a secondary that is completely lost or fails to communicate properly, etc. THIS IS ALL ABOUT BOWLES and LICHT.
Bad roster + bad scheme + poor coaching= a Bucs life.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:23 am
Bucs need to invest in the pass rush like they invest in the WRs. When the Bucs have a superior pass rush, the defense reaches elite levels.
Wether its by committee or one guy, just get it done. And hire coaches that can coach ffs.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:25 am
Ballwin Bucs Fan Says:
January 12th, 2026 at 10:20 am
If the final 4 winds up being the Texans, Broncos, Rams, and Bears…that will tell you all you need to know about the importance of a pass rush.
Exactly, and really if you look at all of teams in the playoffs, Panthers included, these are the best defensive teams in the NFL.
How are we going to ever going to be able to compete defensively with Bowlzo at the helm?
Every playoff game I have watched so far just blows my mind how disgustingly poor our defense has been the past 5 years compared to these well coached defenses
Really, Not getting Vrabel when he was available was a huge miss for licht. He has the patriots defense not just stopping the opposing offense but putting people in the hospital. That is the mentality this defense needs
January 12th, 2026 at 10:30 am
I guess Green Bay didn’t miss Micah Parsons
January 12th, 2026 at 10:33 am
That’s because QB’s are protected by rules so most are removed from stats and they either get rid of the ball faster than 3 seconds or roll away from pressure. So pressure is more valuable than sacks some of the time. Hell, it’s hard to make a clean sack by the NFL rules!
It’s not football anymore!
January 12th, 2026 at 10:34 am
What have Mike Vrabel actually won as a HC?
.SMDH
January 12th, 2026 at 10:34 am
I guess we need either better corners or better coverage edge rushers. Or how about the coordinator put what he has in the right place at the right time and not turn defense into calculus and aeronautical engineering. Just a thought, I’m just a simpleton though.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:38 am
Yes, but watching the secondaries cover is what makes the difference
January 12th, 2026 at 10:40 am
Dont think Houston makes it to the playoffs without that front 7. Here is the thing, Bowles blitzes a ton, so he probably is of the opinion they can generate pressure and sacks by scheming it. The issue with this is, now every team knows its coming, they know the zone blitz tendencies and soft coverage to find the mismatch. So much so, that backup QBs are finding huge success playing the Bucs. You cant rely on blitzing every time when you need a sack. You need to be multiple, you need to adapt and switch it up. When you rank almost dead last in pass defense every year, you need a pass rusher badly because it aint working.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:41 am
Glazers, Licht and even Bowles are cheap AF, none of this matters to them
January 12th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Read what Ben wrote above–he is 100%
January 12th, 2026 at 10:45 am
I’ll say this again and I am just an ordinary Bucs fan not a NFL personnel guy but the point in the Bucs should have went and got this or that guy is all suspect. Who knows if these guy want to come to Tampa. A lot of guys just wait for certain areas and certain job, exactly what Ben Johnson of the Lions did. Remember most of these guys have families. Some coaches want a complete organizational change. Some owns will yes and others will move on to this next option. So I am not faulting the Glazers
January 12th, 2026 at 10:48 am
The TIMING of the Sack is more important than the ACTUALLY sack
.
Some teams get a lot of garbage time sacks aka Falcons
Sone teams gear a lot of Clutch sacks
Houston has 2 double-digit sack guys
But they couldn’t sack Baker, or even get pressure, during the game winning drive
January 12th, 2026 at 10:54 am
The articles (or maybe not the articles but the posts) that I like the least on JBF are the ones that say we need to get/run (insert here) — double digit sack guy, run man coverage, dominant OL, better TE, run 4/3 defense, never drop a defensive lineman, etc. etc.
What we have seen in the NFL year after year, is that there are many different paths and styles to win the whole thing.
January 12th, 2026 at 10:56 am
Chris Braswell lol he’s a joke Never forget that’s Licht’s boy He was gonna change the NFL LMMFAO FJK
January 12th, 2026 at 10:56 am
Joe you keep saying how valuable sacks are to you but what you just wrote makes your statement bogus.
TFL is no different than a sack. You are losing yardage either way. 3rd down sacks may be driver killer but so is a TFL(tackle for a loss) on third down.
3 teams are still alive in the playoffs that had less sacks than the Bucs.
Time to shift your perspective. We are not buying it anymore. Thanks for the info.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Did Bowles and Licht give you this story Joe? Seems like something they would agree upon.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:12 am
Pass rush is important, but it can be eased by coverage. They’re symbient.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:15 am
Bringing in Nate Ollie would help improve our pass rush from a development and preparation standpoint.
Won’t be mad if Reddick walks, nor do I think we need to bring back Markees Watts to hold a roster spot.
Might be time to invest in a first round talent at OLB. Though, I’m almost certain we’ll come out of the draft having picked at least 1
I like that we signed Mo Kamara to a futures contract.
I’ll be just as anxious as anybody to see if David Walker can bounce back.
I’d tell Yaya & Calijah they’ve got to show us something before they think about extensions.
Elijah Roberts needs to cross train as an OLB this offseason. I feel like he can help diversify what we can do with personnel overlap on our front.
I’m a big Landon Robinson fan, and I’ve already convinced myself he and Vea inside could be as close to the type of beef we had in the middle with Suh & Vita. Wild thing about him is, Robinsin was recruited as an LB, but the he gain 40lb and converted to DT. The other part is, if you watch him play he’s still playing with LB speed with plenty of strength behind it so it’s just disruption.
Idk, I think all of our problems are fixable, what the team does to address it is beyond me, but a guy can dream.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:26 am
I have pointed these sack stats often and sacks are overrated …I would rather be the top in pts allowed ..Sacks can be for a loss of 0 yds or -1 …Look at a guys sacks totals and TFL that is where you see the real deal.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:29 am
The problem is a beast pass rusher is now paid like a QB if a guy gets a sack a game that is 17 and he is all pro but that is 1 Play a game.. The theme you see is Crosby and Garrett have no QB but are paid like one.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:31 am
The Bucs problems on defense are not limited to a lack of edge rush. The fact that they couldn’t really cover backs out of the backfield due to issues with their inside LB’s magnifies the issues with the edge rush, because most teams will look to use screens as blitz defeater. If you can’t cover a screen, then having Reggie White wouldn’t have made a difference. Similarly, if your db’s are playing soft zone then you are giving the other team an opportunity for a quick slant or curl. Then there is the repeated problems of guys being out of position or taking the wrong angles. I also think that the league has kind of caught up to Bowles’ zone pressure scheme. Other teams are obviously able to figure out how is dropping into coverage and then they target that guy. All of this speaks to problems both with the coaching of technique and the scheme itself.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:37 am
Other teams with less sacks than the Bucs are advancing in the playoffs. If Bowles is not high on edge rushers, what are these teams doing to create pressure on the quarterbacks. It’s been difficult for the Bucs to find a good edge rusher in the draft. The NFL is a copy category league. Why not replicate what these teams are doing to offset the challenge in finding a bonafied edge rusher.
Jason Licht and company need to formulate a plan to make this a reality.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:38 am
Sacks are drive killers.
January 12th, 2026 at 11:39 am
I mean Herbert was on his ass most of last night and got demolished. Screwed my parlays up.
I think yes, it’s a priority. The only reason we beat Mahomes in that Super Bowl is because he was running for his life the whole game.
January 12th, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Don’t forget, about 25% (I pulled that stat from my a$$) of all sacks end up as roughing the passer penalties and extend not stall drives.
January 12th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
“Anytime the QB gets hit he’s less effective” – Curt Cignetti
Unfortunately, Bowles does not share that opinion.
In his scheme QB pressures are enough.
2026 is already a dumpster fire.
January 12th, 2026 at 1:16 pm
When your defense gives up 3rd and 28 does it really matter that a sack or two contributed to the 28?
DR, would be interested to know where the Bucs rank when the down is 3rd and 10+.
January 12th, 2026 at 1:30 pm
We have no sack leaders on the Bucs. Braswell is a non factor
January 12th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
You have to get consistent pressure from your 4 guys upfront.
January 12th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Total BS
January 12th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Amazing what a good defensive scheme will do for you despite who your players are.
January 12th, 2026 at 1:44 pm
2 things this franchise has been inept at since 1976 –
1) Bucs have NEVER drafted a franchise QB in 50 years.
2) Outside of their very 1st pick (#63) name a feared DE/OLB that they have drafted and developed? Name 1 please? Maybe Hugh Green. That was, what 1980ish.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
January 12th, 2026 at 1:54 pm
they are secretly bulking zyon up and moving him to edge next season…
problem solved…
a 218 pound edge guy who is bored and doesn’t care, because he hit the tampa state lottery in 2025
January 12th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
yaya “i’m now disgruntled and will speak about it” diaby
and…
chris bras “not so swell”
January 12th, 2026 at 2:03 pm
I’m with ya Joe on getting a legit pass rusher. You and I probably value it more than most which is crazy. I’m not a hater of Bowles but also not defending him either but his defense needs a nasty front 6 to make his defense any good. Don’t believe me the why did we win a SB and hold mahomes/Reid’s offense to 9 pts. That year they had the best offense but we also had a nasty dline. Suh , vea , in the middle and coming off both edges was JPP and Shaq. It was nasty. This should be the biggest priority for the defense. Add another big ugly to pair with vea n kancey and go get 2 more legit pass rushers to mix with yaya. Defense will make a huge jump if that happens. JOE also it’s not like Jason hasn’t bin trying to get us an edge rusher. Hes now drafted several using high picks which haven t panned out and he’s signed FA which also havnt panned out. Hes bin great in other areas but man Jason needs to get some help to find a pass rusher. Hes deff missed more than he’s hit but boy when he does hit it’s dinomite. Stealing JPP and getting Shaq. That was nasty
January 12th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Isn’t everyone sick of Bowles rationale? The bottom line is it doesn’t work. And this dinosaur is incapable of turning the defense over to a full time defensive coordinator. He makes excuses but fails to see what everyone else sees clear as day – receivers running free throughout his secondary. Tykee Smith went from a stud safety to almost invisible.
All three teams in the NFC South will be better in 2026. And Atlanta is likely to be much, much better. Would it shock anyone if the Bucs went into the cellar? So, then they fire Bowles, after wasting a precious year.
January 12th, 2026 at 2:05 pm
Ben … ‘Bowles blitzes a ton, so he probably is of the opinion they can generate pressure and sacks by scheming it. The issue with this is, now every team knows its coming, they know the zone blitz tendencies and soft coverage to find the mismatch.’
Interesting analysis Ben, but I’m thinking there MIGHT be something else at play here as far as the Bucs are concerned.
One of the keys to effective blitzing IMO is to open holes for the blitz to pop through. And usually that’s in the interior DLine. I remember Devin White being so effective with his ‘straight-line blitzing’. He was FAST, and when a hole opened up he was through it lickety split.
This season our interior DLine was very ineffective IMO in terms of opening holes for blitzers to speed through. If you’ve got 5 monster OLinemen blocking 3 usually smaller DLinemen the odds for success would seem to favor the OLinemen. Vea was our big guy (347 lbs), but he was grossly overused (73% snaps). When I focused on him, especially in our 2nd half of the season games, he was rarely getting any real penetration. Yes he got 4.5 sacks this season, but 2 sacks came in Game 4 against the Eagles, 0.5 sacks in Game 6 against the 49ers, 1 sack in Game 13 against the Cardinals & 1 sack in Game 14 against the Saints. In 9 of the 17 games he played, Vea had 0 sacks AND 0 QB hits. Believe it or not, Bucs went 6-3 in those 3 games.
I’d much prefer to see us go back to the 4-3 defense. But to do so, we’d need to beef up our Front-4. Quick is fine on the outside (DEs), but on the interior I much prefer BEEF. And yes, make that BEEF WITH A BAD ATTITUDE. I still prefer 3 LBs, all with decent speed and great tackling skills, over 2 ILBs plus 1 OLB dropping back into coverage. Zone coverage in our Secondary versus more man-to-man is more dependent IMO on the skills of your particular Secondary players. DCs need to be able to adapt their defensive scheme to the skill levels of their starters.
January 12th, 2026 at 2:26 pm
You could look at this one of two ways – best to make a trade or go after the top FA pass rushers. Dont draft the guy based on this teams record of draft history for pass rushers. Outside of picking Leroy No. 1 overall, this team is abysmal drafting pass rushers. HORRID.
Since picking #63 Bucs have spent 20 picks on 1st or 2nd round pass rushers. Here are some names from the past that kept other team’s offensive coordinators up at night in fear –
Booker Reese, Broderick Thomas, Keith McCants, Eric Curry, Noah Spence, Keith Browner, Winston Moss, Regan Upshaw, Marcus Jones, Gaines Adams, Adrian Clayborn, DaQuan Bowers, JTS and our current turds – Hall, Braswell and Kancey. Now Kancey can play when he’s actually not hurt. Of course Hugh Green was a good player for Bucs for sure. Outside of LRS, Green the Bucs drafting pass rushers would scare me we will be in same boat down the line.
Better suited to trade (or sign FA) for KNOWN commodity based on history.
January 12th, 2026 at 2:41 pm
Licht out to be on the hot seat big time if he doesn’t hit on the majority of this years draft picks and what he does in free agent signings (or lack there of).
January 12th, 2026 at 2:51 pm
Never forget Bucs fans. Unless we get a sack on third down, when the game isn’t do or die, Bowles won’t be able to get off the field. He will sit back in his zone, generate zero pass rush, and get embarrassed over the middle.
January 12th, 2026 at 3:19 pm
Sacks aren’t quite as big of a deal IF your back-7 can actually cover… and not leave wide opening gaping holes that you can drive a tractor trailer through.
We had holes big enough for 2 semis to drive through… going sideways…
January 12th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
What’s important is having a good defense. We don’t have one.
January 12th, 2026 at 3:35 pm
It would help if the defense could cover a tight end. Seems like tight ends just gouged us all season. I think we need stud middle linebackers more than we need edge rushers, but more skill at outside linebacker and on the line is still a high priority IMO.
January 12th, 2026 at 3:55 pm
Be nice to have even a decent offense too… We could have had the bears defense from 85 or vintage stell curtain D and still lose 10 games with the offense we saw last year.
January 12th, 2026 at 4:02 pm
Really bad coaching yields really bad results.
January 12th, 2026 at 4:03 pm
What? No. You need a steady pass rush from every position.
UGH
Jason Licht is the best GM of all time. He has the best picks and they are all pros every year.