Jonathan Greenard And The Bucs
March 4th, 2026
Vikings shopping Pro Bowl edge rusher.
Joe has a sneaky suspicion this guy just may end up on the Bucs’ roster.
While guys like Trey Hendrickson and Khalil Mack will be looking for work next week as free agents, another edge rusher may be available in a trade while the Vikings try to make a trade for salary cap room.
The pass rusher is Minnesota edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
Why does Joe think Greenard, 28, may come to the Bucs? Well, he won’t be as expensive as Hendrickson and maybe not as expensive as Mack. But it seems he is more versatile than most edge rushers, as Eva Geitheim of SI.com points out.
[T]he Buccaneers’ defense fell short of expectations in 2025 and one of the best ways for Tampa Bay to improve that unit is by bolstering its pass rush. Greenard has played under a creative defense with Brian Flores, and could join another complex scheme with Todd Bowles and the Bucs.
(Sssssshhhhh!!!!! Todd Bowles’ defense is not complex!)
Greenard, as a defensive end/outside linebacker for Houston and Minnesota, had double-digit sacks in 2023 and 2024. But last year he fell off the map while he with both shoulder and knee injuries. He started just 10 games and had a measly three sacks. That’s very Joe Tryon-Shoyinka-like.
But Joe thinks Greenard has got a shot to come to the Bucs because he is versatile, and he racks up pressures. Oh boy!
The Vikings have one of the worst cap situations in the league and Minnesota is willing to trade Greenard to remove his salary from the books.
Joe isn’t sure about Greenard but at least, unlike Markees Watts, Greenard has a resume. He’s done something in the league.
Vikings are now open to trading Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Geeenard, per sources.
They would like to keep Greenard, but they also have salary cap issues they’re working through that have led to these trade conversations. pic.twitter.com/kLRO73aFOz
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2026
March 4th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Is he a leader? This defense is in desperate need of field generals. Way too much quit in this team last year.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:05 am
No…No more wasted defense players.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:05 am
What is his salary, that and the trade compensation is what it comes down to.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:08 am
The Bowzo D is not complex. It just does not work and is confusing to pro football players who stand there wondering…..why.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:19 am
Licht has cold sweats of even thinkin about giving up a 5th round pick for proven players lol he sleeps next to his picks
March 4th, 2026 at 9:30 am
A trade? Lol moving on
March 4th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Greenard makes $19 million/year
He’s played in 3 playoff games – 2 with Texans and 1 with Vikings
The 1 playoff game his team won (Texans vs Browns) , he hardly played.
The other 2 playoff games he played alot – both bad losses
No sacks in any of the 3 games.
He’s probably a decent player worth 1/2 what he’s being paid.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:35 am
Bradley Chubb vs Jonathan Greenard
Bradley Chubb – Former Dolphins / Broncos
Drafted 2018, Round 1 (5th overall)
• Age: 29
• Career: 48.0 sacks, 2 Pro Bowls
• Status: Free agent after being released by Miami
Chubb was released primarily for cap savings, which means any team can sign him without giving up draft capital.
The upside: proven pass-rush production and scheme versatility — he has played both hand-in-the-dirt DE and stand-up OLB, which fits Bowles’ hybrid fronts.
The concern is durability. Chubb has dealt with multiple knee injuries, including ACL tears earlier in his career. Because of that, his market likely falls in the $10–15M per year range on a short-term deal with incentives.
As a complementary rusher, that’s a reasonable gamble.
Jonathan Greenard – Vikings
Drafted 2020, Round 3
• Age: 28
• Career: 38 sacks
• Contract: Signed with Minnesota in 2024
• Remaining: roughly 2 years (~$44M total)
Greenard has been one of the more efficient pressure generators in the league, posting double-digit sack seasons before shoulder surgery limited him in 2025.
Unlike Chubb, acquiring Greenard would require both draft capital and assuming his contract, which carries a ~$22M cap hit per year.
The upside is age and trajectory — he’s still entering his prime and profiles as a true starting edge.
The difference in acquisition paths matters:
Chubb
• Free agent
• No draft capital required
• Short-term contract likely
Greenard
• Trade required
• Likely Day 2 pick
• Significant contract attached
March 4th, 2026 at 9:42 am
Pass….everyone was sacking the qb in Flores system and he only had 4.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:46 am
If you can get Greenard for a 4th, the conversation changes completely.
Now you’re talking about a 28-year-old edge rusher with back-to-back double-digit sack seasons before the shoulder injury. That’s legitimate starting production.
The contract looks heavy at first glance (~$22M per year), but Tampa could easily restructure the deal, convert salary into bonus, and smooth the cap hit over multiple years.
That’s just standard Greenberg capology.
So the equation becomes:
4th-round pick + manageable restructure
for a proven pass rusher entering his prime.
If that’s the price, it’s a very reasonable gamble to strengthen the edge opposite Diaby.
March 4th, 2026 at 9:51 am
Another possibility would be a player swap centered around Chris Braswell, which could give Minnesota a young developmental edge while Tampa gets an established rusher now.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:01 am
There’s also OLB Odafe Oweh – if the Bucs want to get younger and bigger off the edge — which Bowles just said recently is something he wants to do.
Oweh is 6’5″, ~265, and still entering his prime.
Expected market:
• 3 years
• ~$55–60M total
• $18–20M per year
With normal structuring, the first-year cap hit could land around $8–12M after bonuses and proration.
That fits exactly into the ascending EDGE tier — younger than Hendrickson, bigger than a lot of the current rushers on the roster, and still developing.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:10 am
Terrific idea, LUVMYBUCS. Braswell will surprise Minnesota fans. Package him with a 5th or 6th rounder for Greenard or Oweh. Win win all around. Sold!
March 4th, 2026 at 10:16 am
Correction: Oweh is an UFA (no trade necessary). Trade for Greenard and kick tires on Oweh (may get priced out in a bidding war). Hendrickson too. Cant have too much pass rush.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:18 am
I’ll take anything and everything at edge this year. Also add 2 DT’s and 2+ ILB’s between FA & draft.
We need to be all in on defensive front 7 fixes. Secondary has had enough investments and we are set enough on offense outside of adding a TE and depth at OL/RB.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:20 am
@ Tampa2ATL
Appreciate you, Bredren.
Oweh would be a free-agent signing, so no trade needed there.
The trade concept would apply to Greenard — something like Braswell + a conditional 2027 late-round pick.
Minnesota gets a young edge on a rookie deal with upside, and Tampa gets a proven pass rusher now while the window is open.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:22 am
@ Tampa2ATL
No excuses this year. There are plenty of quality EDGE options available — free agency, trades, or both.
Just a matter of which path the front office decides to take.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:27 am
They arent going to be able to trade this guy. His cap hit is too high.
Now once he gets cut, then that’s a different story. Hes a very good edge rusher and would be an immediate upgrade. It just come down to how much he can get in FA.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:30 am
Lord Cornelius (LC)
Hope all is well, Bredren.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Complex? Ha! It’s the simplest defense in the league for opposing quarterbacks.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:45 am
Seattle had the #1 defense in the NFL last season, and ended up with 47 sacks. Look at where they got them (players with over 200 def snaps on the season):
o NT Jarran Reed (Rnd 2 – 6’3″ & 315 lbs) – 13 games – 398 def snaps – 2.5 sacks – 8 QB hits – 31 tackles (11 solo)
o DT Byron Murphy (Rnd 1 – 6’0″ & 306 lbs) – 17 games – 786 def snaps – 7 sacks – 13 QB hits – 62 tackles (22 solo)
o DT Leonard Williams (Rnd 1 – 6’5″ & 310 lbs) – 17 games – 812 def snaps – 7 sacks – 22 QB hits – 62 tackles (33 solo)
o OLB Uchenna Nwosu (Rnd 2 – 6’2″ & 265 lbs) – 16 games – 583 def snaps – 7 sacks – 15 QB hits – 35 tackles (17 solo)
o OLB DeMarcus Lawrence (Rnd 2 – 6’3″ & 254 lbs) – 16 games – 626 def snaps – 6 sacks – 20 QB hits – 53 tackles (24 solo)
o OLB Boye Maye (Rnd 2 – 6’4″ & 261 lbs) – 17 games – 561 def snaps – 2 sacks – 4 QB hits – 31 tackles (11 solo)
So the interior of Seattle’s DLine got 16.5 sacks, 43 QB hits, made 155 tackles (66 solo) and played 1,996 def snaps. They average 6’3″ & 310 lbs and were drafted in Rnd 1 on the average.
Seattle’s OLBs got 15 sacks, 39 QB hits, made 119 tackles (52 solo) and played 1,770 def snaps. They average 6’3″ & 260 lbs and were drafted in Rnd 2 on the average.
I think it’s safe to conclude that Seattle struck a nice balance between their interior DLine & their OLBs, each obviously helping the other rack up sacks & QB hits. Their front is also more ‘robust’ compared to ours, and had much better availability (those 6 players who provided the preponderance of their def snaps only missed a combined 6 games). And oh ya, of the 6, turns out that 2 were drafted in Rnd 1 and the other 2 drafted in Rnd 2.
Suggestion? Let’s fix our interior DLine FIRST (through free agency AND the draft), THEN be concerned about our Edge rushers. We may find that what we’ve already got on the roster does a LOT BETTER when the interior DLine is kicking a$$.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:45 am
$18 million for 3 sacks.
JTS can get us that for league minimum.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:47 am
At least with Oweh, you’re not worrying about him getting out-athleted in space.
Remember Bowles talking about the Bijan Robinson vs SirVocea Dennis play — sometimes the other guy is just the better athlete.
That’s not the issue here.
Oweh: 6’4⅞”, 257 lbs, 4.37 forty, 39.5″ vertical, 11’2″ broad jump — rare explosiveness for a ~260-lb edge.
NFL production:
• 70+ games
• 30.5 sacks
• ~150 tackles
• ~28 TFL
• ~45 QB hits
If Bowles wants to get bigger and more explosive on the edge, Oweh checks both boxes.
March 4th, 2026 at 10:59 am
I’d much rather have Hendrickson.
Older, maybe pricier but he’s a difference maker on his own. Greenard was benefiting from Hunter on the other side for a couple years and working for a top tier DC.
Hendrickson was picking up 17 sacks by being a beast. Would like to know more about this core muscle injury. Obviously was not nothing to require surgery but he was not happy with the Bengals and maybe he sought an opinion that he wanted to shut him down.
March 4th, 2026 at 11:06 am
@DefenseRules — great breakdown on the interior, and you’re right that strong interior play drives everything. But the key layer in Seattle’s system is the combination of linebackers and defensive backs working together to create confusion.
Macdonald’s defenses rely heavily on second-level disguise.
The linebackers and DBs constantly walk up into gaps, rotate late, mug the line, drop out, or blitz from depth. That movement forces offenses to adjust protections and makes it hard for quarterbacks to confirm what they’re seeing before the snap.
That’s where coaches like Karl Scott come in. The DBs disguise coverage and rotate late, while the linebackers manipulate the protection calls. When those two levels work together, quarterbacks hesitate.
And hesitation is what turns a four-man rush into pressure.
That’s why Seattle was able to generate pressure while blitzing far less than most teams. The front four benefits from the confusion created behind them.
So the formula really becomes three layers working together:
• Interior push from the defensive line
• Edge rushers winning one-on-ones
• Linebackers and DBs disguising pressure and coverage
When those layers sync up, the defense becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
March 4th, 2026 at 11:42 am
Licht loves bargain basement free agent signings. I’ll believe he goes for upper tier edge rushers/linebackers when i see it. 2019 doesn’t count.
March 4th, 2026 at 12:09 pm
I’m not all that impressed with this year’s draft class at edge but the pool of ILBs is deep and talented. I think we should address edge in free agency and ILBs in the draft. We also still need another DT and corner.
March 4th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
@LuvMyBucs I agree. The Seattle secondary is top tier. I’m sure plenty of those sacks and pressures came from great coverage. Along with the disguise of coverage and blitzing. Stats on paper don’t tell the whole story. Trust between the DC and the coverage could sync up n cause major pains 4 the offense. I’ve seen max Crosby play once or twice last year, (I live in the Pacific time zone) but that is a beast of an edge. He was constantly making plays by himself. Pass rush and in the run game. Off the snap no bullsh.. he was in the backfield in 3 seconds sometimes 2. Strong relentless quick powerful hands up when he couldn’t get 2 the QB. If we can somehow pull Crosby from that raider team our defense is better by 3 fold. Idk if there is a tackle that can block him 1 on 1 for more than 4 seconds.
March 4th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
He showed up on the screen every Vikings game I watched last season, but Flores is a true great defensive coach. Very JTS like is what I would expect him to do for the Bucs and the overly simple defensive scheme the part time coordinator runs.
March 4th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
Licht will never pull the trigger on a guy like Crosby. I was hella surprised he went 4 Tom Brady. But yeah he likes the bargain basement signings n drafts. When we have cap room or great pick position he’ll go 4 the guy that is injured n cannot start right away or from a small school. Frustrating cuz we could have had these stars n he chooses the broken 1s that can’t start. Those guys end up riding the bench majority of their rookie seasons n already have a solid player in front of them so there is no rush 2 develop that guy in game. Wasting talent roster spots salary cap n draft picks.
March 4th, 2026 at 1:23 pm
Yes please dude is a baller an was just hurt last year still in prime years has at least 3 great years left go get him for a 5th or 6th better then trading the farm for Crosby an earring his cap this dude can play an would do great things for Tampa this is a Jason kinda move