Bucs Become “Legitimate Threat” With Trey Hendrickson
March 5th, 2026
Bring him home, Bucs. Make it happen.
Dang, Joe is starting to wonder about the reach of “Pardon My Take” now that the video feed is behind a Netflix paywall.
Look, Joe loves Big Cat and PFT Commenter. They’ve got a great show. And they’re making millions. Major props to them!
So on Tuesday, a JoeBucsFan.com reader (Joe can’t remember who and Joe apologizes for not giving you a shoutout) typed in the comments of a story that Adam Schefter was on “Pardon My Take” talking about the Bucs and beastly free agent edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
So Joe listened to the audio from iTunes and typed up Schefter’s Bucs chatter on Hendrickson in response to Barstool Sports staffer and Bucs fan Steven Cheah’s inquiry.
Joe sort of wondered since Schefter was on such a major podcast why no one picked up on his take on Hendrickson.
So Joe published the Schefter/Hendrickson intel early Wednesday morning. By 1 p.m., everyone and their brother on social media and the blogosphere was buzzing about how Hendrickson wants to play for the Bucs.
What’s going on here? Barstool Sports and “Pardon My Take” have many, many, many more viewers than Joe. So it’s starting to feel like since “Pardon My Take” moved its video behind a Netflix paywall, their reach has been neutered.
Anyway, among the many that picked up on Joe’s story was Walter Cherepinsky, the guy behind the curtain of draft-focused WalterFootball.com. And Cherepinsky, who skinned Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht last spring for drafting Emeka Egbuka, even going so far as to mock Licht calling him “Millen,” thinks if Licht does actually land Hendrickson, that would turn the Bucs from a non-playoff team into serious Super Bowl contenders overnight.
There were two primary reasons why the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl five years ago. The first was obviously Tom Brady. The second was the defense was suffocating with a great ability to pressure the quarterback. The Buccaneers have lacked the ability to generate pressure, but obtaining Trey Hendrickson would change that and would allow the Buccaneers to become a legitimate threat in the NFC.
Joe completely and totally agrees. You only need to look at the history of the Bucs to see what a ferocious edge rusher means for this team.
Only three times in Bucs history has the team had an edge rusher(s) that a quarterback had to fear. That was Lee Roy Selmon, Simeon Rice and the duo of Jason Pierre-Paul and Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett.
The Bucs went to the NFC title game with Selmon (1979), won a Super Bowl with Rice (2002) and won a Super Bowl with JPP/Shaq (2020).
That is not just a coincidence, boys and girls.
March 5th, 2026 at 4:06 am
We should get both Hendrickson and Crosby and play a 4-3 w vita and Cancey- need some new LBs
March 5th, 2026 at 4:16 am
A Legitimate Threat for RBs running routes because he will cover them when he drops back in a 3rd and 8 or something.
This Defense needs change in philosophy and mentality not just a change in a couple of faces. This Defense is way to passive, soft and reactive instead of physical and attacking.
March 5th, 2026 at 4:43 am
There was more than just a few of these genius pundits calling this Buccaneer team a legitimate threat 4 months ago. This team, when healthy, was and is, a legitimate threat. Draft Rodriguez and he’ll be the leader of this defense by midway through the season and with a little luck on the injury front, I’d hate to have to beat the Bucs on any given Sunday.
March 5th, 2026 at 4:45 am
This defense, this team is more than just one edge rusher away from being a SB contender. Anyone who says it is, has no clue what they’re talking about. When we won the SB we had two beasts in the middle, Vea, and Suh. We had David in his prime, and White who happened to be playing the best football of his career during that run. We also had a real head coach in Arians, with Tom Brady as our QB. We have none of that now. One edge does not a SB make . Just ask Cleveland, and Green Bay.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:15 am
Adding Devin White as a rotational outside linebacker still makes sense to me.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:20 am
He WAS a good pass rusher. I had to move to southwestern Ohio in 2020 to help with my Mom during covid so I was able to watch him play for the past few years regularly. Teams were able to run against him so I always felt he was just a one trick pony. Last season he sat out training camp practices due to a contract dispute. (still had a year left on his contract but felt he deserved more money than he signed for and whined to the local media about it) When they finally reached an agreement he only played in 5 games before he was injured. The best ability is availability and at 32 years old, coming off an injury, he just isn’t worth the risk. Pass.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:28 am
TDTB Says:
March 5th, 2026 at 5:15 am
Adding Devin White as a rotational outside linebacker still makes sense to me.
^^^^^^^^^^
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, good one!
March 5th, 2026 at 5:32 am
Add a DT, A DE, 2 ILB’s and a TE in the draft and you do have a Super Bowl contender.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:36 am
I’m against this.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:38 am
You run a 3-4 primarily for 2 reasons. 1. You have a great, monstrous nose tackle. 2. You have 4 great linebackers. Without both of those things, it’s really hard to run a 3-4. Let’s hope we leave the draft checking all these boxes for number 2. It wouldn’t hurt having another #1 too.
March 5th, 2026 at 5:43 am
Joe got jokes today, hilarious. Keep kissing coach Bowels(miss-spelling on purpose) kister.
March 5th, 2026 at 6:01 am
Once upon a time…as recent as a year ago…I was all for this. Now…the situation is a lot like Reddick’s situation with the Jets before he cashed in with a Licht loaded $14 million deal. How’d that go again? The Bucs could do worse of course…but the 20+million per season contract he wants is awfully rich for a guy on the back nine of his career.
March 5th, 2026 at 6:11 am
between him and lavonte bucs should be able to cover bijan coming out of backfield on a wheel route
March 5th, 2026 at 6:23 am
And we don’t have to give up draft capital to land him? Pay him, we’ll figure out the cap a couple of seasons from now. Get another vet, hell, Reddick on the cheap, add him to the rotation, and this line already looking better.
This coaching staff, to include Baker are at a cross-roads, the NFC is for the taking, there’s nothing special about it, Licht needs to gamble a bit, waiting for a Brady scenario to happen to move all those chips in, isn’t coming. Let’s make the run now.
March 5th, 2026 at 6:26 am
It’s a buyer beware deal with Hendrickson. Yeah he’s had production BUT key word is HAD. If the salary structure is right then yeah take a test drive but it’s not just 1 guy that get’s it done. Crosby beats his guy but who else do the Raiders have? Has it translated to more wins? When the Bucs were cooking it was at least 5 guys that were playing off each other. Suh in the middle, JPP, who really took off when we got Shaq, David and White as linebackers and Vita came back cause he missed all season. I wouldn’t trade any picks for Crosby coming off an injury. I would rather trade a 1 and this years 1 to move up in this years draft than do that, get a really good young player on a 5 year deal. FA can help this team out, especially in the LB room. IF they make the right moves this D can become really good but it isn’t just 1 guy gonna do it. Hendrickson could help. A lot, but he isn’t the whole answer.
March 5th, 2026 at 7:14 am
I learned from reading this fine website that pass rushers all decline significantly at age 31….checks Hendrickson’s age…31 years old. Bucs aren’t going to touch him.
March 5th, 2026 at 7:17 am
Joe completely and totally agrees. You only need to look at the history of the Bucs to see what a ferocious edge rusher means for this team.
———————————————
Come on Joe! You SERIOUSLY believe that just the simple addition of Trey Hendrickson takes the Bucs from pretenders to contenders? If you truly believe that my estimation of you has plummeted. 🙁
March 5th, 2026 at 7:22 am
Off topic…so all apologies. Semi-shocking news that Sean Tucker was not tendered…making him a free agent. Curious indeed…
March 5th, 2026 at 7:24 am
We need every pass rusher we can get, draft one, sign a young one, sign an old one, bring em all in. We need pressure with the front four.
March 5th, 2026 at 7:27 am
I think we should give Devin White a second chance. He was second in the league in tackles last year
March 5th, 2026 at 7:29 am
No one player can turn this team into a contender. A new head coach would have a much better chance. Besides, can this guy cover wide receivers? No?? Bowlzo won’t put him in.
March 5th, 2026 at 7:30 am
I needed a laugh.
March 5th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Bucs are never going to be a legitimate threat in the NFC as long as Bowles is the head coach. He’s too content winning games 14-13. And yes we beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl but everyone forget the tyrek hill peace out game where he had almost 300 yards by halftime. Bowles is a dinosaur
March 5th, 2026 at 7:58 am
ATLBuc Says:
March 5th, 2026 at 7:27 am
“I think we should give Devin White a second chance. He was second in the league in tackles last year”
Did you watch him play last year — or just picking up on tackle totals and deciding that is the only thing that matters? A real question.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:00 am
Here’s why I pass on Trey Hendrickson: People here last year wanted him and he ended up playing only 5 games.
If anything, we dodged a big mistake last year…and saved picks. He might be a free agent this year, but he’s proven he isn’t a team guy, is coming off injry, and he’s going to think he’s worth more than he is.
Draft 2 edge guys, a guard, a lb and then bpa.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:02 am
Nevermind the fact that we dont have any middle linebackers that can cover the middle of the field, have a 1st round draft pick pass rushing DT that can’t stay healthy, no outside corners that that A) seem capable of covering, and B) can stay healthy…but sure, let’s go sign another version of Hassaan Reddick for big money and cross our fingers that it works out this time.
Adding a pricey edge rusher to a depleted defensive roster is pointless, especially with Bowles running the show. Did everyone suddenly get amnesia and forget last season? Even if the went into this draft and drafted only for need and tried filling roster holes with rookies, there is less than a 0% chance those holes are fixed. Just look at how many of our recent defensive drafted players have developed. Maybe we hit on 1 of 5. That ratio doesnt build a roster.
Bowles brought in one new coach on the defensive staff, the other new guys at their positions are just the understudies to the previous coaches he fired or sent into retirement. The 2026 defense will be run exactly how the 2025 defense was run, only with a few different cost effective rookies and maybe one or two higher priced free agents that will be neutered by the Bowles defensive system. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:24 am
Hodad … ‘this team is more than just one edge rusher away from being a SB contender.’
I can’t believe that Joe wrote that entire article without ONCE mentioning Ndamukong Suh. The REASON that our OLBs feasted in 2020 was because we had an interior DLine that kicked arse, opening up more opportunities for our OLBs AND for our blitzers. Folks easily forget that Vea only gave us 5 games (223 def snaps, 2 sacks & 5 pressures) that season before he went down in Game 5. It was really DT Suh (786 snaps – 6 sacks – 29 pressures), DT/DE Gholston (606 snaps – 3 sacks – 29 pressures), and NT RNR (482 snaps – 0 sacks – 3 pressures) who did the heavy lifting.
Bucs has 48 sacks & 193 pressures that season as a team. We blitzed 542 times. Bucs’ DLine got 13 sacks & 74 pressures, while our 5 OLBs got 20 sacks & 81 pressures. The rest of our team got 15 sacks & 38 pressures.
Bottom line: Even with Vea missing most of the season, our DLine (mostly Suh & Gholston) still produced an excellent pass rush, generated lots of ‘pressure’ and allowed our OLBs & blitzers to feast. And in the process we also had the #1 Run Defense in the NFL. Bucs’ DLine hasn’t come close to generating those types of numbers since Suh wasn’t re-signed. The quality of our DLine has gone down considerably since 2020, and it’s past time to INVEST in 2 more beastly starters/key rotational guys. Logan Hall & Greg Gaines aren’t the answer for the interior DLine, and Calijah Kancey needs to be moved further out to be more effective … and survive.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:28 am
Didn’t Crosby jump on white late last year for loafing or missing an assignment?
These veteran DE’s are a great story, but like other posters have mentioned, 31 is about the end of the road. The Bucs are still in rebuild mode and need WAY more than one player to compete for a SB.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:43 am
White was the 83 WORST linebacker out of 88, nothing has changed about him
March 5th, 2026 at 8:44 am
Orange Republic is not wrong. Problem: Since Bucs can’t develop an edge rusher and the organization (understandably) is not going to pay top of the market dollars for a guy in his prime, then you’re left with rolling the dice on an aging veteran.
Welcome to One Buc Place.
March 5th, 2026 at 8:47 am
Unhealthy infatuation, but I will say if Hendricksons’ camp is stating he’s got interest in playing for us, we should exploit that and lowball him lol
Outside of that, I really don’t get the mystique behind him nor do I think this would be a decision to bring him in any different than the sentiment that made Reddick attractive last offseason. Turns out, the tape we watched to see what we MIGHT be getting is better than what we get.
Honestly, I’d be more excited about bringing Khrysis Tonga in to be 100% honest.