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By Keagan Stiefel
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t exactly strike fear into the heart of opposing quarterbacks in 2025.
YaYa Diaby (7.0) led the way for a group that finished middle of the pack in sacks last season, with his closest cohorts being Vita Vea (4.5), who formally requested a trade before the start of training camp, and Lavonte David (3.5), who retired this offseason.
SirVocea Dennis (3.0), Anthony Nelson (3.0), Tykee Smith (2.0), and Elijah Roberts (2.0) will all return to the fold, but they can’t be relied upon to take a significant step forward in 2026. Rueben Bain Jr. and Mo Kamara should help out, but they’re young players who shouldn’t be asked to lead the way for an underwhelming pass-rush.
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It’ll be much more fair when they ask someone like defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad:
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EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 250lbs
Age: 31
Contract: 1yr, $6M
2025: 17 G, 11.0 SK, 9.0 TFL, 25 TKL, 20 QBH
Muhammad isn’t exactly a proven commodity, but he sure as hell made an impression last season with the Detroit Lions.
Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, and D.J. Reed made the headlines for that defense, but the veteran finally had his coming out party after some middling years with the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears. It’ll be quite difficult for him to take another step forward, but he’ll have the chance to do that in Tampa Bay.
Muhammad’s natural talents should be showcased alongside Vea, Diaby, and Bain, as he’ll draw considerably favorable matchups against opposing offenses and will get to feast against underwhelming offensive line units in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers are starting two backups at offensive tackle, one of which is a rookie and the other of which is a newcomer. The Atlanta Falcons are starting five guys in their 30s. The New Orleans Saints are fine but certainly won’t knock anyone's socks off.
It’s a good situation to be in…
If he can take advantage, there’s reason to believe the overall defense will take a step forward and he’ll be in line for another payday. If he can’t, this might be the last rodeo for the the veteran pass-rush specialist.
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