Bucs Re-Sign Pass Rusher

Nelson rejoins the Bucs not long after his former teammate Joe Tryon-Shoyinka signed with the Browns. The outside linebacker room now consists of Yaya Diaby, new signee Haason Reddick, Chris Braswell and Anthony Nelson along with Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez. It’s the second time that Nelson has re-signed with Tampa Bay.

Anthony Nelson’s History With Bucs

Nelson has spent six years in Tampa Bay after they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent his first three years with the Bucs rotating in as the team’s fourth outside linebacker. Over that time, he accumulated 48 tackles, nine for a loss, 5.0 sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

His second season with the Bucs he was a part of the critical four-man pass rush that terrorized Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Nelson recorded two pressures on just 16 pass rushes as the Bucs defense pressured Mahomes 31 times and sacked him thrice on their way to Tampa Bay’s second Lombardi Trophy. That gameplan would become the blueprint to a league-wide shift that began in 2021 in an effort to slow down Mahomes and other big-play hunting quarterbacks around the league. It was also extremely similar to how the Eagles just beat Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.

After Shaq Barrett suffered a torn Achilles tendon midway through the 2022 season Nelson saw extended action. That year he set a career high with 5.5 sacks and 46 tackles. Nelson’s sack numbers were slightly misleading as he had an unsustainably high pressure-to-sack conversion rate. Still the Bucs liked a lot more than just back-to-back seasons of career-high sacks. His work ethic and run defense were other factors that led the team to re-signing him to a two-year, $11 million contract that would keep him in Tampa Bay through 2024.

These past two seasons Nelson has seen increased snap counts as he has primarily played in a time share with 2021 first round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. He has contributed 49 pressures and seven sacks along with his workman-like work ethic. That never-say-quit attitude helped Nelson deliver a critical win for the Bucs late in the 2024 season when he forced a fumble in overtime that led to a Bucs turnover and eventually the game winning score.

For his career, Nelson has 174 tackles, 26 for a loss, 18.5 sacks, five passes defensed, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. The Bucs have a couple of options now with outside linebacker. With the signing of Reddick, presumably the Bucs have two starters in place having Yaya Diaby and Reddick. Nelson gives flexibility and depth as someone who can start if need be but also is used to a rotational role. The big questions is what type of development Chris Braswell has after not being much of a factor in his rookie year.

It still opens the door for the Bucs to sign another edge rusher in free agency or select one in the NFL Draft. Anthony Nelson becomes the fourth Buc to re-sign this offseason along with Lavonte David, Chris Godwin, Kaevon Merriweather and Ben Bredeson. The Bucs have also two new signings and likely more coming up during free agency.