Buccaneers’ gamble with talented rookie backfires and Jason Licht has to watch his undrafted gem sign with another NFL team
The Buccaneers rolled the dice on Jack Pyburn when they cut him from the team and now he’s signed elsewhere in the NFL.
There’s always some level of gambling involved when it comes to NFL roster cuts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just lost out on talented UDFA rookie EDGE Jack Pyburn.
That’s because per the NFL waiver claim release, Pyburn has been scooped up by the Kansas City Chiefs. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Pyburn informed LSU he intends to say in the NFL, so he’ll definitely suit up for the Chiefs, to an extent.
Per Pro Football Focus, Pyburn led the Buccaneers with 4.0 sacks during the preseason and that was also good enough to tie for first place among all NFL EDGE defenders that played a snap in the preseason.
His 21.4% pass rush productivity score against true pass sets also led the 37 qualifying pass rushers with at least 52 pass rush snaps during the preseason. His 23.8% win rate ranked ninth and if you’re into PFF grades, his 73.1 pass rush grade against true pass sets ranked 10th.
In other words: Pyburn had a very strong preseason and it makes total sense why another team picked him up off the waiver wire. To put it into even more context, the Chiefs were ninth in line when it comes to the wire, so Pyburn ultimately finished as a top-10 claim.
Therefore, the Buccaneers’ chances of getting him back on the practice squad were never very good. The league obviously liked what it saw from the former LSU Tiger and decided to act fast.
The Buccaneers are still in good shape without Jack Pyburn
Yea, this one stings a bit, but the Buccaneers still have a very deep and very good pass rush rotation on paper.
The quintet of Rueben Bain Jr., Yaya Diaby, Al-Quadin Muhammad, David Walker, and Anthony Nelson is about as good as it gets and can be even better if everyone stays healthy and lives up to expectations.
As a matter of fact, Bain Jr. is currently the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at +470 odds, with the next closest player in David Bailey at +500. Bain Jr.’s currently dealing with an AC sprain in his shoulder, but it’s considered minor and he should be more than ready to go by Week 1.
So, while it’s never fun to miss out on a promising player, the Buccaneers are still in a very good spot and will likely add another talented player at EDGE on the practice squad.
It just won’t be Pyburn.
