The Buccaneers didn’t have an open spot on their starting lineup for first-round pick Joe Tryon. But head coach Bruce Arians has said that Tryon will still have a role on the team’s defense as a rookie.
But based on Jason Pierre-Paul’s Friday comments, it seems like Tryon could force Tampa Bay into getting him on the field.
“Joe is going to be amazing,” Pierre-Paul said, via quotes distributed by the team. “He’s doing stuff that I’m looking at and thinking, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve known that when I was a rookie.’ He’s doing amazing stuff out there. Me and [Shaq Barrett] were just talking about him on the sideline while watching him go at it with the tools. I told Shaq, ‘He’s going to be the difference maker for us.’ He’s been moving since day one when he got here. From there to now, he’s been moving tremendously. He just has to stay on his feet. I had that problem myself.”
Tryon elected to opt-out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in his first two collegiate seasons, he recorded 9.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 25 games over two seasons.