Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Top 5 offseason additions, post 2018 NFL Draft

1. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE (from New York Giants)

And three times will make a charm. Yes once again, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive line is the focal point here when it comes to the team’s best offseason additions. And the trade for veteran pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul was it significant move buy an organization looking to get back on the map when it came to chasing down opposing quarterbacks.

The 15th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the New York Giants, Pierre-Paul was part of a Super Bowl championship team in the second season in the league. That year in a reserve role, he finished with 22 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Over the next four years, he was one of the NFL’s better pass rushers — totaling a combined 37.5 sacks in 59 contests from 2011-14. That was complimented by two interceptions, six forced fumbles, 22 pass3es defensed and two fumble recoveries.

But in the summer of 2015, he was injured in a fireworks accident. He would be limited to just eight games that year. But slowly but surely he began to regain his pass-rushing form, totaling seven QB traps in 2016 and 8.5 sacks this past season. The Bucs gave up a third- and fourth-round pick in April to get the eight-year pro (and a fourth-round selection).

Next: NFL 2018: Ranking all 32 starting RBs

There have been a myriad of additions to the Tampa Bay defensive line. But Pierre-Paul appears to be the icing on the cake for a team that came up with an NFL-low 22 sacks in 2017. And his veteran presence will the key in this group getting off to a fast start this fall.