What does Ndamukong Suh bring to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Less than 24 hours after parting ways with a six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers added veteran inside presence Ndamukong Suh.

Perhaps it makes perfect sense; if you are going to add a veteran defensive tackle to your roster, why not replace a third overall pick with the No. 2 selection in the same draft. Back in 2010, the Detroit Lions took Ndamukong Suh right after the Los Angeles Rams used the first overall pick on quarterback Sam Bradford. One selection after Suh, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted for defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

So with the recent release of McCoy by the franchise that he spent nine seasons with, earning Pro Bowl invitations six of those years, comes the news that the Buccaneers are in the process of bringing aboard Suh, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro will be suiting up for his fourth different team and the third in as many years. The 2010 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year spent his first five seasons in the Motor City before leaving for South Florida and big bucks with the Miami Dolphins. That team opted to cut him loose last offseason and he landed in Los Angeles with the Rams, playing a big part in the club’s first NFC title since 2001.

Now the talented defender looks to bolster a defense now in the hands of coordinator Todd Bowles and a Bucs’ team led by head coach Bruce Arians. He joins a defense that has been substandard in recent years. In 2017, the team allowed the most total yards and passing yards in the league. This past season, only five teams allowed more total yards per game and Tampa ranked 24th vs. the run and 26th vs. the pass.

Suh is versatile enough to play inside and outside. And this past season, he spent the year in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense with the Rams. That’s good news for Bowles and Buccaneers. Another positive is his availability. He’s started all 142 regular-season games he’s played and last missed action in 2011 when he served a two-game suspension. He’s the 20th-ranked interior defender as graded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and is 13th at his position against the run.

By all accounts, this appears to be a solid pickup for a Buccaneers’ team looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Suh certainly has his critics but he could bring a different kind of intensity to a defense in need of a jump start in the worst way.