The Buccaneers’ effort to re-shape their defensive line included a surprise trade for defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. And then the Bucs got a surprise when JPP decided to not show up for the team’s non-mandatory OTA sessions.
“When JPP first told me he wasn’t going to be at the first part of OTAs, he said, ‘Coach, I’ve been doing this a long time; there’s only so many things a defensive end has to do,’” Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter recently said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Pierre-Paul then showed up for the team’s mandatory minicamp, and he showed everyone what he can do.
“I think he’s done a good job,” Koetter said of Pierre-Paul. “You can tell. We all know who he is from afar but when he gets here, he’s a big man and he’s long, 280 pounds. He plays the run a lot better than people think he does, so he’s going to be fine.”
Pierre-Paul has at times been dominant, even after losing one finger and part of another in a fireworks mishap three years ago. The Giants rewarded him with a long-term deal after the 2016 season, but they shipped the contract to the Buccaneers in a move that raised eyebrows throughout the league. If Pierre-Paul can perform at a high level, the Tampa Bay defense will improve as well (it can’t get much worse than it was last year), and the Buccaneers could be on their way toward finally turning things around.
