Chris Braswell Has A Really Weird Stat
June 14th, 2025
“Shock” value?
Boy, talk about your small sample size.
But if you are the Bucs, you grab at anything to make an otherwise forgettable, regrettable lack of production and spin it for a positive.
Joe has written all about second-year outside linebacker Chris Braswell, the 2024 second-round pick. Braswell as an edge rusher was about as invisible as one could be.
In fact, Todd Bowles was so desperate for an edge rush last year, the team pulled over-the-hill Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett out of mothballs.
Joe is often one to give rookie edge rushers a pass because they rarely make a big impact. But Braswell only having 1.5 sacks is strikingly low, even by rookie standards. For example, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had four sacks as a rookie. Noah Spence had 5.5 as a rookie. And those guys overall were a waste of time and effort.
JTS and Spence each had a lot more snaps than Braswell as rookies, but there was a reason Braswell wasn’t on the field.
Braswell sure has a steep hill to climb if he wants a second contract with the Bucs in 2028.
As noted above, when something is really bad, folks grasp at straws for any silver lining. So this may be why Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht said he has a hunch Braswell will “shock” people this fall with his play.
Joe assumes Licht meant in a good way.
NextGen Stats listed the top-20 fastest sacks of 2024. “Fastest” meaning from the snap until the quarterback was on the ground. At No. 6 is none other than Braswell with the lone full sack of his career.
The sack came with the Bucs leading the Panthers 48-14 in Week 17. Braswell beat backup Panthers left tackle Yosh Nijman in 2.38 seconds to put down Bryce Young, per NextGen Stats.
If a man can get to the quarterback that quickly, perhaps there’s something to work with.
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