Bucs outside linebacker Haason Reddick, right, fends off Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts during last Sunday's game in Atlanta. Reddick had a sack and seven quarterback pressures in his Tampa Bay debut.
Bucs outside linebacker Haason Reddick, right, fends off Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts during last Sunday's game in Atlanta. Reddick had a sack and seven quarterback pressures in his Tampa Bay debut.
TAMPA — The Bucs got exactly what they wanted from free-agent pickup Haason Reddick in Week 1: a sack and relentless pressure on the quarterback from a player head coach Todd Bowles moved like a chess piece around the football field.
The outside linebacker lined up in multiple positions across the defensive front and created mismatches for the Falcons offensive line.
Reddick led the Bucs with seven quarterback pressures, tied for fifth most in the league. His 22.6% pressure rate was the second highest by any defender with 30 or more pass rushes.
“He was fast,” outside linebackers coach Larry Foote said. “We know he’s a mismatch for a lot of guys with his speed and his power. I’m impressed, He’s a little man, but he has power. He did a good job, brings juice and energy, and I think guys are feeding off it.”
Reddick, 30, is looking to restore his reputation as one of the league’s best edge rushers after a disruptive 2024 season in which he held out following a trade from the Eagles to the Jets.
He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Bucs in March.
How did Reddick feel during his debut with the Bucs?
“Decent, but there is always room for improvement, which I am looking to do, everybody is looking to do, with this week coming up,” he said. ”It just is (about) improving and being better than we were in Week 1.
“It felt good to just be out there playing football. It seems like we have been waiting a long time for football to get back. Now that we are here, it is just exciting to be out there with the guys, help them fight, have a good time and play ball.”
Shaky return for Dennis
![Bucs inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis had an up-and-down performance in his season debut last Sunday in Atlanta after missing all but four games a year ago due to a shoulder injury.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Bucs inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis had an up-and-down performance in his season debut last Sunday in Atlanta after missing all but four games a year ago due to a shoulder injury.
It took exactly three plays for Bucs linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who played in only four games last season due to a shoulder injury, to feel the game rust last week at Atlanta.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson grabbed a pass in the right flat and caught Dennis flat-footed. He ducked outside and raced 50 yards for a touchdown.
Late in the third quarter, Dennis lost coverage on Robinson when he was caught between rushing the quarterback and making sure the running back didn’t leak out into the flat. The result was a 23-yard completion. Robinson finished with six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
At one point, Bowles took Dennis out of the game for a few plays for Deion Jones.
Bowles said Dennis’ performance was up and down.
“There were some plays he’d like to have back from a mental standpoint,” Bowles said. “Physically, I thought he was very physical, especially in the second half. There were two plays in particular we’d like to have back on defense.
“I mean, it’s the first game out. He’s got a lot on his plate. He does a lot of things for us. We expect him to carry those out. Obviously, he got a little anxious on those. But he’ll calm down the next couple weeks.”
Dennis still finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass defensed.
Homecoming game for Evans
He doesn’t know how many more seasons he has left, so Monday’s game in Houston could be the final time Bucs receiver Mike Evans plays an NFL game in his home state of Texas. Moreover, he’ll be playing about an hour from his hometown of Galveston.
“It might be,” Evans said. “If I play another three or four years, when is the next time we go back? It might be my last time. I’ve got a lot of people coming to the game for that sole reason.”
Evans had a big game two years ago in Houston, catching four passes for 87 yards, including a 53-yarder. The Bucs took a four-point lead with 46 seconds remaining on Cade Otton’s 14-yard touchdown catch. But rookie C.J. Stroud led the Texans back, throwing a 15-yard scoring pass to Tank Dell with six seconds left in a 39-37 Houston win.
“It was like a bittersweet moment,” Evans said. “I thought we had the game won in Houston. I’m seeing all the (No.) 13 jerseys. I see my family in the crowd. I’m like, ‘We’re about to win this game,’ and then someone broke my heart.
“Especially at the end of my career, I’ve been a little more composed. But I was pissed. I was hurting. It hurt. It was one of the worst losses I’ve had in my career. Hopefully, we can get some payback.”
Evans isn’t the only player returning home. Cornerback Zyon McCollum is an alum of Ball High School in Galveston, which Evans also attended.
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