Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, a leader up front for the NFL’s No. 1 run defense, is close to a one-year deal to return to the Super Bowl champs, who continue to keep their championship roster intact for 2021.
Suh, 34, had a strong year even when linemate Vita Vea was injured, finishing with six sacks, his highest total since 2015, and 19 quarterback hits, one off the team high. He got his first championship ring in his 11th NFL season and now goes for another as the Bucs try to be the league’s first repeat champs since 2004.
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How he fits
Suh is the veteran leader on the Bucs’ defensive front, which has ranked No. 1 against the run in both of his seasons in Tampa. He’s the third key part of the front seven to re-sign for 2021, following outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and inside linebacker Lavonte David, as central figures in a defense that played a huge role in the Bucs’ four postseason wins, especially in beating the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
2021 impact
Suh had expressed an interest in returning for another season. In the past year, he’s gotten married, with twins due this month, so the continuity of staying in Tampa for a third year makes sense on a personal level. The Bucs spent 15 weeks without Vea after he fractured his ankle, so the defensive line could be even better in 2021 with him healthy and top backup Rakeem Nunez-Roches also re-signed. In all, the Bucs have the top 13 tacklers back from the Super Bowl defense for the upcoming season.
Draft impact
Having Suh back makes the defensive line less of an immediate need, but defensive line and outside linebacker are both positions where the Bucs don’t have many young rising stars to eventually take over. Our beat-writer mock draft had the Bucs even trading up 10 spots to get Alabama’s Christian Barmore, widely recognized as the best defensive lineman in the draft. Vea is in the final year of his rookie contract and can play at a reasonable rate in 2022 on his fifth-year option, but it’s still important to continue to add young talent to the position.
Cap update
The Bucs had used up all of their available cap space before a deal was struck Wednesday to extend tackle Donovan Smith for two more years, freeing up about $10.4 million in cap flexibility. How much of that will be eaten up by Suh depends on whether his new deal — reportedly a slight raise to $9 million for one year — is diluted with voidable years on the contract, something the Bucs have done on most of their new deals this spring with a limited cap and expectations of an increase in 2022. A minimum base salary and splitting the bonus over three years would have Suh’s cap number at about $3.7 million for 2021. That would still allow for new deals to re-sign running back Leonard Fournette, receiver Antonio Brown and other lesser free agents.
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Outlook
Suh was the last piece of the Super Bowl defense to bring back, and at his age, there will be some inevitable decline, but the Bucs didn’t really see that in 2020. He’s still creating pressure and getting to the quarterback as well as he has in five years or more. His return solidifies Tampa Bay as a team to beat, in the NFC if not the NFL. The Bucs will enter 2021 with every expectation of winning the NFC South, and that will give them an easier path in the playoffs, with home games if not a first-round bye as they seek another Super Bowl.
Grade
Sheil Kapadia gives this move a B.
(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)