How Todd Bowles Has Improved Bucs’ Pass Rush In 2025

Todd Bowles has become emboldened this year. Provided a secondary that is now firmly in the conversation of elite, he is now leaning into the most creative version of himself. And that has been on display all year.

On the surface it may look like the same Todd Bowles defense of years past. Perhaps an even tamer version. The Bucs’ blitz rate this year is seventh in the NFL at 32.5% per NFL Pro. Compare that with last year when they ranked third at 36.5% and it looks like Bowles’ plan to be less reliant on sending extra rushers is coming to fruition. But while he may be sending heat less often, it’s at a cranked-up temperature.

Bucs’ Blitz Packages Are More Effective In 2025

Last year the Buccaneers generated pressure 43.8% of the time when they blitzed. And they secured a sack on 8.5% of those snaps. It was an effective strategy as opposing quarterbacks averaged -0.05 EPA/pass when they did get the ball out. This year, the Bucs are getting so much more out of their blitz packages. They lead the league in pressure when sending more than four rushers at 52.3%. Their sack rate is about the same at 8.4% but quarterbacks are averaging -0.13 EPA/pass.

What’s changed to create such a difference? The answer is two-fold.

Improved Personnel

The Bucs have upgraded the talent on the defense in key areas. Outside linebacker Haason Reddick has been a considerable upgrade over Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Pro Football Focus has Reddick’s pass rush win rate at 14.8% this year vs. JTS’ 8.9% last year.

For all of his struggles in pass coverage, SirVocea Dennis is a better blitzer than his predecessor K.J. Britt. Britt only created pressure on 13.0% of his pass rushes last year, totaling just half a sack. Contrast that with Dennis’ 23.9% pressure rate and two sacks this year in just under half the games.

And having Jacob Parrish in the slot and Tykee Smith at safety is a significant upgrade over Smith in the slot with Jordan Whitehead at safety. Smith and Parrish have gotten to quarterbacks for sacks or hits five times this year on just 38 attempts (13% contact rate). Juxtapose that with last year’s duo who recorded just four such plays in 95 tries (4.2%). The common theme is improved athleticism. Specifically, all of these players drive downhill with suddenness better than their predecessors.

Parrish, Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr. all rank in the top 20 of all defensive backs in number of pass rushes. All three rank in the top 15 in pressures. And Parrish and Smith are tied atop the leaderboard in sacks by way of Pro Football Focus’ way of measuring the stat.

Increased Creativity

Beyond the improvement in talent – or perhaps because of it – Bowles is getting more aggressive in how he brings pressure. Last year, 88% of his blitzes were of a standard five-man variety per Sports Information Solutions. His six-man blitzes comprised 10% of those plays. And heavy blitzes (seven or more rushers) were just 2% of those attempts.

This year those numbers are vastly different. The five-man pressures are down to 71% while six-man rushes are up to 20% and overloads are 9%.  The results speak for themselves.

But the creativity doesn’t stop with the extra rushers. Tampa Bay’s defense is pressuring quarterbacks and generating sacks at a higher rate when sending just four pass rushers. I’m sure this conjures up thoughts of a traditional four-man rush winning one-on-one. And while that is true, Bowles gets to four-man rushes in non-traditional ways via sim pressures. And those are also working extremely well. The mere threat of a Todd Bowles blitz is creating misfires with protection plans and allowing unblocked pressures/sacks happen at a fantastic clip.

Keeping Up The Pressure

The days of four-down-and-go football are mostly in the rear-view mirror. There are so few defensive fronts that can live that way these days. Bowles wasn’t wrong to say he needed to improve his four-man pass rush, but that’s only because he was so far on the other side of that teeter-totter he needed to balance out. Haason Reddick has helped with that. Yaya Diaby continues to ascend in year three.

Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was similarly putting it all together before a torn pectoral ended his season abruptly. The Bucs have been able to replace some of his pressure with rookie Elijah Roberts, the team’s fifth-round pick. But it is Bowles who has the Bucs on pace for 53 sacks this season while ranking third in pressures.

His ability to find non-traditional paths for his second-level defenders while mixing in stunts, loops and waves is creating chaos in the best way. And with a secondary that can hold up and force quarterbacks to hold on to the ball just a hair longer, it is all coming together for a defense that now ranks seventh in EPA/play and looks to be only getting better.

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