Welcome Chris Braswell

[Grahamburn]

What exactly is the argument then? That Braswell is better than he's shown himself to be?

You and Al calling him a bust after 7 games. Just saying tap the brakes. Give him some time to develop similarly to some other players this team has drafted that may have started slowly.

[Bootz]

What exactly is the argument then? That Braswell is better than he's shown himself to be?

That he's a rookie who has shown very little so far, but also doesn't need to be labelled a complete bust after a handful of games.

And that getting juked by Lamar is not some terrible thing.

I don't think he's a bust. I think he is what he is. Anyone saying he's a bust for that reason had way too high expectations of him to begin with.

I view him as a continuation of Anthony Nelson. He's not that good, likely won't be that good either. The floor is low and the ceiling isn't much higher.

[Backside]

That he's a rookie who has shown very little so far, but also doesn't need to be labelled a complete bust after a handful of games.

And that getting juked by Lamar is not some terrible thing.

I don't think he's a bust. I think he is what he is. Anyone saying he's a bust for that reason had way too high expectations of him to begin with.

I view him as a continuation of Anthony Nelson. He's not that good, likely won't be that good either. The floor is low and the ceiling isn't much higher.

Alright, the original comparison was Noah Spence who I would certainly consider a bust.

Anthony Nelson 2.0 is fine, idk if he's even earned that projection yet.

[Grahamburn]

I don't think he's a bust. I think he is what he is. Anyone saying he's a bust for that reason had way too high expectations of him to begin with.

I view him as a continuation of Anthony Nelson. He's not that good, likely won't be that good either. The floor is low and the ceiling isn't much higher.

Alright, the original comparison was Noah Spence who I would certainly consider a bust.

Anthony Nelson 2.0 is fine, idk if he's even earned that projection yet.

I'd think they want him to ascend a bit more than AN, but wouldn't we be relatively satisfied with that career arc? ~5 sacks a season. Always available.

Hell, Spence was good his rookie year. He disappeared after that.

[Bootz]

I don't think he's a bust. I think he is what he is. Anyone saying he's a bust for that reason had way too high expectations of him to begin with.

I view him as a continuation of Anthony Nelson. He's not that good, likely won't be that good either. The floor is low and the ceiling isn't much higher.

Alright, the original comparison was Noah Spence who I would certainly consider a bust.

Anthony Nelson 2.0 is fine, idk if he's even earned that projection yet.

I made the Spence comparison because of the expectations. Remember Spence was supposed to be a double digit sack guy for us if you asked that old board. Nelson is ultimately what I see him being. Nelson isn't that bad but nobody is game planning for him. He'll make a play once every few weeks but ultimately if he's starting or playing a lot that's not good for your defense.

[Bootz]

Alright, the original comparison was Noah Spence who I would certainly consider a bust.

Anthony Nelson 2.0 is fine, idk if he's even earned that projection yet.

I'd think they want him to ascend a bit more than AN, but wouldn't we be relatively satisfied with that career arc? ~5 sacks a season. Always available.

Hell, Spence was good his rookie year. He disappeared after that.

Relatively satisfied? With a very low bar and expectation? If that's satisfying then I'd say bad results shouldn't be a surprise.

Pass rush is by far our biggest weakness. We don't have a consistent threat off the edge and our group of edge rushers as a unit are subpar. We need an overhaul IMO. I'd keep Yaya, but he's best suited to be a situational guy and not a starter.

[Grahamburn]

I'd think they want him to ascend a bit more than AN, but wouldn't we be relatively satisfied with that career arc? ~5 sacks a season. Always available.

Hell, Spence was good his rookie year. He disappeared after that.

Relatively satisfied? With a very low bar and expectation? If that's satisfying then I'd say bad results shouldn't be a surprise.

Pass rush is by far our biggest weakness. We don't have a consistent threat off the edge and our group of edge rushers as a unit are subpar. We need an overhaul IMO. I'd keep Yaya, but he's best suited to be a situational guy and not a starter.

He’s a late second round pick. Yeah, you want more, but your consistent 10+ sack guys are high end first rounders.

Latu has two sacks. Dallas Turner has one sack. Things take time, man.

[Bootz]

Relatively satisfied? With a very low bar and expectation? If that's satisfying then I'd say bad results shouldn't be a surprise.

Pass rush is by far our biggest weakness. We don't have a consistent threat off the edge and our group of edge rushers as a unit are subpar. We need an overhaul IMO. I'd keep Yaya, but he's best suited to be a situational guy and not a starter.

He’s a late second round pick. Yeah, you want more, but your consistent 10+ sack guys are high end first rounders.

Latu has two sacks. Dallas Turner has one sack. Things take time, man.

Both of those guys have higher ceilings. We discussed this before, Braswell IMO doesn't have a high ceiling. He's not that good. You believe that any player we draft has the potential to pan out. That's not the case. I dont see Braswell becoming much more than he is now.

[Cheb]

What exactly is the argument then? That Braswell is better than he's shown himself to be?

Speaking personally, it doesn't bother me that Braswell got embarrassed by Lamar Jackson. Lamar is a two-time (soon to be three-time?) league MVP, and he makes professional defenders look silly every week.

What I like to see from highly drafted rookies is not necessarily dominant play from the start. That can happen, but even with high draft picks it's rare, even moreso for those who were drafted later. What I want to see is flashes of elite play, clues to the player he can become. He may not look great in every snap, probably going to screw up plenty, but you want to see a flash of dominant play at least sometimes to remind you why you picked the man in the first place.

It bothers me that Braswell hasn't flashed, at least to my eyes. I've never been watching a Bucs game and thought, wow, that was an awesome play, great rush or great tackle or block shed or whatever, what a stud, who is that making that play, #43 Braswell, that's great! He has looked average in games in both phases. Yeah, he got half a sack as a part of a larger collective, splitting it with someone during the New Orleans game, but that was a party at the QB as I recall. Not to be dismissive, but who cares?

I am not going to stick a fork in him yet, but his play thus far hasn't been great. Braswell is cheap and he's going to be here for the foreseeable future; drafted defenders generally play out their contracts as cheap depth if nothing else.

We will see what happens.

[Doctor]

He’s a late second round pick. Yeah, you want more, but your consistent 10+ sack guys are high end first rounders.

Latu has two sacks. Dallas Turner has one sack. Things take time, man.

Both of those guys have higher ceilings. We discussed this before, Braswell IMO doesn't have a high ceiling. He's not that good. You believe that any player we draft has the potential to pan out. That's not the case. I dont see Braswell becoming much more than he is now.

So if you believe the player has a higher ceiling you're okay with a slower start, but if he has a lower ceiling you require success sooner.

That makes sense.

[mdb1958]

Both of those guys have higher ceilings. We discussed this before, Braswell IMO doesn't have a high ceiling. He's not that good. You believe that any player we draft has the potential to pan out. That's not the case. I dont see Braswell becoming much more than he is now.

So if you believe the player has a higher ceiling you're okay with a slower start, but if he has a lower ceiling you require success sooner.

That makes sense.

Could be as simple as so few are ready.

[Four Verticals]

What exactly is the argument then? That Braswell is better than he's shown himself to be?

Speaking personally, it doesn't bother me that Braswell got embarrassed by Lamar Jackson. Lamar is a two-time (soon to be three-time?) league MVP, and he makes professional defenders look silly every week.

What I like to see from highly drafted rookies is not necessarily dominant play from the start. That can happen, but even with high draft picks it's rare, even moreso for those who were drafted later. What I want to see is flashes of elite play, clues to the player he can become. He may not look great in every snap, probably going to screw up plenty, but you want to see a flash of dominant play at least sometimes to remind you why you picked the man in the first place.

It bothers me that Braswell hasn't flashed, at least to my eyes. I've never been watching a Bucs game and thought, wow, that was an awesome play, great rush or great tackle or block shed or whatever, what a stud, who is that making that play, #43 Braswell, that's great! He has looked average in games in both phases. Yeah, he got half a sack as a part of a larger collective, splitting it with someone during the New Orleans game, but that was a party at the QB as I recall. Not to be dismissive, but who cares?

I am not going to stick a fork in him yet, but his play thus far hasn't been great. Braswell is cheap and he's going to be here for the foreseeable future; drafted defenders generally play out their contracts as cheap depth if nothing else.

We will see what happens.

His pre draft and post draft "highlights" I thought were similar. Nothing was a wow.....and those were the highlights.

[Al Bundy]

Another game, another nothing from this waste of a draft pick.

[Bootz]

I wasn't impressed from what I saw or read. Don't see YaYa. Think a little further back...I see Noah Spence.

Yup

[__Chef__]

I wasn't impressed from what I saw or read. Don't see YaYa. Think a little further back...I see Noah Spence.

Yup

One caveat to this ... I'm not saying I've seen anything great from Braswell, or that he will become great, but ... when teams need to account for pressure across the board, even average guys start to look great. I was reminded of this watching the old Bucs Superbowl the other night. Ellis Wyms was a 6th round 2nd year player causing havoc all over the place. Spires 3rd Rounder on his 3rd team, havoc all over the place.

Why? Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice.

If Reddick can come in looking anything like his old self playing for his payday, we might have something.

[Bootz]

Yup

One caveat to this ... I'm not saying I've seen anything great from Braswell, or that he will become great, but ... when teams need to account for pressure across the board, even average guys start to look great. I was reminded of this watching the old Bucs Superbowl the other night. Ellis Wyms was a 6th round 2nd year player causing havoc all over the place. Spires 3rd Rounder on his 3rd team, havoc all over the place.

Why? Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice.

If Reddick can come in looking anything like his old self playing for his payday, we might have something.

No team is going to account for Reddick in anything close to the same manner teams did so against Sapp by himself. Let alone Sapp AND Rice. This is a huge reach.

Also we don't even have to compare Sapp/Rice. Just look at Reddick during those years when he was "his old self". Did teams have to account for him then in such a manner that he elevated those around him?

[__Chef__]

No team is going to account for Reddick in anything close to the same manner teams did so against Sapp by himself. Let alone Sapp AND Rice. This is a huge reach.

I'm not comparing so much as showing possibilities and knock-on effects elite DL players can have on the rest of the DL.

If I were JL, I'd have made a deal to get Myles Garrett. Paired up with Vea, Kancey and Diaby, we'd have something.

As is with Reddick, we might have something.

[Grahamburn]

I wasn't impressed from what I saw or read. Don't see YaYa. Think a little further back...I see Noah Spence.

Yup

You’re going to make this mistake again? Yup.

[Bootz]

Yup

You’re going to make this mistake again? Yup.

Which mistake is that?

[Grahamburn]

You’re going to make this mistake again? Yup.

Which mistake is that?

Writing a guy off as a bust after their rookie season.

[Bootz]

Which mistake is that?

Writing a guy off as a bust after their rookie season.

Well do you have a reason to believe he'll become something other than "Its happened with other players before"? That seems to be the only basis you ever stand on.

[Grahamburn]

Writing a guy off as a bust after their rookie season.

Well do you have a reason to believe he'll become something other than "Its happened with other players before"? That seems to be the only basis you ever stand on.

Draft pedigree. Athleticism. Work ethic. Production in the SEC. Generally EDGE rushers take some time to develop in the NFL.

We need to see more from him. I agree with you there. Just think it’s premature to write him off as a bust.

Dallas Turner didn’t do much either. Are the Vikings giving up on him?

[BucsNBills]

With the JTS experiment over, Braswell will have more opportunities to earn playtime. I'm confident he'll seize the opportunity and make his presence felt.

IMO we're going to have a pretty sick rotation of Diaby, Riddick, Braswell, and Walker.

[Bootz]

Well do you have a reason to believe he'll become something other than "Its happened with other players before"? That seems to be the only basis you ever stand on.

Draft pedigree. Athleticism. Work ethic. Production in the SEC. Generally EDGE rushers take some time to develop in the NFL.

We need to see more from him. I agree with you there. Just think it’s premature to write him off as a bust.

Dallas Turner didn’t do much either. Are the Vikings giving up on him?

Draft profile literally just means when a team selected you. Has nothing to do with performance on the field. Athleticism, we didn't see much. Work ethic, I'd say anyone who makes it to the NFL has good work ethic. Production in college doesn't mean as much. Think about it this way: Everyone you play against in the NFL went to college. Not everyone you play against in college will make it to the NFL.

EDGE rushers do not generally take long to develop. In fact, the reason you typically see so many pass rushers get taken sooner is because for the most part they are able to be productive a lot sooner than most positions.

Dallas Turner played fewer games and snaps than Braswell and still had better production. Should tell you something.

[Grahamburn]

Are the Giants giving up on Thibodeaux?

[Bootz]

Are the Giants giving up on Thibodeaux?

They just picked up his 2026 option on Thursday.

[Grahamburn]

Draft pedigree. Athleticism. Work ethic. Production in the SEC. Generally EDGE rushers take some time to develop in the NFL.

We need to see more from him. I agree with you there. Just think it’s premature to write him off as a bust.

Dallas Turner didn’t do much either. Are the Vikings giving up on him?

Draft profile literally just means when a team selected you. Has nothing to do with performance on the field. Athleticism, we didn't see much. Work ethic, I'd say anyone who makes it to the NFL has good work ethic. Production in college doesn't mean as much. Think about it this way: Everyone you play against in the NFL went to college. Not everyone you play against in college will make it to the NFL.

EDGE rushers do not generally take long to develop. In fact, the reason you typically see so many pass rushers get taken sooner is because for the most part they are able to be productive a lot sooner than most positions.

Dallas Turner played fewer games and snaps than Braswell and still had better production. Should tell you something.

The higher you’re drafted the more likely you are to be successful and that bears out in the numbers. I mean his football character in terms of work ethic to get better. Some guys are content. I don’t think Braswell will be.

Turner was a top 15 pick and still needed the year to get his feet wet. 1 less game and 29 fewer total snaps. Why use something so disingenuous to make some arbitrary point? That doesn’t tell me much of anything actually.

[Grahamburn]

Are the Giants giving up on Thibodeaux?

They just picked up his 2026 option on Thursday.

It was rhetorical.

[Bootz]

They just picked up his 2026 option on Thursday.

It was rhetorical.

What does that have to do with this? He’s been very productive for the Giants.

[Bootz]

Draft profile literally just means when a team selected you. Has nothing to do with performance on the field. Athleticism, we didn't see much. Work ethic, I'd say anyone who makes it to the NFL has good work ethic. Production in college doesn't mean as much. Think about it this way: Everyone you play against in the NFL went to college. Not everyone you play against in college will make it to the NFL.

EDGE rushers do not generally take long to develop. In fact, the reason you typically see so many pass rushers get taken sooner is because for the most part they are able to be productive a lot sooner than most positions.

Dallas Turner played fewer games and snaps than Braswell and still had better production. Should tell you something.

The higher you’re drafted the more likely you are to be successful and that bears out in the numbers. I mean his football character in terms of work ethic to get better. Some guys are content. I don’t think Braswell will be.

Turner was a top 15 pick and still needed the year to get his feet wet. 1 less game and 29 fewer total snaps. Why use something so disingenuous to make some arbitrary point? That doesn’t tell me much of anything actually.

You don’t know Braswell’s work ethic 1 way or another.

Turner was picked 17th and the Vikings have a very good pair of starting edge rushers in Van Ginkle and Greenard. So Turner wasn’t needed as much. Also you brought him up, so there is that.

[Doctor]

With the JTS experiment over, Braswell will have more opportunities to earn playtime. I'm confident he'll seize the opportunity and make his presence felt.

IMO we're going to have a pretty sick rotation of Diaby, Riddick, Braswell, and Walker.

Don't forget camp sweethearts Watts and Ramirez who the staff still love even after getting IRed early last year.

GD our depth got wrecked last season...

[Bootz]

So let's summarize.

Reddick is going to deliver. Yaya is going to rebound and deliver productive snaps. And Braswell. And Walker. And Watts. And Ramirez. What about Anthony Nelson, who's making more than everyone except Reddick?

[Sdbucs]

So let's summarize.

Reddick is going to deliver. Yaya is going to rebound and deliver productive snaps. And Braswell. And Walker. And Watts. And Ramirez. What about Anthony Nelson, who's making more than everyone except Reddick?

YaYa was the #15 PFF rated pass rushing edge. It’s not super star status but at least he was in the top half of the league, so I don’t really get the “rebound” narrative. Just has room for improvement off a decent season.

We basically just need 1 other edge/olb to be productive with the pass rush this season and we’re in an OK spot.

For a third round pick he’s exceeded expectations.

[Backside]

Braswell showed very little last year.

Also very early for a victory lap celebrating a second year EDGE player being a bust.

[Bootz]

Braswell showed very little last year.

Also very early for a victory lap celebrating a second year EDGE player being a bust.

I only refer to players as "busts" if I had any type of expectations for them. I had none for him.