Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett gets some great news ahead of camp
When the Bucs open training camp Wednesday morning, veteran linebacker Shaq Barrett will be ready to go for the first…
When the Bucs open training camp Wednesday morning, veteran linebacker Shaq Barrett will be ready to go for the first time since his Achilles injury in Week 8 last season.
Barrett has passed his physical and will not start camping on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Monday evening.
Barrett attended the Bucs mini-camp in June, but was still getting used to sidefield. When asked during the offseason, head coach Todd Bowles didn’t say much about Barrett’s progress and when they expected him to be back and ready to go.
Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
However, Barrett appeared on the Loose guns podcast earlier this low season and gave more insight into his progress and schedule for a return to the field.
“Mentally, I was in a bad position for a day or two,” Barrett said in April. “Physically I am fine now. I’m doing the rehab. I’m getting better. I’ve been jogging on the treadmill… I pretty much did everything according to plan and on schedule. It may go a bit slower now because we have a lot of time.
“But I’m ready to go — I’ll be ready to go when it’s time to go. I’m pretty sure ‘time to go’ will be the first game. I don’t expect to miss games. I don’t expect to be on any play counts. I should definitely be ready to go for the first game.”
Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
That felt like an ambitious time frame for Barrett at the time, as he tore his Achilles tendon on October 27 last year. But now that he’s passed his physical and will avoid the PUP list to go to training camp, it seems like a realistic expectation.
As Stroud reported, Barrett may be held for some of the contact periods early in camp as he continues to work his way back into football.
But with just under seven weeks until the Bucs begin their regular season against the Vikings in Minnesota, Barrett may be all set to go — and without a quick count, as he said three months ago.
Bucs need Shaq Barrett to get back in shape in 2023
Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
What version of Shaq Barrett the Bucs will get in 2023 remains to be seen. He struggled out of the gate last year, totaling just three sacks before going down with his injury. Now, after an Achilles tendon injury threatens to delay his start, he is heading towards his 31st birthday in November.
Despite the injury and his age, Barrett enters the season as the Bucs’ top pass rusher. Tampa Bay needs him to still be №1, with questions raised over the development of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson’s seemingly defined ceiling, and tempered expectations for rookies Yaya Diaby and Jose Ramirez.
Barrett will need to lead the Bucs’ pass rush if defense is going to be what Bowles needs for the team as a whole.
There is also a financial incentive for Barrett to bounce back in a big way. The Bucs have not restructured the veteran’s deal this offseason to create needed cap space. That ensured that Barrett’s dead cap hit for 2024 would not increase. So, at the very least, they gave themselves an off-season potential.
Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Besides the money, Barrett will certainly want to prove he is still the player he was from 2019–2021 and help his team win football games.
He’ll also want to honor his late daughter after her tragic passing this offseason as he plays for his new daughter — who arrives in February — and the rest of his family.
There’s no doubt that 2023 is a big year for Shaq Barrett, and it’s off to a good start with training camp in a few days.
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