The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense suffered a significant blow on Thursday night when starting outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett suffered an Achilles tendon injury early in the third quarter of a 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. An MRI on Monday confirmed that Barrett tore the tendon, which will send him to injured reserve and end his season.
Barrett recorded a sack and three tackles for loss before suffering his injury. He concludes his fourth season in Tampa with 30 tackles, 3.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, six quarterbacks hits and a forced fumble.
"It's a tough break for him," said Head Coach Todd Bowles, noting that's it's also an unfortunate outcome for the team as a whole. "Anytime you lose somebody like that, that commands double teams, it makes it harder for everybody else. He's been consistent since he's been here, he's been productive, he started out playing well last night. So it's just a shame to see."
Barrett is in the second year of a four-year deal he signed with the Buccaneers in 2021. He originally joined the team with a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2019 after four seasons in a rotational role in Denver. Barrett immediately set a new franchise record in 2019 with 19.5 sacks, leading the NFL in that category, and played the following season on the franchise tag.
In 54 games as a Buccaneer, Barrett has 40.5 sacks, which already ranks fifth in franchise history. He has started all 54 of those contests and has recorded 197 tackles, 45 tackes for loss, 81 quarterback hits, 12 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. Barrett also 4.0 sacks in six postseason games for the Buccaneers and was credited with eight quarterback pressures in the Super Bowl LV win over Kansas City. He was voted into the Pro Bowl following the 2019 and 2021 seasons.
Barrett becomes the eighth player on the Buccaneers' injured reserve list, though four of those eight – running back Giovani Bernard, inside linebacker K.J. Britt, center Ryan Jensen and safety Logan Ryan – are eligible for a potential return to the active roster in 2022. After losing Barrett, the Buccaneers are left with four players on the outside linebacker depth chart: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, Carl Nassib and Genard Avery.
This is the first time in his nine-year NFL career that Barrett has landed on injured reserve. He originally joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2014 and spent most of his rookie season on Denver's practice squad. In his career, he has 54.5 sacks, 116 QB hits, 70 tackles for loss and 19 forced fumbles.
