The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back one of their own on Saturday, re-signing outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett. Barrett had become a free agent after clearing waivers on Friday; the Miami Dolphins waived him off their reserve/retired list on Thursday.
Barrett played for the Buccaneers the past five seasons before being released in a salary cap-related move this past March. He signed with the Dolphins in the offseason but chose to retire before playing any games for Miami.
Barrett signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in 2019 after spending five seasons (one on the practice squad) in a mostly rotational role with the Denver Broncos. A former undrafted free agent out of Colorado State, Barrett had 14.0 sacks during four campaigns in Denver, and he signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in the hopes of securing a full-time role. Not only did he achieve that goal, but he went on to record the greatest pass-rushing season in franchise history.
Barrett beat out Noah Spence for a starting role on the Bucs' defense in 2019 and rushed out of the gates with four sacks in his first two games, matching a team record. He was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his three-sack outing in a 20-14 win in Carolina in Week Two. In the final week of the regular season, Barrett racked up three sacks against Atlanta, giving him 19.5 on the season. Not only did that break Warren Sapp's franchise record of 16.5 sacks in 2000, it made Barrett the first Buccaneer ever to lead the NFL in sacks in a season. He finished fourth in the Associated Press voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Barrett was an edge-rushing force again in 2020 as the Buccaneers successfully pursued their second Super Bowl championship. After recording eight sacks and 16 quarterback hits during the regular season, he added another four sacks in the playoffs, including three in the Bucs' dramatic road win at Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game.
Barrett had another 10-sack season for the Buccaneers, though injuries impacted his production over the next two seasons. In all, he played 70 games for the Buccaneers and racked up 45.0 sacks, 249 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He ranks fifth in team history in sacks despite his relatively short tenure with the team.
