Looking forward to next season, the Bucs defense is trying to make the most of their younger players. Veterans such as defense tackle Vitavia, inside linebacker Lavonte David and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will remain, but more recent draft picks will need to be realized to reach the next level.
Outside linebacker Yayadiabi leads the charge.
Diaby is like that About your quest to become a vocal leader next seasonBut he’s not just his goal to improve. Young Pass Rush discussed who others in the 2023 NFL Draft were trying to prove themselves, and he gave his opinion to his new position coach, Larry Foot.
Yaya Diaby loves what Larry Foot brings to the Bucks olb room
Bucs OLBS Coach Larry Foote – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Yaya Diaby is already shining in excitement for next season, especially after the Bucs signed outside linebacker Haason Reddick. Diaby believes that the two will be the perfect fit for rushing passersby togetherbut that’s not the only change the room has seen. Larry Foot will return to coaching the room after doing so in 2019-2021. At the time, Foot coached newly signed Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
With external pass rushing aims to return to that level of sack production, Diaby believes having a younger, more accessible coach will help him take a step in the right direction.
“Yeah, I love my coach footman,” Diaby said on the Pewter Report podcast last week. “I love the energy he brings, and it feels like the difference between him and Coach George. [Edwards] He’s young so he can actually wear pads, get out there and become practical. I love it. I had some conversations with him. I told him my goals and he told me what goals he had. He expects me to take my game to the next level.
“When they signed Harson, he said, ‘Yeah, he’s trying to help you a lot’ and I was like, ‘Man, I’m excited.’ I’m just ready to go to work, but at the same time, I’m going to enjoy the time because I know it won’t stop. ”
Bucs Olb Yaya Diaby – Photo: USA Today
Head coach Todd Bowles said he was infamous for wanting a “Ball Hawks” in defense at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and that Reddick’s signature would help. He won’t lead the team in intercept, but there’s a good chance he’ll do it with a forced fumble.
In 2020, he recorded a whopping six forced fumbles, and in 2022 he had five forced fumbles leading the league. Diaby wants to get better by forcing the ball, and having someone next to him has a track record of doing so will only help him do “money.”
“Ball is money, so I want to take that part of the game seriously,” Diaby said of focusing on more strip bags. “You give the ball to the attack. With the attack we have, you get some points. You definitely locked it and found more ways to do it.
If Sirvocea Dennis and Calijah Kancey are healthy, the Bucs defense could be dominant
Yaya Diaby is not just the 2023 BUCS draft pick that is trying to make him feel like he’s there in 2025.
Tampa Bay could add another internal linebacker to the mix in a few weeks, but won’t close the door for Sirvocea Dennis, which will emerge as a full-time starter. Dennis flashed his talent to fill in the other starting spot next to Lavonte David, but suffered a severe blow that suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the season in the fourth week.
Some may not consider him the next big thing, but Diaby is pushing him to prove everyone wrong.
Bucs Olb Yaya Diaby and Ilb Sirvocea Dennis – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
“A lot of people underestimate a lot of people on this team,” Diaby said. “All you can do is say things you won’t see. I’m excited about the ‘Vos’ guy. When we had sirvocea we won. Voss is a great coverage guy.
“I feel like he’s healthy and clear right now. I’m very excited. That’s another guy in the building with me now.
Diaby and Dennis each shared a strong connection with the team’s main footballer, Calijah Kancey, last season. Diaby quickly linked to the original first round pick, causing chaos with Dennis and Kancey as college teammates.
He’s definitely as talented as a 6-foot, 280-pound defensive tackle comes, but the injury keeps him from really getting into the groove. Kansy dealt with individual calf injuries, missing three games of his rookie season and five more games last year.
Diaby prays for his sack “crime partner” to stay on the field.
Bucs dt Calijah Kancey and Olb Yaya Diaby – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
“That’s one of the things I was praying for overall. [month of] In March, Diaby said. “We need week 5 or 6, not week 1, not week 1. The ceiling is very high for Kariya. It’s a guy everyone in the building can trust, a guy who can get the job done and get to the quarterback.
“He takes pride in that. Just having such a guy, we all come and grow together. It’s always amazing. It’s like having a partner in crime and being in the same field as Kalya is always exciting.
The excitement builds around the 2025 NFL Draft and all the young talent, but the Bucs add to the team, but there are already plenty of young players who already have the best football before them. Yaya Diaby is one of them, but Sirvocea Dennis and Calijah Kancyy are truly amazed if they stay on the field and compete in the injury report.
Watch Bucs Olb Yaya Diaby on the Pewter Report podcast
Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera of Pewter Report spoke with Yaya Diaby over an hour last week. To hear the full comment on Diaby, be sure to click to watch here Or you’re looking at the following:
