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Buccaneers: Five Best Pass Rushers of All-Time

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:15 a.m. ET

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Who are the best Buccaneers pass rushers of all time?

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Happy holidays Buccaneers fans! We hope you are enjoying your family and friends, wherever you might be on this holiday Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for sticking with us and reading our content day in and day out.

While we get into our Sunday afternoon, with two games on tap today, let’s take a look back through Bucs history. Starting right from the beginning in 1976, what has been one constant all the way through?

Besides losing. I hear some of you cynical fans out there.

Defense. That’s what I mean. Throughout the eras, the Bucs have had solid defensive players. And they have been able to get to the passer.

Noah Spence was a high-profile draft pick this past year, and is starting to come into his own. Teamed with Robert Ayers, Spence is becoming a threat that the league must take notice of.

But he doesn’t make this list yet. Who does? Today we are looking back at the five best pass rushers in team history.

Let’s get things started.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; A view of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo on the player tunnel

5. Brad Culpepper

Here is a player that didn’t have a long career with the Bucs, but over a three-year period, was a dominant rusher from the inside.

Culpepper was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the tenth round of the 1992 draft. He arrived in Tampa Bay in 1994 and make his mark as a starter at left defensive tackle. Over his first three years in town he racked up 9.5 sacks, but his production amped up in 1997.

That year he posted 8.5 sacks. He posted three sacks on two separate occasions in 1997, both times against the Arizona Cardinals in victory. He followed that up with a nine sack performance in 1998. His best day that year came in a two sack performance in a win over Green Bay. 6.5 sacks was the number in 1999, marking his final solid year getting to the passer with the Bucs.

33 sacks in six seasons with Tampa Bay, an average of over five sacks per year, earns him the number five spot.

Dec 24, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) celebrates a sack against the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

4. Gerald McCoy

Here is a guy that needs very little introduction.

McCoy was the third overall pick in the 2010 draft and has been every bit as productive as a third pick should be. At least that’s what the numbers say.

After a slow start to his career, he came into his own in 2012. That year was the first of four straight Pro Bowl appearances. He posted 31.5 sacks during that period between 2012-2015, and was named first team All-Pro in 2013. For his career, McCoy has recorded 42 sacks.

So, why is he only fourth? At times, he has been silent in big games. That may change now that he has help up front in the form of Ayers and Spence, but it has been a problem in the past so he remains at number four.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; A view of the Salute to Service logo on a goal post at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

3. Lee Roy Selmon

This one goes out to all long-suffering Bucs fans.

For any of our young readers that aren’t aware, when the Bucs joined the league in 1976, they didn’t win a single game. Their first win didn’t come until 1977. Their first two seasons amounted to two wins. But, one shining star through those early lean years was Lee Roy Selmon.

Through the years when the Bucs were desperate for wins, Selmon was dominant. When they started counting sacks, he posted 23, through the years 1982-1984. He was named to the Pro Bowl every year from 1979-1984 and was named first team All-Pro three times, and first team All-NFC six times. When he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995, he was the first player selected that put up their numbers in Tampa Bay.

But with only 23 official sacks, he ranks 13th in team history. Why is he so high? Because if sacks were recorded during his entire career, his number would have been much higher. He passed away in 2011, but lives on in the thoughts of Bucs fans everywhere.

Aug 6, 2016; Canton, OH, USA; Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy looks on as he stands with his bust during the 2016 NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2. Simeon Rice

The number two selection was led by Tony Dungy during some exciting times.

Simeon Rice joined the Bucs in 2001 after spending his first five years in Arizona. He posted 51.5 sacks with the Cardinals before coming down to Tampa Bay. Upon arrival, he terrorized quarterbacks left and right. Rice posted double-digit sacks every year through 2005. Take a look at his sack numbers in each of those seasons: 11, 15.5, 15, 12, and 14.

Now that is a pass rusher, ladies and gentlemen.

Rice did some of his best work in the playoffs, posting four sacks the year the Bucs won the Super Bowl, including two in the big game.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003. He was awarded first team All-Pro honors in 2002.

His 69.5 sacks are good for second in team history, and second on this list.

Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former player and hall of famer Warren Sapp prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

1. Warren Sapp

There really was no other choice for number one, was there?

Warren Sapp was selected with the 12th overall pick of the 1995 draft and was a staple on the Bucs defensive line for the next nine years. Starting in 1996, Sapp never posted a season of less than six sacks until 2003. In short, he was a one-man wrecking crew. His best season came in the year 2000 when he posted 16.5 sacks, good for second in the league.

He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl every year from 1997-2003, the end of his time in Tampa.

His 77 sacks over nine years rank him at the top of the Bucs all-time list and make him the only choice for number one.

What do you think? Is this list on the money? Let the debate begin.

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