Inside The Huskies

Everyone's Singing Joe Tryon Praises in Tampa

The former University of Washington edge rusher is off to a promising start with the Bucs.

Dan Raley

Everyone's Singing Joe Tryon Praises in Tampa
Everyone's Singing Joe Tryon Praises in Tampa /

Joe Tryon is like that extra Christmas present you find hidden away beneath the tree a few days after the holiday.

Just when you thought you were all done unwrapping stuff, another gift comes along.

Tryon joined the reigning Super Bowl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 32nd and last player taken in the first round of the NFL draft and he's performed like someone picked 20 or more slots higher. 

The former University of Washington edge rusher has been really good, leading the Bucs' fan base to believe it got an absolute steal in this 6-foot-5, 259-pounder from Renton, Washington.

Just watch how Tryon introduced himself to the league last week in Tampa Bay's exhibition opener against Cincinnati at home. He knocked Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen all the way back to his native Arkansas. 

Coming off the left edge, Tryon totally embarrassed Gunner Vogel, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound rookie offensive tackle from Northwestern as he made a beeline for the vulnerable and defenseless Allen and dropped him.

Granted, Tryon was flagged for a making helmet-to-helmet contact with the quarterback, though that didn't spoil the play for Bucs' coach, Bruce Arians, who roundly defended his new player. The coach even called timeout to argue the official's call.

“Yeah, he [Allen] was a runner,” Arians told reporters. “He wasn’t a quarterback. He was running the option. The play’s been in the league for a while. Hell, you can hit them when they fake it. There’s no such thing as bodyweight. He wasn’t in a passing position. He was a runner. He misread it, obviously. That might be one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in about 10 years.”

As Tryon continues his first swing through an NFL training camp, much-decorated Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski calls him "well-rounded" and "special" for his ability to defend both the run and the pass. 

"With his explosiveness coming off the ball and just how strong he is and with his size, he's challenging to block," Gronk said. 

The Bucs aren't the only ones raving about Tryon. The rest of the NFL quickly is catching on to the rookie from the Northwest and the added good fortune he's brought to the Super Bowl champions.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler raved about the former Husky and his impressive pro football start last weekend on a segment of SportsCenter. The following was his Tryon breakdown:

“Well, Tryon’s been a revelation for the Bucs in training camp. They had the 32nd overall pick. They didn’t have any needs. They had a stacked roster so they wanted to take a player that they could develop that could have some long-term value. So they picked Tryon who hadn’t put on pads in nearly two years. He was an opt-out at Washington in 2020, so they almost didn’t really know what to expect. But he came in, puts on the pads and he is punishing people. He was very physical. His technique was really good. He’s already made an impression for playing time. And the rich get richer because this defensive line for the Bucs was a catalyst to win that Super Bowl. Very good up front, now they have another weapon who’s sort of working his way into snaps.”

Pro Football Focus already has listed Tryon as "one of the darkhorse candidates" to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, mentioning him in this category along with defensive tackle Christian Barmore of the New England Patriots, cornerback Caleb Farley of the Tennessee Titans and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. of the San Diego Chargers.

Tampa Bay's Arians is a big believer in this late first-round gift from Seattle who simply fell into his lap with all sorts of built-in advantages. 

"He's got power, and power is something you can't teach," Arians added. "You either have it or you don't. A lot of edge rushers are speed guys — tackles in this league just knock those guys down. If you can't basically bull-rush and have power and turn it into speed, or speed to power, you're going to struggle. And Joe's showed that he has that ability."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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