Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rival Making Moves at NFL Trade Deadline?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have slipped in recent weeks and the Atlanta Falcons seem to be looking to capitalize by trading for Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have come out of their bye week losers of three straight.

While that's bad enough, the worst win of them all could arguably be the Buccaneers' failed attempt to beat the Atlanta Falcons and extend their lead at the top of the NFC South Division.

Now, after the results of Week 8 Tampa Bay sits in third place in the division just one week after coming into it as the leader of the group.

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But that's not where the bad news stops, because the current first-place Falcons are reportedly looking to make a major move that could help them stay on top of the NFC South for the remainder of the year.

"Source: One team has offered the Commanders a 2024 3rd-round pick that would turn into a second-rounder if Montez Sweat agrees to a contract extension," Standig tweeted. "The Falcons are among the teams interested in Sweat, who grew up near Atlanta. Tuesday's 4 pm deadline should spur activity."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is sacked by Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata (90) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Statistically, Atlanta already has a unit challenging to be the division's top defense allowing just 4.87 yards per play which ranks seventh overall among NFL defenses.

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The Falcons also lead all NFC South defensive units in rush yards per play (3.76) and are second behind either the New Orleans Saints or Bucs in several other key defensive categories.

Adding a player like Sweat to their defensive front would certainly make them better and free up Atlanta's middle of the line to do more damage as opposing offenses look to account for his abilities.

The fact that trade talks are also surrounding the possibility of extending him, the Buccaneers could be in line to see Sweat for years to come.

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Currently, the Falcons have around $10 million in salary cap space and would be left with around $2 million if they added Sweat to the roster under his current contract with just this year remaining.

With an estimated $41 million in cap space heading into next season, Atlanta isn't exactly overflowing with cash but it isn't strapped either, making extending him a real possibility, and one that would impact this year in the NFC South and even more to come.

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