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Shaquil Barrett 2020 Outlook: Building On a Breakout Season
Linebacker Shaquil Barrett enjoyed a true breakout season in 2019, his first in Tampa Bay. After being a lightly-used backup linebacker for five years in Denver, he exploded in his Bucs debut. Barrett racked up eight sacks in the first three games of the season and never looked back. He finished the year just as strong with three sacks in the last game of the year. His final tally of 19.5 QB sacks led the NFL when all was said and done. Barrett also blitzed more than any other player, being used to attack the QB 174 times in 2019, which was 24 more times than the next-closest player.
Barrett's Pro Bowl performance helped the Bucs much-maligned defense tie for seventh in the league in sacks, alongside the New England Patriots. While he parlayed this into a $15 million deal, it was just for one year so he still has a lot to prove and play for in 2020. A reduction in offensive turnovers with the change from Jameis Winston to Tom Brady could allow the defense to play from ahead more often and help out the pass rush. Barrett remains a high-end IDP asset who is capable of big games and yet is consistent as well; he only went four games without at least a partial sack. Target him as a top-10 linebacker who can contribute several points any given week.
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