Buccaneers LB claims 'people are asleep on Tampa's defense'

The Buccaneers caught a lot of teams by surprise last season, finishing with a 9-8 record and defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Many would argue that won't happen again, especially after Tampa Bay made it a point to re-sign several of its key free agents.

However, second-year linebacker YaYa Diaby still thinks the team is being doubted despite having talented players on every level of the defense.

"It's great, man, having guys like Calijah (Kancey) with me, you got Logan Hall, even Vita (Vea) -- he's a vet, but you know you've got to love Vita," Diaby said , via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. "You've got Joe (Tryon-Shoyinka), and all the young guys, and we just got Chris Braswell, and it's just awesome, man. I just feel like a lot of people are asleep on Tampa's defense, but I feel like this year, we're going to really wake a lot of people up."

The defense was a big reason why the Buccaneers had the success they did a year ago, allowing the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game ( 95.3 ) and sixth-fewest points per game ( 19.1 ) in the league.

Diaby, a third-round pick in 2023, was a key contributor as a rookie, registering 38 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He has put in the work to make more splash plays in his second season.

"I'm super excited, man, for me I done changed my body up, so I can be able to play more snaps and be in more," Diaby added. "And just for me it's the growth I'm seeing in myself from OTAs these past couple weeks, just being able to pick up on things. So going into Year 2, I'm super confident, and just talking about it gets me excited, because of how ready I am to go."

Of course, the offense must also do its part if Tampa Bay hopes to be a dark horse Super Bowl contender, but quarterback Baker Mayfield looked rejuvenated last season, throwing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

If Mayfield picks up where he left off, Diaby may be right that the Buccaneers are being overlooked for the second straight year.