Did the Buccaneers make a mistake by waiving Jack Pyburn?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the offseason determined to create more competition and depth along the edge. After watching Jack Pyburn throughout the preseason, they may eventually wonder whether they let one of their more intriguing young pass rushers get away too soon.

Tampa Bay waived Pyburn as part of its final roster cuts despite the undrafted rookie putting together one of the strongest preseasons on the team. Pyburn finished with four sacks, including two against the New York Jets and another two in the preseason finale against Jacksonville. His four sacks were tied for the most among edge defenders during the preseason. A numbers problem was always going to exist. The Buccaneers spent significant resources rebuilding the position, adding first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. and veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad to a group that already included Yaya Diaby, David Walker and Anthony Nelson. With only so many roster spots available, Tampa Bay was eventually going to have to make a difficult decision. The gamble was likely that he would clear waivers and potentially remain available to the organization. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs claimed him almost immediately, placing Pyburn on their 53-man roster and preventing Tampa Bay from bringing him back.