Is Shaq Barrett the best edge defender in the NFL?
Luke Easterling  Bucs Wire  Todays NFL is loaded with talented edge defenders who can get after the quarterback, as well as display the athleticism and versatility to make plays in coverage and against the run. Touchdown Wire recently ranked the best players in the league at the position, and while Pierre-Paul was left off the top-11 list, Barrett took the No. 1 spot. Heres what Touchdown Wires Doug Farrar had to say about Barrett earning the top slot:  Including the postseason, only Aaron Donald had more total pressures than Barretts 98, and it wasnt that close  T.J. Watt finished third with 75. And in the Buccaneers postseason Super Bowl run, no defensive player accounted for more pressures than Barretts 21. Barrett was a great player during the regular season, but he became transcendent when things got really important. My Touchdown Wire colleague Mark Schofield made the case that Barrett should have been the MVP of Super Bowl LV, and the tape confirms the assertion. With a full array of pass-rushing moves, and the ability to get to the quarterback as consistently as anyone in the NFL, Barrett rose to our top edge defender coming into the 2021 season. Shaq Barrett is already one of the best signings in Bucs history  Barrett is one of the best free-agent signings in Bucs history, and if he keeps up his current level of play for another couple of seasons, he could go down as one of the best in NFL history. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Bucs two years ago, and after leading the NFL with 19.5 sacks in his first season in Tampa Bay, he played a key role in the teams title run last year. The dominant pass rusher was rewarded with a long-term extension this offseason, insuring that hell be making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks in Tampa Bay for years to come.