While quarterback Baker Mayfield added another comeback to his Tampa Bay resume, it was the Bucs’ pass rush — led by Yaya Diaby — that set the tone against the Jets. The third-year outside linebacker was a disruptive force all afternoon, turning in the most dominant performance of his young career.
After reflecting on the Bucs’ Week 3 win, both Diaby and head coach Todd Bowles discussed how he affected the game’s outcome, and how it is a sign of what is to come.
Yaya Diaby Was A Pass-Rushing Menace On Sunday
Jets backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor did a commendable job eluding Bucs pass rushers on Sunday afternoon, but he could only dodge Yaya Diaby for so long. Diaby recorded an astounding 11 pressures on 30 pass rushes, equating to a 36.7% pressure rate. He set new career highs with those numbers, and he managed to get his first sack of the season.
Everyone, including the third-year outside linebacker, knows that he has to record sacks regularly to take the next step in being recognized as a pass rusher. Todd Bowles doesn’t care whether the box score shows a sack or not, though. With the consistent disruption Diaby brought, Bowles believes the results will come.
“He’ll play hard,” Bowles said on Monday. “The pressures are the big thing. Sacks are hard, depending on how long the quarterback holds the football. You can’t put a price on sacks when you’re getting a lot of pressure. Sometimes you get there, sometimes you don’t, and you still have a heck of a rush. That’s just part of it. He’s just got to keep continuing to hone his craft and get better, and the sacks will come.”
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and Jets QB Tyrod Taylor – Photo by: USA Today
What was encouraging about these pressures is that many of them came against Jets left tackle Olu Fashunu, a former first-round pick. Diaby generated seven pressures on 20 rushes against Fashanu, good for a 35%-win rate against the 2024 first-round pick.
“As the game was going on, I started to feel really good with the matchup – knowing what he was giving me, I was getting past him the way I wanted,” Diaby said. “I was feeling good, and I just kept getting closer and closer [to a sack].”
Bowles saw the potential the defense has to shut down opponents on Sunday, although he surely would have liked to see them keep the same intensity for 60 minutes. Diaby is a big part of the unit realizing its ceiling, and he will be counted on to make plays outside of just the well-known defensive stars.
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today
“I think we have more athletic playmakers in that regard, where don’t have to rely on just ‘Win’ (Antoine Winfield Jr.) and Lavonte [David],” Bowles said. “We’ve got other guys that can make plays doing other things.”
The kind of disruption Diaby provided will be tested immediately in Week 4, when the Bucs host the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles — a team with one of the league’s best offensive lines and led by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“Yeah, we are looking really good, but it is always the ending, man,” Diaby said. “I feel like we can better ourselves at the ending point to not put ourselves in a position to have to fight for the last two minutes – last 50 seconds. Overall, we are on the right path, and we are doing things the right way. We are coming along as a brotherhood, so it feels good.”
If Yaya Diaby can carry over Sunday’s breakthrough, it will soon turn into a breakout and help determine whether Tampa Bay can hang with one of the league’s heavyweights.