At first glance, one might say Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby took a step back in his second NFL season, recording only 4.5 sacks as a full-time starter after tallying 7.5 in his rookie year despite less playing time.
But speaking on the Pewter Report podcast Thursday, Diaby said his sack total doesn't tell the whole story, and he instead feels that he became a more polished and well-rounded defender in his sophomore season, even if that singular stat didn't show it.
"Besides the sack numbers, I feel like I made major growth in every other category," Diaby said. "I just want to thank myself and congratulate myself on that part, you know? I know for sure the sack part is going to come."
As a rookie Diaby started only seven games, but when on the field made his presence felt, finishing fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting behind his impressive sack total. Though that number went down in Year 2, there was a significant increase in most other statistics, including recording 20 QB hits -- top 20 in the league -- 54 tackles and finishing ninth in the NFL in total pressures with 65, per PFF.
With that improvement in his overall game, Diaby feels confident the quarterback takedowns will follow suit.
"I feel like it gets overlooked because when people search up your name, they go straight to sacks because you're an edge rusher," Diaby said. "All of the other statistics really don't show unless you actually search for it. I feel like I improved a lot in everything, run defense and my pass rush ability improved drastically.
"Sometimes the game is a game of inches, you can get there but if you don't take the quarterback down, you don't get the sack. I'm proud of myself, that's what I told myself towards the last couple of weeks. I was just saying how proud I am of myself. The sack number wasn't where [I wanted it] at but I just let go, let loose, and it helped me out a lot."
In addition to Diaby's anticipation over the potential for his own numbers to go up in 2025, he is also excited for the defensive line to grow stronger as a unit with the addition of veteran Haason Reddick. The Buccaneers signed the free-agent outside linebacker after he experienced a down year with the Jets, but Reddick had double-digit sacks in each of his four seasons before that.
Adding Reddick to a group that also includes Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea, who had 7.5 and 7 sacks last season, respectively, sets the Buccaneers up for quite the formidable pass rush heading into 2025, in Diaby's view.
"I feel like what people don't realize that that me, Calijah, Vita, it's really hard to guard all of us one on one," Diaby said, via Pewter Report. "Just adding somebody like Haason is just going to make it even harder, and it's going to make the guys on the back end's job a little easier. I feel like the only thing that separated us last year was everybody wasn't healthy at the same time and that kind of hurt us a lot and I feel like with a healthy team, I feel like ooh, Tampa Bay is a scary team to face."
