Jon Gruden Alerts Bucs Fans to 'Keep an Eye' on Haason Reddick: "This Guy Had Over 20 Sacks in 2 Seasons at Philly"

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Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There's just a little more than 30 days remaining until the world can once again rejoice in the glory of gridiron football, but Jon Gruden already appears to be in midseason form. The former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is giving fans an overly enthusiastic breakdown of each divisional race heading into the 2025 season, and to no one's surprise, he's favoring his former franchise to bring home its fifth consecutive NFC South championship this season.

The only thing Gruden favors more than that? Another standout regular-season performance from the team's newfound veteran pass rusher, Haason Reddick. According to the former Super Bowl winner, that's one of the key names that fans should "keep an eye on."

"This guy had over 20 sacks in two seasons at Philly," Gruden noted. Even though Reddick was "awfully quiet last year with the Jets after the contract holdout," the former head coach still likes his odds of having a bounce-back season now that he's far removed from New York.

Reddick started in just two games throughout the entire 2024 season, recording just one sack and 14 combined tackles throughout the 10 contests that he participated in. It was the first season that he failed to record double-digit sacks since 2019. After receiving a pair of consecutive Pro Bowl nominations in 2022 and 2023, while also receiving the fourth most votes for the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award, Reddick's lack of productivity last year was certainly a disappointment.

Nevertheless, fans and analysts alike, including Gruden, are banking on that being a Jets-related issue more so than anything else. The former Philadelphia Eagle was one of the bigger names that the Buccaneers managed to come away with this offseason, but for Gruden, it doesn't stop there. "They also had a great draft, I think."

"Drafted Emeka Egbuka, great receiver out of Ohio State, man. Back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons, I think he's the all-time leading receiver, yards wise, at OSU. Hell of a player. They also got two corners. I really like Benjamin Morrison out of Notre Dame, nine picks in the last two seasons... Then they get this Jacob Parrish guy... Hell of a playmaker."

To Gruden's credit, the oddsmakers out in Las Vegas seem to be in agreement with his assessment of the NFC South. Tampa Bay is currently the odds-on favorite to claim the division crown once again, as their odds currently sit at an even +100 (risk $100 to win $100).

Baker Mayfield gives the Buccaneers a significant edge over the rest of the division, as the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and the Falcons all continue to face some level of uncertainty at the quarterback position. Suffice to say, it's Tampa Bay's race to lose.

Thankfully, for both Gruden and Bucs bettors, the team is still operating under the proven leadership of Todd Bowles, who has now managed to string together a pair of consecutive winning seasons, so unless something cataclysmic happens, it appears is if the road to the NFC Championship still runs through Tampa Bay.