Having taken care of their top offseason priorities with respect to retaining incumbent players, the Buccaneers are turning their attention to depth contributors. Defensive tackle Greg Gaines is re-signing on a one-year deal, per the 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov.
Gaines joined the Buccaneers last offseason on a one-year, $3.5MM deal. The defensive lineman will now stick around Tampa Bay for a second season with the organization.
Gaines emerged as a dependable defensive piece for the Buccaneers, getting into 17 games (two starts) while appearing in more than 40 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. He finished the regular season with 24 tackles and one sack, and he added another sack in two playoff games. Pro Football Focus only ranked Gaines 94th among 130 qualifying interior defenders, although the site was much higher on his performance early in his career.
The former fourth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Rams. He started 25 games for the organization between 2021 and 2022, compiling 8.5 sacks between those two campaigns.
Gaines will likely continue serving as an important depth piece behind Vita Vea in Tampa Bay. Greg Auman of FOX Sports opines that Gaines’ new contract could mean that Will Gholston isn’t back with the organization next season.
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