1. He comes from a small school.
Unlike many established cornerbacks in the NFL, Grimes played his college football at a small, Division II school. Grimes attended Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania where he appeared on both sides of the ball. He set a conference record for interceptions and a school record for punt return yards while earning All-American honors three times. Grimes joins defensive end Howard Jones and guard Ali Marpet as Buccaneers who played Division II or Division III college football.
2. He was a part of the last NFL Europa championship team.
After going undrafted, Grimes was signed by the Falcons, but missed his rookie season with an injury. The following year he suited up for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa, where he helped them win their 2007 championship game, the World Bowl. That would be the last World Bowl ever played with NFL Europa folding following that season.
3. He has a knack for creating turnovers.
Grimes' arrival will undoubtedly help the Buccaneers in the turnover department. He, himself, intercepted four passes last season, which were more than all of the Bucs' corners combined. He has picked off four or more passes in each of his previous three seasons, simultaneously earning trips to three consecutive Pro Bowls. He has intercepted 26 passes in his career and batted down 99 more balls.
4. He has proven to be reliable.
Over the course of the past three seasons, Grimes has missed just one game, sitting out once in 2015 after starting 32 games in a row from 2013 to 2014. While he has been able to stay on the field, he has proven to be very consistent. Grimes has recorded four or more interceptions, picked up at least 49 tackles and defended at least 12 passes in each of the previous three seasons.
5. He and Dirk Koetter have been together before.
Grimes and Koetter were together in Atlanta for one season in 2012, but Grimes tore his Achilles in the Falcons' season opener and was sidelined for the entire year. Barring any injuries or setbacks, 2016 will be Koetter's first season watching Grimes work against his offense in practice. Grimes played under Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith for five seasons while Smith was Atlanta's head coach.
