The Tampa Bay Buccaneers retained a key member of their defensive line rotation on Tuesday, re-signing sixth-year man Greg Gaines to a new one-year contract.
The four most active players on the Bucs' interior defensive front in 2023 are now returning for 2024 as Gaines rejoins Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall in that unit. Gaines played in all 19 games with two starts for the Buccaneers last season and was on the field for 42% of the team's defensive snaps, playoffs included.
The Buccaneers originally signed Gaines to a one-year deal after he had spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick by the Rams out of the University of Washington, where he had been a teammate of Vea. In his first season in Tampa, Gaines chipped in with 24 tackles, one sack, five quarterback hits and a fumble recovery. He was part of a defensive front that helped the Buccaneers rank fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (95.3).
Gaines appeared in 59 games over four seasons in Los Angeles and started 25 contests over the 2021-22 seasons. He posted a career-high 4.5 sacks for the Rams in 2021 and followed up with 4.0 more the next season. Overall, Gaines has played in 76 games with 27 starts and has totaled 146 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 29 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.
