Buccaneers Closing in on 1-Year Deal With DT Ndamukong Suh
By Sam Dunn
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially released all-world defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, questions swirled about who would be first to pounce on him on the open market. A less-discussed subject? What the Bucs would do to fill the sizable void he left behind.
Well, we now have our answer. According to insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Bruce Arians' boys are nearing an agreement with veteran wildman Ndamukong Suh on a one-year deal.
BREAKING: @Buccaneers signing veteran DT Ndamukong Suh to a one-year deal. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/AkF25aBqXe
— NFL (@NFL) May 21, 2019
At age 32, Suh's athletic prime is mostly behind him, but he can still be a disruptive force in the middle of the defensive line. The five-time Pro Bowler spent last season with the NFC champion Rams, starting all 16 regular season games and delivering 4.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries to go along with 59 combined tackles.
He's notoriously capable of losing his cool and getting himself in trouble on the field, but the beauty of a one-year deal is that Tampa Bay can't really call this decision a mistake no matter what actually happens.
Soon-to-be Buccaneers’ DT Ndamukong Suh was interested in playing for Tampa’s new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Plus, no state tax in Florida, making a deal there more attractive. So Suh expected to wind up back in Florida, as a Buc, his third team in the past three seasons.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2019
There's no way to replace a guy like Gerald McCoy really and truly, but the Bucs came about as close as they possibly could have to doing so with today's reported deal.