Buccaneers sign Nadakomg Suh to replace Gerald McCoy
The Buccaneers have wasted no time in moving on from six time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as they have signed tackle Nadakomg Suh to a one-year contract.
There had been rumors around that Suh was about to become a Buccaneer, but when Bruce Arians was asked about Suh at practice he said he could not talk about players that weren’t on the team.
When informed that Suh was a free agent, Arians quickly changed his mind and said he was a hell of a player.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but it is expected that Suh will be signing for less than the $13 million dollars that McCoy was due this season.
Suh, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Detroit Lions will be playing for his third team in three years.
Playing next to Aaron Donald in Los Angeles last season, Suh had 36 tackles to go with 4.5 sacks.
In his nine year career, Suh has 476 tackles with 56.5 sacks, has forced four fumbles and knocked down 32 passes.
As soon as Todd Bowles was named defensive coordinator of the Bucs, Suh expressed interest in coming to Tampa to play under Bowles.
With career earnings approaching $139 million dollars, the fact that there is no state income tax in Florida also appealed to Suh.
Suh has had a reputation as a dirty player and been involved in some extracurricular activity after the whistle. With Suh on board, you can expect the Buccaneer defense to play with more of an edge than they have in recent years.
With Suh anchoring the defensive line, the Bucs front seven Is now looking pretty formidable on paper with Carl Nassib, Suh, Shaq Barrett, Devin White, Beau Allen, Anthony Nelson and Lavonte David.
If Jason Pierre- Paul can back from his neck injury at some point this season, that would be a terrific combination with Suh and Pierre-Paul.
The fans in Tampa should keep their expectations in check though. The addition of Suh does not make this team a playoff contender. Suh and McCoy are basically same type of player and McCoy may be actually be a better pass rusher with a quicker first step.
The Bucs could certainly have done worse. Credit Jason Licht and the front office for moving quickly and bringing Suh to Tampa.
