Bucs veteran DL bids farewell to Tampa
With the NFL’s free agency window opening on Monday, a wave of movement swept social media from all over the competit…
With the NFL’s free agency window opening on Monday, a wave of movement swept social media from all over the competition. The Bucs have yet to make a move and will likely wait and see in search of value, but one player could now be ruled out of a return to Tampa.
Veteran defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who has served as a valuable low for the Bucs over the years, posted a farewell to Tampa on Instagram Monday afternoon. It didn’t take much reading between the lines to realize that the Bucs had no intention of keeping him around as they enter a new era. Not long after, Nunez-Roches agreed to a deal with the New York Giants, according to Tom Pelissero.
“Thank you Tampa Bay for everything and everyone who supported my family and me while we were in Tampa!” Nunez Roches wrote. “It’s been real, 4eva love, sign off.”
Reflecting on Nacho’s career at Bucs
Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Nunez-Roches — or “Nacho” — became a regular on the Tampa Bay defensive line after signing with the team in 2018, serving as depth behind Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea. He was selected in the sixth round by the Chiefs in 2016 and signed with the Bucs in October 2018. He appeared in just three games that year before signing a one-year deal with the team and pushing harder into the rotation in 2019. All 16 games.
After posting nine tackles (five solo), a tackle for loss and a fumble to recover in 2019, Nunez-Roches signed another one-year deal in 2020. He again played in all 16 games, starting 11 of them due to an injury to Vea. In the Bucs’ Super Bowl season, he finished with 20 tackles (seven solo) and three quarterback hits.
With Tampa Bay looking to keep as much of its Lombardi Trophy-winning squad together as possible in 2021, Nunez-Roches signed another one-year contract with the team. In 16 games (one start), he totaled 17 tackles (five solo), three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Bucs DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches — Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Happy with an important part of their defensive line rotation, the Bucs re-signed the 6-foot-2, 307-pounder for — yep — another one-year contract. He paid off that decision with a career year in 2022, finishing with career-highs in tackles (33) and solo tackles (19). He tied his career high with five tackles for loss and set another high with two sacks — his first sacks as a member of the Bucs.
Nunez-Roches was always someone the Bucs looked to for energy, as he played many of them both on the practice field and on game days. Now, however, the team will have to look elsewhere for that juice as they restructure their defensive line this offseason. Will Gholston, Pat O’Connor and Akiem Hicks are also free agents, while 2022 second-round pick Vea and Logan Hall need some help heading into 2023.
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