The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a solid offseason, thus far, and there is still a lot of work to be done. 

One area that needs continued improvement is the defensive line. The Buccaneers have stalwart nose tackle Vita Vea, a budding Logan Hall, and former Super Bowl champ Greg Gaines, but they still need more help.

Many have wondered whether or not the team is going to bring back Akiem Hicks, who played pretty well in 2022, when healthy. Hicks hasn't signed with any teams, so he's still a free agent.

A continued partnership is definitely still in the cards. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Hicks is still on his radar and he would like to have him back for another run in 2023.

"We've still got Hicks out there somewhere, hopefully," Bowles told reporters Tuesday. "He's on our radar. So we'll keep in touch and see how those things go.

"When he was healthy, I thought he performed well [and] I thought he fit in great. Him and Vita are a very good force in there."

Hicks injured his foot in Week 2 and proceeded to miss the next six games. He returned in Week 9 and played 58% of defensive snaps. He then proceeded to rack up 17 total tackles, 1.0 sack, three QB hits, and 2.0 TFLs over the last eight games of the regular season. 

Those aren't the greatest of numbers, obviously, but it's not all about stats with Hicks, however. He forces teams to make sure there are resources aimed at stopping him, which frees up Vea and the edge rushers to do their thing. Hicks also helps Lavonte David and Devin White fly from sideline-to-sideline, as well as execute Bowles' exotic blitzes. 

Re-signing Hicks would be a pretty solid deal for the Buccaneers' defensive line. They aren't going to spend the 19th overall pick on the position, so the odds are high that a rookie won't be as effective as Hicks would be in 2023. In all, it makes sense.

Hicks signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Buccaneers last year. It's very unlikely he signs for that much again. But the Buccaneers are obviously fine with working though whatever the asking price is, as long as it's reasonable.

Bowles also mentioned bringing longtime veteran Will Gholston back, as well, saying Gholston is still an option. 

"Will's an option, too," said Bowles. "… Like I said, free agency is still in the middle, and we still got the draft and then we have June 1st cuts. It's a process… You have to find the right fits for your team and we have an idea of the things we want to do. 

"And when the process plays out, I think we'll be pretty pleased."