Buccaneers steal free agent wide receiver from NFC South rival
The Buccaneers are in need of help when it comes to a third wide receiver on the team. Antonio Brown is obviously no longer associated with the franchise and Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller did not take the expected step forward in 2021. Therefore, the Buccaneers enter 2022 with a hole at that spot on […]
The Buccaneers are in need of help when it comes to a third wide receiver on the team. Antonio Brown is obviously no longer associated with the franchise and Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller did not take the expected step forward in 2021. Therefore, the Buccaneers enter 2022 with a hole at that spot on the roster.
That likely changed Tuesday after the Buccaneers agreed to terms with (now) former Atlanta Falcon Russell Gage. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was first to report the news.
Remember, things can change before the official start of the 2022 season, as we've seen over the last few hours with Randy Gregory, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Denver Broncos. However, this seems to be a done deal.
It's a rather surprising move, considering the Falcons will be without both Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley in 2022. And yes, I'm well aware Jones was traded to the Titans last year. The point is one would assume the Falcons make Gage a priority since there are hardly any options at receiver, right now.
Apparently, there was interest to re-sign Gage on the Falcons' end. How much interest is currently unknown, but retaining Gage may have become more difficult after the last few days. Big money is getting paid to not-so-big receivers right now, which may have driven up Gage's price.
There's also the Tom Brady Effect to take into account, here. It's widely known that veterans will take lesser deals in order to come play with Brady and get a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl ring. That is very alluring to a guy like Gage, considering the Falcons haven't had a winning season and haven't won more than seven games in a season since he was drafted in 2018.
Gage will fill in nicely as the Buccaneers' No. 3 receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Per Pro Football Focus, Gage was in the slot for 266 snaps compared to 339 snaps out wide in 2021. This means a few things: a) he can play inside and fill in for Godwin in case Godwin's recovery from his ACL tear gives him issues early-on, b) he can then slide outside once Godwin returns, and c) the Bucs can swap Gage, Godwin, and Evans in and out of both positions in order to create all kinds of matchup problems.
Featured image via Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
