Ex-Husky DLs Gaines, Vea to Reunite with Buccaneers
The last time Greg Gaines and Vita Vea lined up side by side at defensive tackle was the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, when they shared in a long afternoon trying to tackle Penn State's Saquon Barkley.
Five seasons later, these former University of Washington stalwarts will reunite as NFL teammates in Tampa Bay after the 6-foot-1, 315-pound Gaines on Saturday signed a free-agent deal with the Buccaneers, according to multiple news outlets.
Gaines comes to the Florida franchise from the Los Angeles Rams, where he was drafted as a fourth-round pick, spent the previous four seasons and won Super Bowl LVI.
He's expected to slide into the position next to the 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea, who found a home in Tampa as a first-round pick, has played five seasons and captured Super Bowl LV.
Gaines comes off a season in which he started 12 of 16 games, and he opened in 25 of 59 career outings for Los Angeles. He has career totals of 122 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.
He's been a reliable player, missing just one game over the past three seasons, and productive defender, coming up with 8.5 of his sacks over the past two seasons.
The Bucs could start as many as three former Huskies on defense plus a fourth on offense, with edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and tight end Cade Otton playing prominent roles this past season.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12
Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3
Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.