Excited Joe Brady Remembers Bills' Newest Defensive Addition Being 'An Issue' in Past

Greg Gaines wasted no time.

The Buffalo Bills' newest defensive tackle was on the practice field, wearing No. 97 and participating with his position group on Thursday at the Cleveland Browns' facility.

The Bills hosted Gaines for a tryout in Orchard Park on Tuesday, proceeding to sign him later that afternoon. With Buffalo departing for Cleveland on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's joint practice, Gaines was ready and raring to go.

"I've been around Gaines for two days, and he's kind of like a nononsense guy," said rookie head coach Joe Brady prior to the afternoon practice in Berea. "We thought there'd be a ramp-up period, and he's like no I want to, let's go practice. I'll be ready to go and keep it moving."

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs for a first down against Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Greg Gaines (91) in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium | USA TODAY Sports

The 30-year-old Gaines had been unsigned since free agency began in March, and he's apparently champing at the bit to get going for what will be his eighth NFL season. He initially entered the league as a Los Angeles Rams' fourth-round draft pick in 2019.

"A veteran presence, especially in the defensive tackle room," said Brady. "We have a lot of young guys. We've been moving a lot of guys around, the versatility, and playing guys at a lot of different spots - the nose, the 3, the 4i. Just bringing in an experienced guy. He'll have an opportunity out there to practice today and compete. [We'll] see what it looks like with two preseason games left."

Shortly after he signed, we wrote about how Gaines projects as a nose tackle in defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's 3-4 scheme, bringing added value with Phidarian Mathis facing a three-game suspension.

Joe Brady knows Greg Gaines can be 'an issue'

Having played in 108 regular season games, and starting for the Super Bowl LVI champion Rams, Gaines has built a reputation in NFL circles, and Brady has taken notice.

"I've always been a fan of his game. He was an issue in LA. He was an issue in Tampa. He obviously battled an injury last year, but has played a lot of football in his career," said Brady.

After completing his rookie contract with the Rams, Gaines spent three consecutive seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mostly known as a run stuffer, the interior lineman has 14.5 career sacks and 35 quarterback hits. He has nine playoff appearances, including four starts, under his belt.

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