Report: Bucs 'Will Definitely Investigate' Stephon Gilmore's Availability
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be adding yet another former All-Pro cornerback to their roster less than a week after signing former All-Pro corner Richard Sherman.
Per CBS Sports' Josina Anderson, the Bucs are one of the teams that "will definitely investigate" the availability of former New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
The Bucs added Sherman last week after a run of injuries depleted the secondary. Well, as it turned out, the Bucs lost another key cog in Carlton Davis III against the Patriots. There is still no timeline when it comes to Davis' injury, but Bruce Arians said after the game that it will be "a while" until Davis returns to action.
Thus, the interest in Gilmore.
Gilmore was placed on the PUP after undergoing surgery back in December to repair a torn quad that caused him to miss the final two games of the 2020 season. 2021 represented the final year of Gilmore's five-year, $65 million extension he signed with the Patriots back in 2017. Apparently, Gilmore's and the Patriots' inability to come together on a restructured contract is a factor in his Wednesday release. The former first-round pick held out during Patriots mandatory minicamp in hopes of a new contract, but eventually reported to Gillette Stadium a few weeks after.
If the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year were to sign with the Bucs, the expectation -if he's healthy- is that he would immediately come in and take over as either the No. 1 or No. 2 corner on the team. What happens when Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Jamel Dean return (who looks like he may be back this week) remains to be seen.
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