Buccaneers lose veteran defensive lineman to the New York Giants

9-year NFL veteran defensive tackle, and Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, has signed with the New York Giants.

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Nunez-Roches, or 'Nacho' as he's most often referred to, was a valuable depth piece for the Bucs over the course of his five years in Tampa. Nacho was an important contributor to a group that formed one of the most stout run defenses in the league during his time.

In 2022, Nunez-Roches had 33 combined tackles, and two sacks for the Buccaneers.

#Giants fans, Nacho is huge trash talker, popular in locker room. Tough as nails. Good vs run, non factor against the pass. Good depth signing https://t.co/YInJwhlhHT
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) March 13, 2023

Just as important as his contributions on the field, Nunez-Roches was a valuable locker room presence. Notorious for being a trash-talker on the field, and a big personality off it, there's no question that his presence will be missed at One Buccaneer Place.

That said, it's no surprise that Tampa Bay wasn't able to keep Nacho around. With a vast list of free agents, and very limited cap space, fans in Tampa have been preparing for a mass exodus.

Nunez-Roches will likely occupy a role in New York that is similar to the one he had in Tampa. He'll be a rotational defensive lineman who will be effective against the run and provide a ton of energy.

As fans in Tampa Bay already know, adding valuable depth pieces, especially in the trenches, is essential for achieving success in this league. Rakeem Nunez-Roches will provide the Giants with exactly that.

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