Buccaneers Re-Sign Joe Hawley

The Buccaneers have officially brought back center Joe Hawley.

On Wednesday the Buccaneers agreed to terms with center Joe Hawley, who has been the teams starter for the majority of the last two years. Hawley becomes the sixth unrestricted free agent that the Buccaneers have re-signed this off-season.

Hawley’s deal is for two years, though we don’t yet know how much money its worth. The 29 year old center joined the Buccaneers in September of 2015 and since then has been a mainstay on the offensive line, starting 29 of 30 possible games. In his first season Hawley made a tremendous difference in the Buccaneer run game and really helped the offensive line bounce back from a horrific 2014 campaign. Last season, Hawley started 15 games, and was graded as Pro Football Focus’s 28th ranked center.

As of right now, Hawley is the favorite to be the Buccaneers starting center once again in 2017, and it’s pretty likely that he’s the last transaction they make along the offensive line this off-season. Though the play of the offensive line left a lot to be desired last season the Buccaneers have a group that they really believe in. Assuming Hawley starts, he’ll be the fourth returning starter from last years group, with J.R. Sweezy being the new fifth. There’s been potential talk about Ali Marpet changing positions from guard to center, but the re-signing of Hawley makes me believe that talk can be put to rest.

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Joe Hawley isn’t going to make any All Pro teams or Pro Bowls, but he’s the type of dependable, tough player that the Buccaneers love. Chemistry and continuity on the offensive line is something that’s extremely important, so getting four of their five starters from last year back is worth something. The Beard is back, folks.