Buccaneers bring back Ndamukong Suh to keep defense intact

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have accomplished one of their biggest offseason goals of keeping their dominant defense intact by re-signing Ndamukong Suh.

The best Buccaneer defense in many years is staying together after a long pause this offseason and an answer has seemingly been given on free agent Ndamukong Suh.

While there was much speculation that Tampa Bay could move on from Ndamukong Suh to draft a rookie or find a cheaper option, those beliefs have been quieted when it was announced that the Buccaneers are expected to bring Suh back on a year-long contract.

As per usual, Adam Schefter broke the news recently that Suh is expected to sign with Tampa Bay for eight million dollars, slightly less than his price from last season.

This is a move that could serve as a double-edged sword for the Bucs as they will now get to keep one of the biggest names on their defense at the cost of dwindling cap space.

The Buccaneer defensive line was one of the best in the league in 2019, but that was not entirely because of Suh. Vita Vea was the anchor on that line through analytics, stats, and the eye test. This does not mean that Suh is a bad addition, but his cost is higher than was expected.

More from The Pewter Plank

• Devin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on Twitter
• ESPN predicts surprising outcome to Devin White trade saga
• Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicamp
• Todd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with Bucs
• The Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023

This is good news for the Buccaneer defense though because it gives the unit another year where all of the starters from 2019 have the opportunity to return. This will allow the group to develop more chemistry and pick up where they left off from last season.

This news also has some big implications on the draft for the Buccaneers.

While Javon Kinlaw has often been linked to Tampa Bay in numerous mock drafts, it seems unlikely that the Bucs would use their first-round pick on him now as the team is focusing on winning in 2020.

Kinlaw would be a great pickup, but at this point, it seems far more likely that Tampa Bay will use their first few picks on the offensive side of the ball now that their defense has been addressed.

Bruce Arians has been very clear that one of the biggest goals of the coaching staff and the front office this offseason was to keep their defense intact, and that they did.

The Buccaneers now have all of the pieces that they want, and Tom Brady is surrounded by talent on both sides of the ball. Tampa Bay hasn’t been to the playoffs in over a decade, but as the free agents continue to return, the possibility of an end to that drought grows by the day.