Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Top five undrafted free agents in team history

Michael Bennett – DE 2009-2012

When the name Michael Bennett is brought up, it almost assuredly is going to get some sort of a reaction out of NFL fans, good or bad. One thing that can’t be denied though, is that he was a talented defensive lineman.

The Buccaneers signed Bennett the former Texas A&M Aggie in 2009, where he would start in seven games as a rookie, and recorded one sack. Bennett would go on to play in 50 games with the Buccaneers, starting 28 of them. In those games, he would total 84 tackles with fifteen sacks and four forced fumbles, recovering two. His best season in Tampa came in 2012, his first full season as the starting defensive end. He would record nine sacks, three forced fumbles, and three passes defended.

Just as Bennett was hitting his stride, the Buccaneers chose not to re-sign him after 2012, where he would parlay his success into a spot with the Seattle Seahawks, making three Pro Bowls, winning a Super Bowl, and making another.

Bennett would retire after the 2019 season but did put up a nine-sack season in 2018 with the Eagles. Similar to Blount, the undrafted Bennett had a fruitful and winning career, and it all started in Tampa Bay.