It was a busy free agency for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the theme once again revolving around the team reuniting with familiar faces.
Chris Godwin headlined not only the free agency class for the Bucs, but the list of names of players returning for another tour of duty. Lavote David, Ben Bredeson, and Greg Gaines are also back and are being joined by the likes of Haason Reddick and Riley Dixon as new additions.
Anthony Nelson was also among the players returning, a move that was met with open arms by fans but a bit of a stiff arm by some. Nobody who actually watched the team would interpret anything about his return as bad, even if things weren't perfect, but it's clear that not everyone has been paying attention.
That's not a biased opinion from someone who loves the team, that's something that came from the man himself as he reintroduced himself to the media this week.
Anthony Nelson takes a shot at his PFF Grade during Buccaneers press conference
During his re-introductory press conference, the $10 million man wasn't shy about how much he disagreed with the most recent PFF grade he received. He used it as a chance to take a shot at everyone who has somehow argued that he's not a useful piece of Tampa Bay's defense.
“I see all the stuff on social media and everything where people be like, ‘Oh, his PFF grade,’ and all that. I’m here to tell you can watch the film,” Nelson said. “The ball does not get completed behind me or in front of me in the middle of the field.”
For the record, he finished last season with a 55.9 PFF grade, which was the lowest of his career.
Nelson hasn't been a superstar but that's not what his role in Tampa is. There's nothing wrong with saying that if Nelson is starting at linebacker the Bucs are having some issues, because he's a key piece of depth that has been reliable in that role over the course of his career.
Sure there have been plays he'd like to have back, but overall he's racked up 18.5 sacks over six seasons in Tampa Bay and the fact that he's on his third contract with the team says a lot. Nelson is beloved in the building, and a team that didn't have a ton of money to spend handing him $10 million to keep him around is proof of that.
The Bucs still need pass rush help, but Nelson was never going to be the answer to that. Adding Reddick helps change the tone off the edge, but Tampa Bay is still likely to use a high draft pick to add a top prospect to deepen the talent pool.
Nelson is a big piece of that puzzle, though, and he's just the latest Buccaneers player to be given some extra motivation to ball out next season.
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