One of the themes this past offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was reunion. We saw that in the team bringing back Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans before free agency started, but also in the return of Jordan Whitehead after a few seasons with the Jets.
It's been a mixed bag season for the Bucs so far, with the defense failing to hold up its end of the bargain while the offense hums along at a pace we haven't seen since Tom Brady's second season in Tampa. Injuries have been the main culprit in the defense's struggles, as Todd Bowles is trying to coach the same style of defense without a ful deck of players.
That's where another potential reunion could come into play and help the Bucs out in a big way.
For the second time this season, Mike Edwards looking for work. He was released by the Buffalo Bills just before the trade deadline and landed with the Tennessee Titans. Once again he's on the market and the third time could be the charm for the Buccaneers.
Last season Edwards won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, and his release by Tennessee could give Tampa Bay a chance to bring him home.
The #Titans have released S Mike Edwards
— JT Ruhnke (@jt_ruhnke) November 13, 2024
Edwards was a key piece of the Tampa Bay defense that smothered Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs back in Super Bowl 55, and he'd be the second player to come back home after some time away. Jordan Whitehead was signed in free agency, reuniting him with Bowles and the defense, and now Edwards could do the same.
It's less a matter of whether he fills a position of need on defense -- which he doesn't since the Bucs need pass rush and linebacker depth more -- but he brings familiarity and continuity at a key time. The wheels are starting to wobble in a clear sign of potentially coming off as Tampa Bay heads into its bye week on a four-game losing streak. We saw how gassed the secondary was on the final drive of last Sunday's loss to the 49ers, and Edwards could come in and help spackle some of the holes.
He's not a fix-it-all sort of signing, and there's a chance he only produces middling returns, but at this point the Bucs should be emptying the tank on trying to put the right pieces in place. Edwards getting released twice in a season isn't exactly ideal, but he'd be coming back into a familiar system and could help mentallly turn the clock back to better times.
It's unclear if the Bucs will would be open to bringing him back, but reuniting Edwards with Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead feels like a move that at least attempts to fix things rather than standing pat and doing nothing to a depleted defensive roster.
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