4 free agents Bucs could sign to replace Russell Gage

If there’s a guy the Buccaneers could justifiably talk about going above and beyond to try and land to replace Russell Gage, there’s a good case to be made for Jarvis Landry.

While the New Orleans Saints had the same idea last year but failed to see the payoff, the Bucs have something they didn’t. Landry had some of the most productive years of his career with the Cleveland Browns when his quarterback was none other than Baker Mayfield.

Landry went to the Pro Bowl twice and posted career highs in total yards, yards per reception, and yards per game while Mayfield was his quarterback. He was also one of Mayfield’s most highly targeted receivers with the Browns as well, which means there’s a natural fit and connection the Bucs could exploit.

Bringing in Landry also doesn’t throw off the trajectory of training camp standout Trey Palmer. It’s clear that Landry would jump into the WR3 role, but he didn’t run away with it when given the opportunity in New Orleans. The expectation would be that he’d have a much higher level of production in Tampa Bay, but he wouldn’t box out Palmer from getting involved in four receiver sets or as a rotation.

Just imagine what Dave Canales could do with a wide receiver group of Evans, Godwin, Landry, and Palmer.

Assuming the money can work — and that’s a huge hurdle to clear — Landry seems like a perfect fit for the Bucs to replace Russell Gage.