There's no doubt the Buccaneers' have been one of the busiest teams in free agency this offseason. Ranging from Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. to Lavonte David and Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay has retained seven key free agents to new deals for the upcoming season.
In addition, Tampa Bay has also been active in signing new players during the new NFL year. As of March 17, the Buccaneers signed former strong safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year, $9 million deal, while adding offensive guard Sua Opeta and center Ben Bredeson to one-year contracts worth $1.4 and $3.5 million, respectivly.
Tampa Bay made yet another splash in free agency. On Friday, the Buccaneers signed former New York Jets cornerback Bryce Hall to a one-year deal, as initially reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Buccaneers signing Bryce Hall could end up paying off big
With the Buccaneers trading starting cornerback Carlton Davis III to Detroit at the start of free agency, the addition of Hall gives Tampa Bay more depth and a capable starter to fill the void left by Davis III.
Following three solid seasons at Virginia, Hall was selected by the Jets with the No. 158 pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. In spite of only playing eight games his rookie season, Hall totaled 36 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception.
With that, Hall emerged as the Jets' top cornerback in his second season. Starting in all 17 games, Hall recorded 79 tackles, four tackles for loss and 16 pass breakups, the sixth-most in the league. Since then, Hall's play has been reminiscent of his uninspiring 2020 campaign, with combined marks of seven tackles and two pass breakups in 14 starts in the past two seasons.
At just 26 years old, Hall has yet to enter the prime of his playing career, but inconsistent play still dampers his outlook in Tampa Bay. In 2024, Hall projects to serve as a backup to Zyon McCollum as one of the team's starting cornerbacks, alongside Jamel Dean and Christain Izien.