Almost every single player on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster has reported to training camp, as Randy Gregory remains the lone holdout.
It's a situation that continues to get more bizarre the longer the Bucs ignore it. Gregory, who signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in April, has yet to report to the team. Signing his contract was the last time anyone saw him around the building, and it's to the point where the Buccaneers are unsure of where he is.
Making matters worse for Gregory is the fact that Tristan Wirfs has not only reported to camp but has participated in workouts. Wirfs is currently holding out for a new contract ahead of his rookie deal expiring after this upcoming season, but despite that, he's still taking part in
Gregory's absence is notable, but it seems head coach Todd Bowles is done talking about someone who isn't at camp.
Todd Bowles shuts down Randy Gregory questions at Buccaneers training camp
Bowles spoke with the media after practice and quickly grew annoyed with the number of questions about Gregory that were being asked. He tried to deflect after the first question, going with a line he said at minicamp about how it will be dealt with internally.
“We’re going to talk about the players that are here. ,” Bowles said. “We’ll deal with that internally. Obviously, he’s on the did not report list, and we’ll go from there.”
After getting tossed a few more questions about Gregory, which admittedly broke up the flow of talking about players who were at camp, Bowles snapped a bit.
“I don’t speculate on anything,” Bowles said. "I'm done with the Gregory questions."
It's understandable that Bowles doesn't want to talk about Gregory, and it's not his job to deal with that contract situation. Still, it's one of the more notable storylines heading into training camp, not only because a player is actively missing but because of the lack of depth the Bucs have at edge rusher.
Gregory was brought in as depth after the Bucs lost Shaq Barrett, and he had the makings of being an impact role player. WIth Gregory missing, Tampa Bay has K.J. Britt, Anthony Nelson, and Jose Ramirez as depth at right outside linebacker, which is fine but not exactly what the team thought it would have heading into the season.
There's still a chance Gregory reports and this all blows over, but that outcome is looking more unlikely by the day. Nobody knows why he's not showing up, which makes matters even worse, and it seems that the vibes he'll bring just don't match what the Buccaneers need in the locker room.
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