- Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the Buccaneers signed former Georgia defensive lineman Sterling Bailey following a workout. Bailey will bring his run-stopping ability to an interior that lacks depth behind starters Gerald McCoy and Chris Baker.
- Bailey had a productive final year in college against the run, posting a run defense grade of 84.1 that ranked 30th in the nation among 465 qualifying interior defenders in 2015.
- The former Bulldog has also been able to show flashes of his ability in the NFL. Having been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colts, he posted the fourth-best run-stop percentage (12.2 percent) by a 3-4 defensive end in the 2016 preseason.
- Currently, Gerald McCoy and Chris Baker are the only interior defenders on the Buccaneers roster that posted above-average grades in 2016 (85.2 and 82.2, respectively).
- Tampa Bay did draft run-stopping nose tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The USC defender racked up 36 run stops, fourth-most in the nation by an interior defender last season.
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