Evaluating Greg Gaines' cost versus Logan Hall's potential impact reveals a defensive-line dilemma for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a good interior defensive line, but with Vita Vea now 31 years old and Calijah Kancey being oft-injured, there are questions about depth.
This is why players like Greg Gaines and Logan Hall are important.
Gaines has been with the Bucs for three seasons, and this year, took on a bigger role than expected when Kancey got hurt and missed 14 games.
Production-wise, Gaines was 108th out of 134 DL in overall grade per PFF, 118th in pass rush grade and 77th in run defense grade. Judging by those metrics, there are bigger reasons to keep Gaines than:
A. His cheap cost; and
B. He was teammates with Vea at Washington, so if Vea vouches for his friend, it could sway the organization since Vea is one of its captains.
Then there's Logan Hall, who is the more intriguing option.
Hall was a borderline first-round pick for the Bucs in 2022, going No. 33 overall from the University of Houston.
Hall had trouble finding his footing early on, but in 2024, he had the best season of his career, ending with 5.5 sacks.
Although Hall fell off in the sack department, ending with just 1.5, he was, all things considered, a solid rotational lineman, ending the year with a career-high in tackles, forcing a fumble for the first time in the pros and earning above-average grades in pass rush, run defense and overall from Pro Football Focus.
The problem the Bucs could run into with Hall is the cost, with Sportac having his value set at $23.9 million over three years.
On the one hand, Hall is only 26 and, if he continues to improve, he could become a force on the line. If that happens somewhere other than Tampa Bay, letting Hall walk could be a decision the Bucs regret.
On the other hand, the Bucs have h $14.5 million in cap space, so it's hard to justify them going for that type of deal.
If the Bucs are to keep one of their two free-agent defensive linemen, then Gaines probably is the most realistic. Sportac doesn't have a projection of what Gaines might cost, but Gaines' last contract with the Bucs was for $3.5 million over one year. A depth guy on the cheap with a Super Bowl ring (2021 Los Angeles Rams) isn't a bad guy to have, since the Bucs are not paying him to be a game-changer.
ㅤ
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!