As they embark on a potential return to the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers are reportedly adding to their already stout defense.
Tampa Bay will sign veteran defensive tackle Akiem Hicks on a one-year, $10 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 10-year veteran has spent the past six seasons with the Bears after previously playing for the Saints and Patriots.
Hicks will join a defense that ranked fifth in the league in points allowed per game (20.8) and third in rushing yards allowed per game (92.5). The Bucs will enter the 2022 season under new head coach Todd Bowles, who had spent the previous three years as Tampa’s defensive coordinator.
In nine games last season, Hicks tallied 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and 25 total tackles. Injuries have hampered him in recent years, forcing him to miss 20 games since the start of the 2019 season.
From 2016 to ’18, Hicks started every game and had a combined 23 sacks and 38 tackles for loss, making the Pro Bowl in ’18. He signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Bears ahead of the 2017 season.
