All of the talk has been about whether or not the Buccaneers can re-sign their big-name free agents, but there are several key depth players in the mix, as well.
Guard Aaron Stinnie is one of those depth players. He took the place of Alex Cappa after the third-year offensive lineman broke his ankle against the Washington Football Team. Stinnie, originally an undrafted free agent, played very well.
If you follow football closely, you know how important quality depth is in this league. It’s nearly as important as quality starters. Every single player on a team’s roster is just one play away from a season-ending injury so teams always have a need for solid backups.
That’s why Wednesday’s news regarding Stinnie is very encouraging if you’re a Bucs fan. Tampa Bay announced -just over an hour before free agency was set to officially begin- Stinnie’s official return for the 2021 season.
Welcome back, @LIL_STINNIE.#GoBucs
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 17, 2021
Terms of the deal haven’t been released, but if the Buccaneers slapped Stinnie with the right-of-first-refusal tender, then he will cost $2.13 million this year. We’ve seen players sign for less than the tender, however, a la Antony Auclair last year. So, the numbers aren’t guaranateed to be that high, but at least we have an accurate barometer until more details are released.
