Bucs news: Tampa Bay brings back Brent Grimes on one-year deal

In the last few days, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have put forth a concerted effort toward keeping aboard several of their proven veteran players, including Brent Grimes.

Over the last few days, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have put forth a concerted effort toward keeping aboard several of their proven veteran players. This has seen the front office ink both star wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Cameron Bates to lucrative long-term extensions.

However, much of their issues came on the defensive side of the ball last season as they missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year.

With that in mind, the Bucs have agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal to bring back four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes for the 2018 season, Per ESPN's Jenna Laine.

Source tells me that the Bucs are bringing Brent Grimes back on a one-year deal worth $10 million. https://t.co/gikf09avyc

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 12, 2018

Grimes was on track to hit the free agent market after completing his two-year, $13.5 million deal. The 34-year-old has established himself as one of the dependable assets in the secondary for the Buccaneers over the last two seasons, making 29 starts with 35 passes defended and seven interceptions over that span. He is coming off a productive 2017 campaign where he recorded 49 total tackles with a team-leading three interceptions in 13 games played.

Since the 2013 season, Grimes is tied with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Oakland Raiders safety Reggie Nelson for the league lead with 20 interceptions. His return to the team next season should provide stability to their defense, which ranked last in the league against the pass, 27th with opposing quarterbacks holding a 94.6 passer rating, and 29th with a 67.6 percent completion rate from opposing QBs.

The Bucs still have a plethora of salary cap space with more than $55.5 million at their disposal to make additional moves to improve a defense that ranked last overall in 2017 and was tied for 23rd with 23.9 points allowed per game. They are rumored to be one of the several teams interested in All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh once he is released by the Miami Dolphins this week.

There will also be several other talented defensive players available on the open market once the free agency period begins in the next couple of days.